Beautiful aren't they?
They appeared out of nowhere. As is often the case with my congregation, gifts appear out of seemingly nowhere and for no particular reason! It's always a joy to me because of course I love gifts, even gifts that are generously shared between two other people. I love to see generosity in action because it is a sign of love. These gifts, when they are presented to me, remind me that someone is thinking about me and that they care about me, maybe even love me. It has happened so many times that my shelves (and there are quite a few in my office) are filled with trinkets and plagues and little statues and signs and crosses and pictures and sayings and bowls and books and all sorts of other things that have been gifts to me in the past ten years. All signs of God's love through the people I am privileged to serve.
Monday we received a magnificent gift from one of our families: a new carillon bell that was installed in the bell tower! Now the whole town is gifted with the sound of hymns that will lilt toward their ears and hopefully lift their spirits and give them joy. Another reminder to the village the Christ is truly present- wherever sound can travel, it will be a reminder of God's love for us in Jesus Christ! This gift was a long time dream of one woman in our parish and the timing just never seemed right. . . but out of the blue (or so it seemed) it all happened in a matter of days. Coincidentally (I don't think so) ready for Easter the baptism of her great granddaughter! Kairos moment there! Gift given in water and word and also in sound!
Gifts from God do seem to come out of nowhere lots of times, don't they? A moment of grace. A smile on a dark day. A word of hope just when you needed it most. A phone call just to say, "I only wanted to hear your voice." These are small, but very effective reminders of God's love for us and of the love we share with one another in Christ. We are also gift bearers in the name of Christ! Our very presence can be a gift to someone and we may not have any idea that the Lord of our lives is using us to bring peace, contentment, even joy to the moment at hand.
As you continue your Holy Week journey toward the Last Supper, the Mandatum (foot-washing), Arrest, and Crucifixion. . . be aware of the gifts being given to you in each moment. It was be a gift of mercy in your pain, a gift of hope in your darkness, a gift of laughter in your crabbiness, a gift of food in your hunger, a gift of water in your thirst, a gift of love in your loneliness. And be aware of how Christ is using you to meet the needs of another as well. In the giving is the greatest gift of all!
Have a blessed Holy Wednesday. . . hang in there. . . you know the WHOLE story so cling to it even as you dwell in each moment along the way!
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