Jesus is giving me a Christmas gift this year. It's come as a total surprise, but I really want to share it with all of you. It does require a little bit of background information for those of you who don't read my other blog.
This was the year that I was diagnosed with depression. I struggled hard with this condition for the better part of 2014. I took medicine. I saw a mental health professional. And I prayed. And I totally got better. But joy has been somewhat elusive these past six months, and I entered the season of advent with trepidation and uncertainty. As a person who LOVES the Christmas season, I wondered how all this would look as a person recovering from a condition that steals joy.
Enter our little baby church plant, Roots Community. Launched just over a year ago and deeply committed to serving the community in which we live, two of our Gospel Communities (think small groups only more awesome) serve specifically at the local elementary school where around 65% of the students qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. As part of one of those Gospel Communities, I somewhat regularly attended the Parent/Teacher Volunteer meetings for this little elementary school, alongside a handful of other Roots peeps. Yes, I homeschool my kids. Odd? Maybe. But stay tuned.
At Christmas time, in an effort to worship Jesus fully, Roots participates in Advent Conspiracy. We spend less and we give away what we don't spend on gifts to those who really need it. I have been called and equipped to lead Advent Conspiracy at Roots. Like many things with church planting, it's been a little crazy, not super organized, and often haphazard in how it has come together. About three weeks ago, before a single cent had been given, my pastor called me to chat about casting vision for the congregation about where the giving would go.
Roots has three passions - three areas where God has called us to give ourselves away: Shepherd's Door, the women and children's division of the Portland Rescue Mission, church planting, and Russell Academy. It's not hard to figure out that these are the areas to which our Advent Conspiracy giving should go. Add to this a recent conversation that my pastor had with the school counselor and you get the beginnings of my Christmas gift from Jesus.
The newly hired counselor had contacted my pastor to ask Roots about starting up a Backpack Buddies program at Russell. I had never heard of Backpack Buddies, but as he described it to me, tears began to roll down my face. On Friday afternoons, students from poverty-stricken families are surreptitiously given a bag filled with food which they can prepare themselves over the weekend. Food. On the weekends. I grew up below the poverty line in a single-parent household. I received free lunches. This was before breakfasts were served, but I would have qualified for those as well. There were times, especially at the end of the month, when food was scarce on the weekends. I know that feeling. I've been there. At the time of our conversation, my pastor had no idea how I had grown up. He approached me wondering if I thought this might be something we could partner with Russell on. Um...yes. Yes, this is something I want to do.
Sidenote: If you are ever unsure about what God wants you to be doing for Him, listen to your pastor. When s/he asks you to do something and it's something that lights a fire in your soul, it's probably from Jesus Christ and you should do it.
I began praying immediately. It's one thing to say I want to do something. It's another thing to fund it. Right? The counselor shared the idea of starting small, the ten neediest students, as identified by her. Lord, what will this look like? How will you provide? Will you do this through us? Crunching numbers in my head and thinking about approaching grocery store managers for discounts, I waited expectantly with hope. And I quietly asked Jesus for $1,000 to use for Backpack Buddies at Russell.
I received an email last night from the dude at Roots who runs the financial side of things. To date, Advent Conspiracy giving has exceeded $2,600.00. That is almost double what folks gave last year and we still have one Sunday left in Advent. People, this is NOT a big church. I am blown away. This sounds goofy, but as a grown-up, this is just the most amazing Christmas gift I could have received. Answered prayer. A new opportunity to tangibly love others in Jesus' name. Seeing the generosity and love of Christ through the giving of my community. Only Jesus could have given this gift. So, I am thanking Him this morning, with tears and MUCH joy.
