The World Through A Microscope
The world through a microscope
International House Christmas dinner packs in 40 people from all over the world.
Some learned about the words and meaning of the Christmas story and carols for the first time
New Year, 2019
Dear Friends,
The star guided wise men to the Christ child who was to transform a broken world. The child began his life in a stable, but later moved to what was probably a simple home.
Two years ago—about the time it took for the wise men to make their journey—we received in our home a scholar from Japan who needed a place to sleep for a few nights. He was finishing his dissertation defense at Johns Hopkins and then proceeded on to teach science in Ethiopia. Tradition has it that one of the wise men who brought gifts to the new king was possibly of Ethiopian or African heritage who was an an astronomer and watched the configuration of stars.
In a twist to the Christmas story, our Japanese scholar was making microscopes out of broken Coke bottles and used this to help Ethiopian primary and secondary School students “see and understand” a deeper world. He was however troubled by the order of the universe and his identity in that universe. Last week, a few days before our celebration of Christmas, I received news that he has come to embrace the Christ who came to redeem the world, and who brings light to broken hearts.
If you are like me, you feel the pain of our broken world. We are broken people and have broken relationships. We live among people who make broken promises and break their commitments and pour out that brokenness to others. We often take relationships that are at least partly whole, and break them into pieces. Our Japanese friend took broken pieces of “the real thing” and helped students look deeper at what was really there. But those pieces only helped him understand the deeper disconnects in his own life. The pieces brought him to search for the Prince of Peace.
Can broken pieces of our lives help us see more clearly our world through the light of the King? Will the light of His star shine so that our world might somehow make sense again? If our Japanese friend can see that refined image and hope with a broken bottle, then perhaps we too can find a new hope!
I passed through this Christmas season with an array of emotions. I feel with deep gratitude the outpouring of love and support that we received from so many. God does more than I ask. A neighbor wanted to help toward our support account, and again others have made significant contributions to help float us back to “full time support”. I was contacted about a possible replacement for my role as director of the Peace Studies program—it was someone I already knew but didn’t think there would be any possible interest. These are amazing answers to prayer.
And yet I find myself like Jesus weeping over people who are not moving toward the Christ child. Broken lives seem precariously perched on thin ribbons of dark self-will. We journey with broken lives and often feel the persistence of forces that numb and tear at the center and soul of relationships and being.
The Christmas announcement to the shepherds led to the Child’s presentation in the temple eight days later, or about the length of time from our Christmas to New Year. Simeon gave thanks for the light of revelation to the nations, and Anna gave thanks for the redemption of God’s people. God was bringing the broken pieces together again in a new way.
Rejoice with us in new life born again in our friend Yoshi, born in Ethiopia, reflecting light from Baltimore.
With anticipation for light and redemption in the year to come,
Karl and Debbie
Kdortzbach@mac.com
443 570 3668
