Gifts

So I came to Denver knowing the general idea of what a gift was but not really thinking much about it. I thought that a gift was something precious given from one person to another. And it is. It's something toward which thought and time and maybe even some money have been given.

But now it's so much more.

We've talked a lot over the last few weeks about gifts being more than what I've mentioned above. We have talked about how giving a gift means that you are sacrificing something, maybe a part of who you are or what makes you, you. A gift isn't necessarily something you can buy from a store or online. It's not even necessarily something that you thought of originally. It is something that comes from deep within a person. Let's say that I want to give a gift to a friend. The best gift that I can give to my friend is something that pours out from my soul.

That's what God did for us. If you think about it, God's gift was the ultimate gift; the ultimate sacrifice; the ultimate way for him to pour his soul into us, his creation.

I know that as Christians we hear this message all the time, but I wonder if this particular message is beginning to fall on deaf ears. How often, during communion, do we feel ourselves filling with joy? Shouldn't we be? We are remembering this sacrifice of God's on our behalf and remembering the shame of the cross. But when we remember the cross, don't we also have to remember the empty tomb, the great hope we have for life with God now and forever? I think that we should start celebrating our hope that comes from God's gift.

Also, I can't help but feel that when we receive a gift this personal, from anyone, it is impossible to not be ecstatic about it. You can't help but tell everyone that you received an unexplainably awesome gift from someone. It's like the gift goes from one person's soul straight into your ow nand you can't help but make it known that it is now a part of your soul too.

So you may be asking what brought about this strong feeling about gifts? Let me tell you:

So a couple weeks ago, I was at one of our weekly picnics when up rolls a woman named Barbara. She is not a street kid, but she still comes to our picnics almost every week. Barbara also happens to be completely handicapped. She cannot walk, talk, or use her hands, but she still has complete brain function. She is able to communicate by pointing with her feet to words on a chart. It really is quite impressive to watch.

At this particular picnic two weeks ago, I began to talk with her for a long time. When it finally came time her to leave, I told her that I hoped she would come back the next week. And she did. She came back this past Friday and came directly over to me. Once I had gotten her chart out, she told me that she had made something for me with her feet and had it in her bag. I looked in her bag and pulled out her gift.

This gift was by no means the most expensive or most needed gift I have ever received or wanted but it is probably the one that I will remember for the longest.

It would have been a simple gift for any other person I knew, but coming from her, it was clearly something she had poured herself into. It was simply a necklace of beads strung together on a piece of string.

I think it's amazing that this gift struck me so deeply. And I think that it's a true statement of the gifts that have true meaning. The simple gifts that come from a place deep within are the gifts that matter. And just like the story of the necklace or God's sacrifice on the cross, these gifts don't stay bottled up inside. They are shared with anyone who will listen.

Dancing

Since I arrived in Denver, the staff of DryBones, the other interns, and of course our friends on the streets have been constantly teaching me things. I cannot think of a day yet when I haven't learned or realized something new that is changing the way that I interact with others.

One thing that I have learned is a metaphor about the kingdom of God that I have become rather fond of: dancing.

I'll start with a little background on myself. I grew up since the age of about 9 until now (19)in a Church of Christ church and going to a private school associated with the Church of Christ. My school didn't have dances at homecoming or prom, and so dancing was never something that I had the opportunity to do. Which means that there wasn't much dancing in me. And there still isn't. I just don't have the moves.

So when I got to Denver, the staff started sharing different ideas with us about how they saw the kingdom of God through the lens of their experiences here. They told us that while we were here we shouldn't view our opportunity to hang out with street kids as time to bring Jesus to them. We shouldn't approach the kids as if we are presenting Jesus to them. Because we aren't. We are not the carriers of Jesus. We are the followers of Jesus. Jesus was already on the streets of downtown Denver before we even got there, and we are just following him to the places that he is working.

So what does dancing have to do with this? Well, a pretty cool way to look at it is like this:

God is hosting this big dance, and we are all invited. What's really awesome though, is that, if we join the dance, if we accept the invitation, we all get to dance with Jesus. We get to see his moves and partner with him in his work.

That's what we were told to do when we meet kids on the streets. Join in God's dance. It's already started and it's already moving people.

What exactly does that mean for us? For one, it means that its not our duty to show Jesus off to the world. We don't have to have the best moves because Jesus is right there with us dancing. He is showing himself to those who see the invitation, to those who hear the music, to those who need a dance the most. This means that we are freed from the responsibility to be perfect in our faith, actions, and beliefs. We no longer should worry if our theology is better than another's, but rather, we should serve people. We don't have to be 100% correct. We just have to be willing to join in the dance with our Lord. He will lead us. He will show us the path to him.

I find this idea refreshing and renewing. I no longer feel burdened to be totally right. Yes, I still strive to find what is right, but now I am not searching for the path, I am being led to it.

Another thing that is really cool about the kingdom of God being like a dance is that when others hear the music and see dancing, it's difficult to not want to join in too. A sort of contagious dance breaks out when we realize that its not us, but rather Jesus who is changing others. It's hard to stop dancing when it is so freeing.

So... Join in the dance. I think that you will find that its hard to stop once you've been a part of it.