How Quickly We Forget

      For 14 years of my life, I was always thinking about the stuff we throw in the trash that is still edible.  Working for Society of St. Andrew I was always on the lookout for produce that would normally be thrown away-- put on the compost heap or thrown in the trash. I found volunteers who would take that food to soup kitchen and shelters.  The food wasn't waste, we just thought of it that way. We weren't going to eat it, so why keep it around?

     Today, we were working in the church veggie garden.  There were turnip and mustard greens still growing.  They hadn't "produce" as well as we might have hoped.  We were there to pull up weeds and mix in new compost -- getting the beds ready for planting in February.

We decided to pull up the greens and share with anyone present who wanted to take them home.  There were no takers... 

When asked what to do with them, I said, "Throw them in the dumpster."

How quickly I had forgotten... 

A young couple there said, "What if we take them to Jimmie Hale Mission?"

I was caught off-guard!  "OF COURSE!"  was my immediate response!

But, that's when all my "old training" kicked in... Jimmie Hale receives already prepared meals for the most part.  Churches bring meals that have been cooked.  I asked if they would be willing to carry them to Firehouse Shelter knowing that in the past, Firehouse readily accepted fresh produce and the cooks there were willing to do the "extra" work.  They were happy to carry the greens there.

So, instead of going into the dumpster, hopefully those greens will be on a plate at the shelter!

How quickly I had forgotten that with the plenty that I experience, what seems like waste is often not!  

Keeping Christ in Christmas

This is my article for Hoover First UMC December Newsletter:

Keeping Christ in Christmas

Christmas is not just a Christian holiday.  In fact, many persons who profess no faith at all will celebrate Christmas.  They will decorate their homes and put up Christmas trees.  Santa Claus will visit their homes, and they will exchange Christmas gifts.  Special Christmas treats will be baked and families will gather together.  People will do all of this, without entering a church building or without giving any thought to what the word "Christmas" means.  The word “Christmas” originated as a compound meaning “Christ’s Mass”.  Even the abbreviation, “Xmas” comes from the use of the initial letter chi (X) in Greek for “Christ”.

But, what about those of us who are in church every week?  With the rush to purchase gifts, bake goodies, decorate our homes and generally have a good time, we also can lose sight of the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

So, how do we keep Christ in Christmas?  In his book Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, Rev. Mike Slaughter writes,

“At Christmas, we celebrate a messiah, a deliverer, who was born to die.  So, we too are called to give ourselves sacrificially with Christ for the world that God loves.  More of him and less of us.  More for him and less for us.  Such sacrifice is paradoxial because the more of ourselves that we give away, the more abundant our faith and our contentment will be with what we have”. (P. 66)

How do we make Christmas more about Christ?

Here are a few suggestions for your celebrations of Christmas.

Consider donating to charity instead of exchanging gifts.   When someone asks you what you want for Christmas, give them the name of your favorite charity and ask them to make a gift in your honor. 

Consider giving the gift of time:   DO something together!  Plan a special time with family or friends:  baking together, visiting a museum, or even making a “craft” together.

Consider giving the gift of memories: Write down a story for each of your children/grandchildren/niece/nephew.  You might write about your favorite Christmas memory from when you were a child.  Or you could write about the day when the child was born or his/her first Christmas.

Consider sharing the story of Christmas together: Read the Christmas story aloud as part of your family celebration.

May your Christmas holiday season be filled with the Joy and Peace that comes only from celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, God with Us.

If you want another resource for Spending Less, Giving More by Reclaiming Christmas visit the Rethink Church website.