And he didn’t stutter.

In the face of crisis, of hatred and of rhetoric. In the face of suffering and pain, He told us exactly what to do:

Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Don’t turn a blind eye. Because that is me. I am they. They are Me.

And people are responding to that declaration. There are people ministering to refugees in a very physical, real way. They are the healthy hands and feet of Christ, ministering to the suffering hands and feet of Christ.

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping…” said Mr. Rogers’ own mother. And there’s nothing quite like childhood nostalgia to stir a deeper, better part of ourselves.

I’ve found some helpers, and I want to share them with you.

Please read this by Glennon at Momastery. See the update here. Her visceral, truth-telling, truth-seeking style should move you in unexpected ways. Her charity, The Compassion Collective, is bringing hope and love in the way of baby carriers for tired arms, flood lights to save drowning children in the night, and strollers to keep children’s feet from rotting.

Or look here, to Medical Teams International, consider assembling a refugee kit (or 5), especially if you live close to me. There’s a drop-off site in Tigard, OR. A team is in Syria dropping off donations as we speak so that babies can be diapered, hair can be washed, and hands can be sanitized.

This is the time we celebrate the birth of our Savior, our Redeemer, to a small Middle Eastern family. A small family who, shortly after the birth of a son, became refugees themselves… fleeing for their lives at the urging of a dream-angel.

How many refugees today imagine freedom from terror and violence in their dreams? How many feared for their lives, so fled for the lives of their families? Meet the refugees in these photos, from the photographer at Humans of New York. Scroll down to meet 12 refugee families who have been approved to resettle in the United States.

They were all fearful; they are all fleeing. They are women and children and men and grandfathers. They are Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus. They are people with names. Human beings. Each a body and a soul, deserving of all the dignity, respect and love due anyone with a spark of Jesus incarnate. Any of us.

Once you meet them, you can never not meet them. You can never not know their stories. My prayer, in this season of the greatest story ever told, is that their stories cause us to declare without stuttering, even in the face of hatred and rhetoric, I see you, I love you and I’m going to help you.

Lord, Let us be bold as You were bold. Amen