TO THE CHRISTMAS GIVERS
TO THE CHRISTMAS GIVERS
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Sunday, December 18, 2011, The Year of Our Lord
Ephesians 4:7: “But every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the Gift of Christ.”
A couple of months ago, the Lord spoke to me, “Tell the story of the Christmas fruit cake this Christmas.” I have sometimes been slow to follow the Lord’s directions without trying to figure things out in my own understanding as to why I am to do certain things. I trust there is someone who will be touched by this story: It is probably the story of every young mother and father.
I am so blessed with the church in Katy, Texas that we have a church of Christmas givers who have the Gift of Giving.
Story Line:
We were living in Houma, Louisiana. The children were young (6 and 1). Because I was trying to (by works) be the best Christian, wife and mother possible, I kept an immaculate home; was President of the United Methodist Women at our local church; Sunday school teacher; on the Board of Directors for the church; room mother; assistant brown leader and vice president of the P.T.A.
My mind set was not that I was trying to be Mrs. Community Organizer, but “working for the Lord that I might be pleasing to Him”. I cut a deal with Him when Kelly was born. He answered my prayer. I was trying the best I knew how to fulfill my pledge to Him through works which was all I knew of His Grace at that time. Through the years, I have come into a measure of “the Gift of the Grace of God (Eph. 3:7)”, whereby I know this was the prayer of an immature Christian. Yet, it was the only prayer I knew to pray and the Lord honored the cry of my heart.
Until my youngest daughter was born, I had been happily employed in a career in the banking industry. When she was born, a nerve in her arm was injured. The doctor gave the prognosis, “If the nerve does not regenerate itself, she will have a short arm.” I knew I had a call on my life, but had been busy living and working to “to get ahead, have a home, pay the bills, etc.” I got on my knees and told the Lord if he would heal my baby, I would give him the rest of my life. By the time she was nine months old, I knew her arm had been healed. I knew only the Lord could have regenerated that nerve.
That year I counted that I was responsible for gifts for 120 children (class room, brownies, and Sunday school). All of these had to be hand made due to a limited budget in each coffer. In addition, our parents who lived in Missouri were pulling on us to make their Christmas joyful with our annual Christmas trip to see them (and rightfully so).
This is probably a picture of every loving mother and father in America who love their church, families and communities giving joyfully of themselves year around. There are many who have the faith to give to hundreds of children, the elderly, and homeless. However, at that time, that was all my faith bucket could muster up. We can only minister by Faith the Gift of Grace by the effectual working of His power within us. However, all was done as a labor of love and of faith. It was the best I had to give.
As you would know, this young mother was totally exhausted that year. I gave all I had and emptied out physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially (smile). It was a very hard year of my growing as a housewife, mother and learning to live on one income instead of the comfort of two incomes.
Upon our return from visiting our families, there was a small package wrapped in brown paper at my doorstep. It was a hand made, Christmas fruitcake from a lady in her 80’s from our church in Baton Rouge, La. She was also a customer of the branch bank where I had worked. I didn’t know her very well. She always smiled, nodded and greeted me at church and at work. I know now by the Holy Spirit she was an intercessor. The Lord put my face before her and she remembered me. Even then when I still had so much to learn about the Holy Spirit, I knew the gift was from Jesus and that it was anointed.
This may be to those who are listening or reading a simple story. Yet today, 38-years later, as I recount the story, tears flow from my eyes with rivers of emotion as poignant as the day I opened the brown paper package. Why did the gift of the fruit cake forever touch my life in such a profound way? It was given with a heart of pure kindness and consideration. She would have had to go to the trouble to get my address from either the church or one of my co-workers. She had never given me a gift before. I had never done anything special for her that would “merit” her giving me a gift. “I did not earn it in anyway”. She made no demands on me in return for her Christmas blessing.
I have received many beautiful gifts through the years from friends and loved ones. I hold all the gifts dear to my heart because they were given in love and often sacrificially. I have a grateful heart to all who would take the time to remember. I have known other seasons when I knew it was the Lord who gave me a special gift. Yet, there was a special anointing on that fruit cake given by the Hand of one of the Lord’s givers.
The Holy Spirit within me was quickened to recognize the miracle of the Holy Spirit Gift of Giving resident in the heart of this lady. All around me that Christmas had been the “needy” and even the “greedy”. I was not seeking the Lord for a gift. I was seeking the Lord for Him and to feel His love. I received my Christmas blessing wrapped in a brown paper package. Could I verbalize at the time that this was the Holy Spirit? No! I just wept in great joy because I was touched by the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
Many at this time of the year are lonely, depressed, and searching for a Christmas miracle to fulfill all their longings and emptiness of purpose and destiny. As a Pastor, I know that many hope to have that fulfillment in romance, diamonds, new car, new job, new home, etc. They are seeking to have their soul gratified.
I pray that everyone will seek the Lord and receive their Christmas blessing of the “Gift of God” which can only be administered by the “Gift of the Holy Spirit”
Ecc. 3:13: “That every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor. It is the Gift of God.”
Acts 10:45: “The Jews which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Rom. 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Rom 5:17b: “By One (Jesus Christ) much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ.”
There is another Christmas story that happened while I was a pastor in Baton Rouge, La.
In the congregation, we had many wounded, rejected, and hurting people whose lives had been wrecked by divorce, betrayal and abandonment.
No matter how many times I preached to pull them out of their self-pity and being self-absorbed. Stubbornly they were making demands on the Lord and He had not come through according to their presumptuous faith.
I am sure none of you ever knew people in this mind set.
I made a visit out in the country to an elderly couple with a very modest home. In their home, they took in homeless people in a crisis situation. One of our regular members was in such a crisis. The church had helped her as we were able, but she needed a place to live. This Godly husband and wife had offered to take her in. I went out to meet them and offer to help financially as they had a room they could offer this lady on a temporary basis.
I was so touched by their home. I am sure it was over 100-years old, with no repairs or modernization in probably 30 years. It was of gray cedar and rambled from porches to rooms that had been attached as an afterthought. They offered a dry place to sleep with a bed and heat for the winter. There was hot running water. The grounds were beautiful with lots of live oak trees and Louisiana hanging moss.
He had built a pulpit on the grounds by chopping a tree trunk at just the right height. There were pews made from split logs balanced on tree trunks.
The “light bulb” went off in my head. This would be where we would have our Church Christmas party and once and for all, these “me, me, me” people would be humbled and be blessed that this humble couple was giving out of their poverty, not out of their abundance.
So, we planned the party. I asked everyone in the congregation to bring a gift for this couple. I asked them to give royally out of their own need that one special thing that made Christmas happen for them.
The brother cut wood and made a bon fire for us. Here we go in a carvan out into the Louisiana woods for our Christmas party. The meeting was wonderful. We worshipped in the cold Louisiana night under the stars by a beautiful bon fire. I preached on the stump pulpit. Again, I think I was the most blessed person there that night! The beautiful elderly couple were blessed to have “church” at their sanctuary under the stars and to have the guests.
We had several young adults who came with us. I know that must have been their blessing to see the young adults blessed and enjoying their beautiful sanctuary.
Did it make a difference to those who were so into themselves? Not that I saw. Hopefully the seed was sown and they have allowed the Gift of Grace to heal their lives. I forget the year, probably 1992 or 1993.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.