Old Song, New Perspective
December was full of sharing Christmas and holiday music throughout Northeast Ohio - something we have a new level of gratitude for since surviving pandemic lockdowns! From prisons to the Hope Center for Refugees and Immigrants and more, it has been a joy to anticipate and celebrate the coming of Jesus with our community. While at the St. Augustine Hunger center earlier this month, one of our listeners asked if we knew "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." We replied that yes, we did, and started riffling through our music to find the music (people usually ask if we know a song because they'd like to hear it.)
But before we found the music he went on to say, "I hate that song. I've always hated it. Because I knew, even as a kid, that there was no way Santa was coming to my hood. Santa would have gotten robbed so bad if he came to the projects." He went on to detail what he imagine would have happened to Santa, his sleigh, the reindeer, and all the presents if Santa had come to his neighborhood.
While our hope is not found in Santa coming to town, his perspective on this song was a humbling reminder about the vast range of ways people experience this Christmas season. We didn't go on to play "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." But we were blessed for the opportunity to talk with this man and remind him that while Santa may not have come, there is a God who has come and is coming even now to his hood to walk with him, love him, and give him life abundant and eternal.
More moments from December 2022 included…
Renovare at the Hope Center for Refugees and Immigrants, where we helped celebrate a new US citizen by playing the National anthem in between Christmas carols!
Renovare performed for 120 men at the Mansfield Correctional Institution, setting a new record for the largest audience size for any event since the Covid-19 pandemic.
One of two days performing at Building Hope in the City’s Christmas Store, with a guest/new friend Larry!