It’s 2017, and millions of Americans are waking up to the reality of the new year: More stuff. What did you get for Christmas? Stuff. We all have stuff – in closets, on bookshelves, in cabinets, cupboards, attics and basements. Comedian George Carlin, in a classic routine, even describes a house as “just a pile of stuff … You can see that when you’re taking off in an airplane. You look down; you see everybody’s got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn’t want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff, especially the shiny stuff. Yep. That’s what your house is: a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get … more stuff!”
He may be right. That explains the booming businesses springing up everywhere: storage lockers. That’s where we have to put the stuff that we can no longer stuff into our houses!
The holiday season has sadly become a celebration of stuff. It used to start the day after Thanksgiving, when Black Friday shoppers camped out in front of the stores all night, and at 5 a.m. the doors opened to a herd of wildebeest trampling anything in their path to get to the sales. But now the Santa displays nearly edge out the Walmart Halloween costume section — in mid-October! And it lasts even after Christmas, when people snatch up stuff for next year! And sooner or later, all that stuff we think we want to keep will end up — you guessed it — in a storage locker.
But what about the other stuff in our lives? Everybody has stuff in our lives that we don’t want to keep: bad habits, addictions, rage, health problems, depression, loss, poverty, hunger issues, etc., etc. There is no storage locker in the world where we can put all that. So how do we deal with them?
A place actually exists! There is a place that helps people deal with all the bad stuff that happens in our lives, and it’s right around the corner. It’s the local church. You may not realize what happens in those stately old buildings. Churches host varieties of programs that help relieve the stresses of life, address social justice issues, alleviate hunger, and provide support for those with addictions. Look in the newspaper, and you’ll see the incredible things happening at Shelby County churches: Blood drives, Coffee with a Cop, AA and Al-Anon meetings, Active Shooter training, warming centers, food assistance programs, tutoring programs, child care, family counseling, and the list goes on. And most of the time, these programs are free. Free?! How is that possible?
That’s what the church does. When Jesus Christ walked this earth 2,000 years ago, he showed the love of God through action. He taught that God loves his children — sinful that we may be — and offers us wholeness. Through our love for Jesus, the power of God moves people in the church to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the poor, and ease suffering. His compassion lives in every act of kindness, whether sheltering the homeless on a frigid night or collecting thousands of food items for those who hunger. It’s Jesus who calls us to provide these things, and His love and generosity that keeps us offering all that we have and all that we are — signs of our love for Him.
So, if you haven’t been in a church for awhile, open your eyes. The Church has come to you. Listen for the loving voice of God speaking to you. Find a church near you, and God will help you make a difference in the world. And this new year, you will see stuff transformed into hope!
