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Did you know that you can buy canned fish assholes? WHO would do that? Yesterday before gathering for in-person worship, we sent out a text aksing folks to go to their pantry and bring a few cans of food for our backpack mission that is one of our mission emphasis for West. There was a deliberate intention behind this ask. During COVID we had a Saturday Serve Day at Mooresville Christian Mission. They needed help stocking their pantry and we needed to find ways to be missional in the community during a pandemic. As I stood there stocking the shelves, I was struck by the randomness of some of the canned items. Some of them were so bizarre, I’d never heard of them before. (Yes, I live a pretty limited life w/ vegetables). But still, I’d never want to eat those items. Amy Lacount, the Exec. Director of MCM saw me looking at them and commented . . . “Yeah, we have some odd things. So often, folks give their leftovers. And the sad thing is, if WE don’t want to eat it, people that find themselves with food insecurity don’t want it either.” Why do we give our leftovers? If we are doing things in acts of love, why don’t we give our best? In the video shared in worship yesterday, Hal Donaldson, the founder of Convoy of Hope, shared his story. I invite you to watch the interview here, the interview itself is at 13:16. In the interview, Donaldson talks about growing up in poverty after the tragic car accident that killed his father and created lifelong disabilities for his mother. He talks about never having the “nice” tennis shoes and always getting the cheapest. Until one day a woman from their church asked if she could take him to the shoe store. When they walked in, he made a beeline for the $2.99 pair (hard to imagine, right?) And the lady said to him, “Today, Hal, Jesus wants you to have the very best. Let’s go over here.” She walked him to the $4.99 section to find a pair of shoes. Donaldson remarked, “The power of kindness kept me from becoming bitter.” I asked you to bring something from your pantry yesterday because the odds are if it was in your pantry, it is something worth eating. And that’s what we should give away. Not some “junk” we have lying around, but something worth sacrificing. That’s how Jesus lived. When we live that way – out of generosity and gratitude, we experience richness. Peace. Love. Rich. How can you extend an act of generosity today? Grace and Peace, Andrea |
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