| "O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you."
1 Chronicles 29:16
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| It's an astonishing sight to behold, nearly as memorable as catching a first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty or the Golden Gate Bridge. I've seen it for myself three times now, this temporary world wonder known as the annual Youth Scholarship Yard Sale, and I've been three times amazed at the mountainous quantity of accumulated stuff that, if it were to be arranged linearly, I'm quite certain would stretch from our church building in eastern Pennsylvania all the way to downtown Pittsburgh.
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The eclectic nature of the collection is nearly as impressive as the size: jewelry boxes and electric woks and car vacuums and cookbooks and window blinds and coffee makers and Christmas tree holders and jigsaw puzzles and DVD racks and ice cube trays and velvet ribbon and crutches and strollers and flower vases and clock radios and bicycles and oven mits and spice racks and hack saws and ....
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...And to think that all of these thousands of items are merely the leftovers from our congregation members' households. Our scraps. Our discard piles. Our excess.
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On the whole, our abundance is mind-boggling. But here's another mind-boggling thought. According to World Vision (and other organizations which measure such statistics), 1 billion people on our planet survive on less than $1 per day.
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To put this in perspective, look at it this way: The money we take in at EHMC once each year by simply selling our combined unwanted rummage is approximately equivalent to what it costs to keep 9 of those 1 billion people alive from this Thanksgiving Day until the next.
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| I know you will find yourself being thoughtful come November 23 and during the days surrounding the Thanksgiving celebration. In the midst of counting your blessings, do not hesitate to be grateful for all your abundance, giving all credit to God, and also do not hesitate to dwell on ways you personally might share with those of God's children who have so much less. |
| Abundantly Blessed,
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| Pastor Chris |