Scavenging versus Expecting and Experiencing the Fullness of Christ

Scavenger:  a person who searches for and collects discarded items.

This morning as I was drinking my first cup of joe a car outside our front window caught my eye. That's because it stopped right in front of our house.  I didn't recognize it.  I thought to myself, "Now who would be coming over at this time of day?  It's still so early and I'm in my pj's!"  As luck would have it, it wasn't someone looking for me; a tall man jumped out of his car and hustled over to our neighbor's trash pile.  You see in our neighborhood today is trash day. 

In our town trash day can be a very interesting day.  One evening as my husband and I were depositing our very first couch on the side of the road for trash pickup the next day, a truck zoomed in and two men jumped out and began to hoist that couch onto the back of their truck.  Our handprints were still warm from where we had carried it; the cushions were still in the house!  "Do you mind?' they asked.  A little stunned, I just stood there, speechless for  once.  Jeff replied, "Sure you can have it, obviously we were just getting rid of it."  And off they went into the night, perusing the rest of the neighbor's trash to see if therein lied any treasures for the taking.  

Back to the fellow this morning. . . I couldn't tell what he picked up.  In the dawn's breaking light it looked like a big plastic container, rather oddly shaped so I couldn't quite decide what it would even be used for, but he grabbed it and looked it over, turning it around in his hands deciding if he should keep it or put it back on the trash pile.  He must have thought it would be good for something as he tucked it under his arm and returned to his waiting vehicle just as the neighbor pulled out of her garage.

So, you might ask, what does that have to do with the Christian life?  Well at first glance, nothing I guess.  But it seems to me to be a metaphor for how we live with Christ.  Are we content with just the crumbs and scraps and leftovers of what God has to offer?  Are we even interested in what God has to offer?  Perhaps when we need something, then we think about God.  Are we happy with simply taking what we need if and when we need it? Isn't there more to life with Christ? What would it be like to go searching for God and God's activity in the world with purpose and intent like that man searched for junk?  If we do look, what do we expect to find?  Dusty, dirty, cast offs that no one else wants?  Or do we expect something greater from the Lord of life?  Can we expect the best out of Jesus in our lives?

I think we can- I'm just not sure that we do.

Where can we find the best of Christ for our lives?  Where can we find the true treasure, rather than the dross that is left over (if Jesus would even have anything left over)?  Maybe that's the point!  What the world offers us if fleeting. . . it is garage sale fodder. . . someone's trash is another's treasure they say.  But where is the REAL treasure?  Where is the REAL stuff of faith?

Martin Luther calls the sacraments a "treasure."  What do you think of that as a description of baptism and the Eucharist?  A treasure that can be experienced each and every Sunday in worship.  The Word of God is also a treasure-- that can be accessed anytime, anywhere!  Eternal life is the ultimate treasure!  Will we go in search of what the world offers, scavenging around taking whatever we can find that might look interesting or useful, or will we search instead for what gives life, love, faith, strength, endurance, joy and eternity?  The real treasure awaits us. . .

What do you think about that??

Eucharist image credit:  fanpop.com