Faith Column: Treasure the Season
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:19-21 Christmas has landed in our house and this year I noticed that most of our house is decorated in memories. The items that bring holiday cheer are all gifts from other people. One cherished gift is an angel that came from my great Aunt Agnes. It is a treasure that was very important to me until one day, a small child living in our house, reached up to play with her, knocked her off the shelf, and broke the wing.
This reminded me of another beloved item. One of my mother’s beautiful china tea cups from her childhood was used by a small child, living in our house, to drink water out of the bathroom sink. It dropped, shattered, and that was the end of that tea cup.
Over the years I have lost many special items and important items like dishes, eye glasses, electronics, clothing, bedding, antiques, and car doors. Most of it was due to the little vermin who lived in my house at the time.
Did I get upset? Probably. I may have even uttered the words, “How many times do I have to tell you …?”
Did I stay upset? Nope. It was all just stuff. The things that I treasure are the memories. I still have my angel with the wing glued back on and the memories of time with my great aunt. I lost one of my mom’s tea cups, but there are more. The dishes, glasses, electronics, and clothing have all been replaced. The antiques are things that I no longer have to dust. The gash down the door of the van was there for several years. It gave it character, it accented the rust quite nicely, and I treasure the fact that no one was hurt.
I have a lot of “stuff.” I don’t treasure my “stuff” though. I treasure the moments that have surrounded the stuff like time with my Aunt, tea parties with my mom, family dinners with the dishes, movie and game nights with the electronics, and the van. Our van had memories of travel, band trips, sporting events, summer vacations, and hauling fresh Christmas trees home that we found as a family This Christmas is ramping up to be another challenging one. We have so many friends who have lost loved ones, who are battling illness, who are dealing with all kinds of pain and loss and it makes finding any sort of holiday joy a trial. This is more than just stuff, these are pieces of our heart and they weigh heavy on our soul.
If this is where you find yourself I pray you find the treasure of hope, the hope of Mary who trusted God so much that she was willing to risk everything to honor Him. I pray you find the treasure of trust, the trust of Joseph, who put his reputation, family, friends, and career on the line to care for Mary and the Child. I pray that you find the treasure of peace, the peace that the frightened shepherds experienced after seeing the Child. I pray that you find the treasure of light, the light of a single star that served as a guide through the dark. I pray that you find the treasure of love. You are loved and you are treasured.
Merry Christmas, Pastor Don & Becky Long
Pastor Don is the Senior Pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1212 Calhoun St., Macomb, IL 61455
