The right gift, generously given, will change the
world.
Back in 2002, when I was on staff at Menlo Park
Presbyterian Church, we came up with the idea of using CDs of Christmas Music
as a “tool” to equip our members to invite someone to come and join us for our
Christmas Eve Services. I brought the
Christmas CD Invitation idea with me to Grace Presbyterian in Houston and last
year here to Mountaintop Church in Birmingham.
Over the last decade I’ve heard some great stories
about how people use the CD to make invitations and how far they have
spread. Some of my favorites
include: passing them out from a
hospital bed, handing them out whenever you go through a fast food drive through
lane and recently, offering one to the State Trooper who has pulled you over for
speeding! I know that the music has also
spread and the “Simply Christmas” version (that the amazing Brian Mann recorded
in 2007) was even played in the White House that Christmas.
But yesterday I received what has now become my
favorite Christmas CD Invitation story.
It was shared with me by the mother of an incredible 9 year boy, Elijah,
whose along with his family worship here at Mountaintop. It’s the perfect reminder to the truth we
focused on last Sunday: The right gift,
generously given, will change the world.
Elijah’s mom gave me permission to share this with
you so here in her words is a story worth sharing:
My 9
year old son, Elijah, took to your Christmas Eve service invitation challenge
like a moth to a flame! The first Sunday the holiday CDs were being distributed
Elijah tried to grab one for every child in his school. I told him that may be
inappropriate, but that he could grab a few for his teacher and the principal.
Everyone in our family took 5 CDs and we left an extra offering in exchange.
Elijah went to school the following morning, with a well rehearsed script, and
distributed the CDs to his classroom teacher as well as the other 4th grade
teachers on the hall at his school. I received an email from his teacher within
the hour thanking me for the CD and saying that she was playing it aloud in the
classroom for all of the children to enjoy as they completed their morning
work. That afternoon Elijah snagged all remaining CDs that the rest of us
didn't have the chance to hand out, so that he could give them to other
teachers (PE, art, etc.).
The
following Sunday, Dec. 9th, Elijah grabbed 10 CDs after church. This time I
wasn't as hesitant, because I knew he was serious about this task. After church
we went to Sam's Club and Elijah convinced his sister to help him give CDs out
to random people in the store. The first was a young man pushing carts. I tried
to catch up to the children to tell them that giving CDs out to people on the
job may not work because they wouldn't have anywhere to put them. But I was too
late. Elijah was already talking to the young man who listened to his speech,
looked the CD over, and thanked him as he stuck it in his back pocket and
continued on his cart journey.
Monday
afternoon when I arrived in carpool my son didn't come to the car when he saw
me pull up because there was one more teacher he had to reach out to. I had to
pull to the side so that he could finish talking to her about Mountain Top and
all the great music that was on the CD. When he got in the car I asked what was
going on and he said that the teacher had actually asked him for a CD and he
had to dig in his book bag to find an extra copy (guess she wasn't on the
list). He went on to explain that the teachers were talking to each other about
the CDs and were approaching him. A teacher that he had already given a CD to
approached him to say that her copy was already scratched from playing it and
that she not only needed another copy for herself, but wanted a few extras to
give out to her children as well.
That
brings us to this Sunday! Once again, Elijah grabbed a stack of CDs with a
whole new list of teachers that he wanted to talk to and invite out to
Christmas Eve service. Tonight Elijah sang with his school choir at a senior
living facility and a teacher from his school approached us to say how
thoughtful Elijah was and how he made her feel special by choosing her to be
the "first" to receive the now coveted Mountaintop Christmas CD. She
said "all the teachers" are talking about the CD and asking if they
got one from Elijah. She said it actually struck up a conversation among she
and her colleagues (Elijah nowhere around) about Mountain Top and if anyone
went there or intended on attending the service. This teacher said that among
them they could think of one teacher in the school that went to Mountain Top,
but that they all knew of Mountaintop's involvement in the community. She said
that they recalled the story of a former student who died of cancer a few years
back. Her family was financially exhausted from years of medical care and
couldn't afford the funeral. As they spoke of the Christmas CDs, someone
recalled that it was Mountaintop that paid for the child's funeral expenses in
full.
As the
mother of a 9 year old boy who likes to do random things, I believe on the
surface that he is clueless of his impact. But as the mother of this particular
9 year old little boy who likes to do random things, deep in my heart I KNOW
that he KNOWS his impact. My son has struggled to find his space and his voice
at this school. He has struggled with teachers getting past his quirky ways in
order to see him for who he really is and to teach him in spite of themselves.
Giving out the Christmas Eve invitations has allowed a few outsiders to see
within him the sweet, innocence that we all see and more importantly it has
allowed him to shine. The conversation I had with this teacher tonight started
off about the CDs, but turned into a 2 hour long conversation about who Elijah
is as a person and as a student. This teacher has the wherewithal to
change my son's academic life for the better in ways that no other has even
considered. This conversation started about the Christmas CDs, but ended up
changing our life...many lives...in more ways than one.
I am so
proud of my son for taking this on as a personal challenge, and I am thankful
to you, your staff and to the Mountaintop family for allowing us this
opportunity...really for this season as a whole. We are fully embracing the
spirit of "giving less presents and giving more presence." In
addition to the CDs, we adopted an angel from the Angel Tree and have made (are
making) donations to the Hands and Feet party.
The right gift, generously given, will change the
world. Often its just one life at a
time, so we will keep making invitations and proclaiming that Christmas still
changes the world.
To the glory of God!
