There’s an older lady hobbling from her car to the front door of the store. She’s heard my familiar bell and is rifling through her purse for a few bills. I can see her steady smile as she approaches, only slightly grimacing through the pain of a bad knee.

“Merry Christmas!” I say.

“Merry Christmas to you,” comes her sweet reply. “Thank you for what you do.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome,” I say, knowing that she means to say thank you to far more people than just little ol’ me, the sole bellringer in this particular location.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see another customer exiting the doors behind me, pushing her very full shopping cart. She passes us, pauses, waits for us to finish our conversation, then turns to me.

“I wish I could give more. The Salvation Army helped me when my kids were little and I’ll never be able to repay them.” I smile, a little choked up at the generosity of the gift she drops in the kettle, likely a lot more than she can afford to give. I think of the expensive perfume Mary poured out on Jesus’ feet. “Thank you so much, ma’am.” It is the middle of Tennessee, after all.

Night is falling, and I wonder, as many others have, why some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen are over the horizons of parking lots. Another family exits, mom and dad herding the small children closer, whispering about the meaning of the kettle, the sign, the work of The Salvation Army. The kids each take a dollar, peer over into the bucket, unevenly fold their just-acquired offering way too many times, and finally shove it inside. Their smiles slowly widen as they look up at me. “Merry Christmas!” I say. “Thank you!” The whole family returns the greeting. I catch the littlest girl eyeing my bell and ask her if she wants to ring it. “Can I?” Her mother nods at her and we pose for a photo. 

These are just a few magical moments I’ve experienced this season of bellringing so far. 

I sense the presence of God in the interactions of humanity in many ways and many spaces throughout the year, but nowhere with such frequency and density as I do when I am out here with either instrument or bell in hand. I get to be part of a miraculous exchange just standing and wishing people a merry Christmas.

I’m giving people a chance to give—and it is a wonderful gift. If you’ve ever done it with intention, then you know. You’re standing out there next to a sign that says “Need knows no season” or “God bless you” or “Sharing is caring” or something of the sort. You’re asking God to bless every person that walks by. And they’re coming from every conceivable walk of life: rich, poor, young, old, every ethnicity and every creed, every mood and every station. And whether they know it or not, you’re greeting them with the name of Christ—remembering our mission is to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. And what greater need is there than to be greeted—to be seen and noticed and to be recognized and blessed? That’s essentially what you’re doing when you say, “Merry Christmas!”

And for a moment, no matter who it is, they have an opportunity to stop and think, “Why are these people doing what they are doing? What would motivate them?” They have a chance to study you, or, if they’re bold, to ask you questions. More importantly, they have a chance to think about themselves, their money and their relationship to it. They’re confronted with the reality of those less fortunate than they are. They have a chance to instill the tradition of giving in their children.

I get to bless them. They get to bless others. We all share in the mutual blessing of being able to give. And my heart wells up with a song again and again over the course of these few hours of participating in this very ordinary ritual, made supernatural by the presence of God. And suddenly the ground I’m standing on is holy. And the people are streaming in and out, and it is the most wonderful time of the year. And I’m overcome once again at the gift of being able to take part in this sacrament of bellringing.

Merry Christmas to you. I hope you get a chance to ring a bell this season in preaching the good news of Jesus Christ and helping meet human needs in His name without discrimination.