Bells, church tower bells, hand held bells, bells on bob tails, bells, bells everywhere bells.

Nothing is more Christmas than bells.  Yet, history rings loud with bells well before Jesus. Bells sounded a warning, or signaled people to come together.

The early church had no tower bells or loud bells to identify where they were meeting.  No, they would use little hand bells in the early days to indicate they were starting a service, but drawing attention was not high on their list of things to do.  For the first few centuries, they faced off and on persecution for their faith.

Then the Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be acceptable and the churches started adding bells to indicate when special events would occur.  They built buildings with bell towers to ring out for events like Christmas.

As caroling started growing in popularity, some carolers would ring bells as the music for the singers and to draw attention.  The bells became more and more a part of the Christmas traditions.

But today, the bell ringers we think about most with the season stand outside of stores ringing their hand held bells.  Cold weather or hot, rain or snow, these men and women hold their posts from Thanksgiving until Christmas. The bell rings as we walk past.  If we drop a coin, we hear a Merry Christmas in reply.

Over a hundred years ago, one man saw the need of the poor in his town of San Francisco.  He desired to find them food for Christmas.  This one man found a pot and stood out asking people to drop coins in it to feed the needy at Christmas. He collected enough to feed over a 100,000 people that year.
Now similar pots are positioned all over our country and others who care about the poor stand outside of stores ringing a bell to draw attention to the need for the poor. Captain Joseph McFee and his Salvation Army pots have feed millions since the 1890’s

Today, we think of Christmas when we hear those bells ringing.  And when we think of Christmas we should think of the poor and needy.

Matthew 25

³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Prayer:  Lord help me to see those in need.  Help me to know how to help in a healthy way.  Guide me to a person who cares for those in need.

Meditation:  When I face Jesus will he see me as a sheep who cared for Him when he was hungry, sick or in prison. Or am I a goat?

Action:  As I see people in need, visualize them as if they are Christ, before deciding how to respond.