Monday, November 28, 2022

Dear God,

It has been crazy!  For the last several days I have been thinking of the white ceramic church that was given to us as a Christmas gift more than 20 years ago.  I haven't put it out as a decoration for many years because it was pretty big and I didn't really have a place for it.  But this year you kept bringing it to mind so I sought it out and brought it down from the attic.

When I opened the box to the church, I found the steeple had come unglued from the rest of the church.  Secondly, the teeny gold bell was missing from the belfry.  Thirdly, the light that fit in the hole in the back was missing.  And lastly, I had nowhere to put it even if I could possibly put it all back together.  That is when it hit me.  This beautiful church was a metaphor for the church today.  

In many ways the church has lost its mystical connection.  It cannot really sing your praise.  It has little to no light.  Finally, it has no place to offer a word of hope, love, peace or joy.  In so many ways she is failing to be all she was intended to be.

Those thoughts challenged me to bring back the luster, meaning and value to the gift given to us so long ago.  First, I reglued the steeple to the main part of the church.  Second, I found a teeny, brass jingle bell in my craft supplies.  I hung it on the teeny hook inside the steeple.  Third, my husband went in search of a light and cord that would fit inside the opening to the back of the church.  He was so proud when he came in the house carrying the find in his hand.  Finally, with everything restored, I placed the lighted church on the old, antique chest of drawers in the dining room.  When I turned out the lights in the dining room, the beautiful church glowed and gave shadows to the Hummel Joseph, Mary and child on a donkey.  I smiled and so did you.

Thank you,

Amazing God,

for gifts

that touch us

so deeply.

Thank you

for the Isenbergs

who bought us

the church

and gave it

as a gift.

Thank you

for the church

that still shines,

sings and praises.

Love, Andrea