The Gift of Church
Annabelle Hung hosted a Christmas Party. Ligaya captured a moment with Sharon (left), Judy (middle), and Grace (right) laughing together during a gift exchange.
My kids can’t wait to open their gifts on Christmas Day. Yet one of our kids is hard to shop for because he’d rather give than receive gifts. He loves the joy a gift can bring to others. In fact, one gift on his Christmas list “happens” to be what his sibling really wants, and so we suspect he’s asking for his brother. For my son, the perfect gift he wants for Christmas is one that he can give to bless others.
As a pastor of a new church, I can feel pressure to create a church that feels like the “perfect gift.” In other words, I want people to come on Sunday, and find their perfect church experience. While my intentions are good, the true gift of our church is not found in my programming decisions, such as in the coffee we serve or the songs we sing, but in the people. According to Ephesians 4:11, Christ Himself has given gifts to our church and these gifts are people. They are the men and women Jesus has personally led to Anthem Church, who come not for what they can get, but for what they can give. Their perfect church experience is one that allows them opportunities to influence others to encounter Jesus, who is working in and through our Church to bless our world.
Let me share about three gifts in our church named Judy, Grace, and Sharon. They come to my mind because last week Ligaya took a picture of them (see above) laughing so hard together. More than capturing a special moment, this photo reminds me of the joy they bring to our church.
For Judy, she is retired and has the freedom to do what she wants to do. Yet she chooses to bless 7 to 10 foreign-born adults multiple times every week by helping them practice speaking in English. And, before I can thank Judy for what she is doing, she is quick to tell me, “This is my joy to serve,” and then she thanks me for allowing her to serve at our church.
For Grace, she has a heart to help her friends, who are struggling to learn English. Because of Grace’s initiative, our church started an ESL Outreach, which as of last week hosted 2 classes with 7 teachers and a total of 15 students. And most of our students are the friends and neighbors she invited to join. When I thank Grace for what she did, she tells me how much this ministry blesses her and her friends, and then proceeds to thank me for the opportunity to serve.
For Sharon, her friend is battling cancer and so her mom came from India to help around the home. Sharon explained that for many Christians in India, before they cook rice for a meal, they’ll first “tithe” the first scoop to give to a pastor of their local church. Yet, her friend’s mom didn’t have a pastor to give the rice to , and so they asked me if I’d receive this gift of rice. Why? By receiving the rice, I would bless this family.
Judy, Grace and Sharon remind me how we receive a special blessing from God when we give the gifts we have received from God to bless others. As Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give then receive.” We know this is true, and yet so often (speaking to myself) we do not practice this as the true reality of our life. So, maybe my son is onto something this Christmas. Maybe instead of asking our kids to create a Christmas list of things they want, we should have asked them to write a list of gifts they want to give to others. And similarly, maybe as we come to our church to celebrate Christmas, let’s not focus on what we want from church, but on what we can give to the church body. May God richly bless you this Christmas season as you receive and give God’s blessing to others.
