A New Advent for Migrants in Chicago

Chicago has received over 11,000 migrants since May 2023—a crisis that has come to our doorstep. Temporary shelters, police stations, churches, and city colleges, receive them every day. We have learned that we are not capable of caring for the poor, the needy, the homeless, the alien.

After many visits to bring clothing to migrants nearby, we thought about a Christmas dinner. Edgebrook Evangelical Covenant Church, through our pastor Ken Johnson, donated food and drinks. Pastor Tómas Sanabria and Iglesia del Pacto Evangélico de Albany Park (Albany Park Evangelical Covenant Church) opened their doors to host. Several volunteers from both churches aligned with this dream.

We decided to have a short meditation before dinner on the Advent candles. One little girl lit the first candle of peace—so longed for amid recent wars around the world, between peoples who were once brothers and sisters and neighbors. We asked for peace for families who left in a hurry. Peace of mind, and peace of the soul, particularly for those who experienced trauma during the journey. We prayed for shalom for all of them and for the next steps in their lives in a foreign country, where they do not speak the language yet.

The second candle of hope represents migrants after a long odyssey avoiding dangers, walking through the Darien jungle, the border between Panama and Colombia, and experiencing all kinds of deceptions, hunger, discrimination, cold nights, and fear throughout Central America and Mexico until finally being placed in shelter. Hope for a job, hope for tomorrow.

The third candle of joy represents the joy of giving and receiving. Our granddaughters, Alithea and Elise, helped to wrap presents for the migrant children. We witnessed their joy and delight when they received these unexpected gifts after dinner. We witnessed the joy and gratitude of the volunteers setting aside time during a busy holiday season to drive their cars, cook, prepare dessert, and serve the food.

The fourth candle of love represents the generous donations from people who made this event possible. Two churches worked together to address a real and felt need. Love sat down with migrants to eat with them, to learn about their journey—a tangible expression of love for their first Christmas in the US. Volunteers helped to bring migrants in their cars from different shelters, and some were picked up from the streets.

The fifth candle is the Christ candle. The woman who lit the last candle is six months pregnant. She began her journey, leaving her homeland with her husband and walking for several months to reach a land of hope and opportunity—like many Swedish migrants who left their home in the 19th century to settle in Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and California. The only difference was how they arrived in the United States and the conditions they encountered. This young pregnant woman is a metaphor for Mary, who was denied a clean, comfortable place to have her baby, walking to Bethlehem with Joseph on a long journey. “Because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7), Mary and Joseph ended up giving birth to Jesus, the promised Messiah, the hope for the world, in this unique and humble place. God himself was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger among field animals and curious shepherds.

This is the modern story of Christmas for thousands and millions of displaced refugees, migrants, and people leaving their homeland around the world.