When I was
12 years old, my college-age brother bought me an amazing gift – a stereo
system complete with turntable, cassette deck, radio, speakers and a vinyl
album of “Synchronicity” by the Police. The giving of this gift required lots
of working overtime and thoughtfulness on my brother’s part but the receiving
of this gift was one that still makes me smile years later. The memory of that
Christmas is one that makes me feel a sense of home, even though the tangible
gift is long gone. We all have a longing for things in life to become whole or
complete, but we live with the reality of that tension that things aren't quite
right. In recent
reading of “Undone” by Laura Sumner Truax with First Lutheran’s True Sisterhood group,
I have been learning about the tension of living in-between the spaces of Saint
and Sinner.
Laura writes,
“(The creation story) framed and
ethic and a worldview. These were stories that helped explain why brothers had
a hard time getting along, why men and women were different from the animals
around them. They explored the unseen connectedness of everything that lives.
Most importantly, these stories expressed meaning and purpose for humanity.” (Undone, pg. 23)
While
creation was made for “good”, if you have read the creation account – you won’t
have to go far before all of the good begins to fray. Eden was intended to be, “a wholeness…in the beginning…a home”
(Truax, 24). However, this ideal of home, perfection, and total wholeness is
something that always seems to be just beyond humanity’s grasp.
Sampson from
the book of Judges is another example of this desire for home, and the
difficult reality of it missing the mark. Sampson was a gifted child, who had
been a blessing to his previously barren mother. His mother was instructed to,
“be careful not to drink wine or strong
drink, or to eat anything unclean, for you shall conceive and bear a son. No
razor is to come to his head, for the boy shall be a nazarite to God from
birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the
Philistines.” (Judges 13:4-5)
Sampson’s
calling was one that set him apart (nazarite) to serve God fully and without
distraction; but before long Sampson’s resolve fray. His veracious appetites
(read Judges 13-16) seem to run in total contrast with the calling that God had
placed on his life. While in the end, Sampson was instrumental in helping to
begin the process of being freed from their enemies; his life literally ended
in rubble. Samson ultimately was redeemed and forgiven by God, but I can’t help
but imagine what could have been accomplished, if only Sampson had wholeheartedly followed God’s direction and calling.
We all have
God-given gifts that we are called to use in service to God and others. Adam
had a knack for names, Eve had an ear to listen carefully, and Sampson had
great strength. While our gifts can have a shadow side; (Adam blaming Eve, Eve
following the serpent’s advice, and Sampson giving his strength in exchange for
desire.) ; God desires’ we use our gifts to show his light and love in the
world. While we can live as sinners, God calls us as his saints through the
work of Jesus on the cross. Like all of the people that we have read about in
scripture, “we create our lives with little choices.” (Truax, pg. 31)
The album
title that I received for Christmas all those years ago is one that also speaks
to the joy experienced when things come together unexpectedly. Synchronicity
is: the synchronism of events that appear to be connected but have no demonstrable
causal relationship. (thefreedictionary.com)
God-given gifts help to connect us in ways that we never imagine. When
partnered together in the body of Christ, using our God-given gifts becomes a
joyous experience of synchronicity that can travel well beyond the doors of our
building.
The first
step toward using our God-given gifts, is knowing what our gifts are. We unwrap
Christmas gifts in order to enjoy, use and apply them and enhance our daily
lives. Our built-in gifts need to be unwrapped too! While we are always aware
of our shadow sides, it is important to take some time to consider what our gifts
are and how we can use them to serve God and humanity. What is your gift?
We all have
gifts and we have people in our lives that need us to use them. Our gifts, when
used with God’s purpose in mind can be a means of light, home and mending that
is needed in the frayed edges of the world.
In 2014,
imagine how our God-given gifts can be used to foster light, hope, joy, peace
and love. These are the kind of gifts that last – beyond our individual lives
and times. These God-given gifts are eternal and call us all to leave the light
on for every heart that is searching for home.
For more information on True
Sisterhood Jamestown Group, contact Tara L. Eastman @ 716-969-3950 or eastman_tara@yahoo.com
Works Cited: “Undone: When coming apart puts you back together” by: Laura Sumner
Truax
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