***New*** A Time to Offer (our) Gifts

Here I was walking through the beautifully decorated Thanksgiving aisle in Dollarama when I looked to my left and saw … Christmas decorations?!!! In October?!!!  Like slow your roll, Dollarama. 

Truthfully, this annoyed me. We already have a hard time staying present in today’s culture, and rushing from one holiday to the next certainly doesn’t help. But there’s a difference between rushing ahead and thoughtfully preparing for what’s to come. When it comes to the church calendar, there’s something healthy about being good stewards of our time and intentional about how we plan things. While we don’t need a commercial reminder of what lies ahead, it is important to give people enough time to prepare. And our Christmas Market is one of those occasions.

On December 2nd, in addition to selling fresh produce at cost, we will be selling an array of different things: jewelry, handcrafted art, stationery, baking, and the list goes on. All made by YOU, and all for a good cause: the Good Shepherd, a local organization that provides over 100 beds and 1000+ meals each day to those who need it. This will be the third year we’ve done this, and it’s been a success. Not only do we have the chance to partner with a meaningful organization through our Christmas Market, but it allows for our community to get some affordable shopping done, and for us as a church to spread some cheer (and the Good News!) and use our gifts.

And this is where you come in! Whether you’re an artist, a baker, a jewelry maker, or someone with a creative gift to share, we’d love for you to consider donating something you’ve made. There really is something beautiful about taking what we’ve been given, however simple or small, and offering it in service to others.

Now, at the risk of sounding like the very Dollarama aisle I was complaining about, I can’t help but reflect on some lyrics from one of my favourite Christmas carols, The Little Drummer Boy.

Come, they told me, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

A newborn KIng to see, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

Our finest gifts we bring, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

And to lay before the King, pa-rum, pum-pum, pum

rum, pum-pum, pum, rum, pum-pum, pum

Looking forward to seeing which gifts we bring this year!