It’s become
a tradition for us to send Christmas ornaments to the sustaining financial
supporters of our ministry. Each year we
try to find a piece which speaks of life here in the hills and hollers. Many times these Christmas tree trimmings
have been made from local coal dust, mixed with resin and shaped into remembrances
of the coal industry which once dominated this region. As I selected the ornaments for this year’s
gifts I noticed that, in fact, I had sent this same design during a Christmas
past. My first impulse was to return the
items to the local craftsman who sold them to me, but then I was reminded of
one simple, yet profound truth; Christmas, and the Christ, are “the same
yesterday and today and forever.” (see Hebrews 13:8)
I fear that
many times our thirst for bigger and better seeps over into our worship of our
King. We never seem content with what
is, but look to improve on it. Every day
the “app store” icon on my cell phone reveals a great number of enhancements
which I’m told I simply must have. Often
my computer visually taunts me that its operating system is not the latest and
greatest. This agitating need to improve
on everything, or at least cause it to grow in volume, is ever-present, even
outside of the cyber-world. Folks flood
the Christmas section of Walmart to secure additional lights to make their
homes more dazzling than last year. Lasers
and musically synced strings of LEDs replace the worn and weary ice-cycle lights
of previous displays. Even in our church
celebrations during this special season, advancing technology brings the plays
and musical presentations to a crescendo, at least until next year.
Change is
inevitable in any circumstance. In fact,
it’s often healthy and necessary. The
writer of the Bible book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, “For everything there is a
season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecc. 3:1) For more than thirteen years my wife, Rita,
and I have ministered among the impoverished people of Appalachia. Over that span of time, we have frequently altered
the means by which we engage people with the Good News of Christ. What began as primarily a “church house”
approach to reaching folks, has transformed into daily encounters with those
who need assistance with myriad aspects of their lives. While our means of ministering have changed,
our motive has remained the same. Our initial
calling from God was to “Teach the people about My Love, and SHOW them how to
take care of one-another.” Over the
years it has often been suggested that we GROW our organization, rebranding our
appearance to the world and taking a more event-focused approach to ministry. I’m not condemning those who upgrade the “version”
of their ministry in an effort to be increasingly relevant in an often
skeptical world, but Rita and I have discerned a need to remain constant in our
simple one-on-one approach to helping people discover their true need to love
God, and to love their neighbor as themselves.
The
Christmas season brings to the hills and hollers a certain sense of
desperation. Needful folks literally race
from agency to agency, trying to glean from the bountiful harvest of gifts and
services... while they are still available.
We ceased to host a traditional Christmas “give-away” a year ago. Our decision was influenced by the number of
trucks parked in front of our building, during our events, already filled with
bags and boxes of gifts obtained at other venues. Instead, we choose to encounter people
individually. While the more populated
areas in our county are host to a vast number of Christmas events, we work
quietly to bring gifts to the children of a very remote community,
appropriately named “Clark Holler”, as well as to our local neighbors who were
passed over during other Christmas events.
I truly
believe that the greatest gift that any of the needful souls who seek our
assistance could ever receive- aside from their salvation in Christ- is the
gift of “true understanding”. The birth
of Christ makes that possible. As we
minister to people during this Christmas season, and any time of the year, we
try to illuminate the vital importance of seizing the responsibility and
accountability which we all have within our society. I’m sure that if folks would accept this gift
with the same enthusiasm which they display while standing in line at multiple
give-away events, they would find the True Purpose of Christmas influencing
their lives... every day of the year.
I pray that
you experience the Joy of Jesus in everything this season... in His unchanging
version. Merry Christmas from the
Cmoliks and Hills and Hollers Ministries!
