Be Christ!

Gracious Savior you do not promise us your eternal life only when we depart this world. Instead you call us into the celebration of your unending grace each morning as we rise in the promise of baptism. Keep us ever mindful of this gift helping us to live your abundant life each day. Amen.

Be Christ! Be Big Tree! Be the change you want to see!

    Yesterday I helped with an all day Big Tree Arts and Music Festival of mostly local talent. The purpose of this event was to raise funds for our local Juniata County Food Pantry. 

    Summertime presents a particular challenge to the numerous small food pantries all over the country as demand for services rises. For many people that sounds counter intuitive because they think that summer time means people can potentially grow more of their own food. The problem is more complex than that. 

    When schools close for the summer many of our poorest children no longer receive a meal or two at school through food programs. This means demand increases on the already strapped budgets of low income families at home. Ask any parent about it. Children never seem to stop eating, constantly needing food for growth. Plus most low income families usually live in apartments and rarely have access to space to grow food. And many families may have no experience at growing anything. 

    In a conversation from last year that I had long forgotten I spoke of these realities to a couple of members of the local community in passing. They were as surprised as most by the realities of summer at the local food pantry. But that is not the end of the story. These two people took the story to heart and they decided to do something about it. 

    Yesterday was the fullfilment of that conversation as a local music festival was restarted, refitted and rescheduled from Labor Day weekend to Father's Day. A variety of logistics issues and stumbling blocks occurred and each was overcome as people worked together. Over a dozen bands and musicians donated time. Music went from 11am to 11pm and it was a great success. Why? 

    Why was it a success? The answer is best summarized in the t-shirts that the support staff were wearing. Those shirts simply said, "Be Big Tree." Indeed we were. 

    Mahatma Gandhi once said what has been paraphrased as, "Be the change you want to see." In other words, "Be Big Tree," "Be Christ. "

    The hoi poloi of the crowd yesterday was a broad mixture of people who all were willing to Be Big Tree and to be the change they desired to see in the lives of those touched through the work of our local food pantry. The crowd and performers included agnostics,  various Christian communities, members of the local Krishna community, and more. It included a broad variety of musical styles, it included young and old, financially gifted and financially challenged, and persons of all different stripes and dots, people with a lot of ink and people without any. All came together for a great day and a great celebration. All were willing to Be Big Tree.

    How often I have desired for Christians to live like Big Tree, powerfully present, as the body of Christ taking real risks and trusting in God's grace. How important it is for us to "Be Christ" in the marketplace of the world. Being Christ means simply loving each person we meet and celebrating every opportunity to be the change we want to see. It is pouring out our Christ filled lives for others. Sometimes I wonder where is the church, the body of Christ, in the midst of the world.
 
    Then I remember someone was there and it was me and it was all the people who came to Big Tree. I was able to "Be Christ" among all the people whose stories I listened to and they were Christ to me even if they did not know it.  I remember offering a ride home to a couple in need. "Be Christ when you reach out to the least of these." I called 911 to get Emergency Medical Services for a woman who needed professional assistance. "Be Christ" when you offer comfort and care to the ill and the struggling. I served pizza to people needing some dinner. "Be Christ" when you feed the hungry. 

    I thank God for people remembering a conversation from a year ago. I thank God as I learned yet again there are no small moments when we live as Christ among others. "Be Christ" in all things.

Be the change you want to see. Be Big Tree. Be Christ. For us as Christians it is always, "Be Christ."