Encounters with the Living God

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This past weekend I was blessed to take part in the annual L’Arche Jacksonville Living Nativity.  This simple yet moving performance helped me to understand and experience the wonder of the nativity in a new way.

L’Arche, which has been my place of ministry for the past four months, is a community of adults with and without developmental disabilities who share life together.  Those with developmental disabilities are called core members because they are at the heart of the community.  LArche is a place where people are authentic, where gifts are revealed and affirmed, and where those whom the world places at the margins can find a true home.  This spirit of welcome makes L’Arche a sign of hope to the world.

The Living Nativity performance allowed us all to shine.  The narrators proclaimed the story with conviction, Mary was radiant, and the Star of Bethlehem danced his way to the stable with an infectious joy.  And I was reminded that as God made a home among us in the lowliest of ways, born a poor baby in a stable, so too we encounter the Living God today in the humblest of people and the most unexpected of places.

To learn more about L’Arche, visit larchejacksonville.org or larcheusa.org.

Christin Tomy, Candidate

Jacksonville, FL

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