Pastor Daniel Bramlett
Are you aware that our local Sheriff’s office has been running what they call “Operation Christmas” for the last five years? Operation Christmas is born out of the heart of our Sheriff and his officers in an effort to care for kids in our area who won’t receive any presents for Christmas. They raise money all year to accomplish this. Fish fry’s and bake sales add money to this account. Zero tax dollars are spent on this incredible gift. Each child is allowed $50, but no squabbles are made if they go over. The officers just make up the difference out of their own pockets. Santa makes an appearance in a fire truck. This kind of thing is something a kid will hang onto for a lifetime.
The kids wait at the front of the store while the officers take them shopping one by one. One little girl waited her turn and when given the chance to go, she bought a doll for her sister. Sheriff Singleton says kids buy for their family members all of the time. They always want to buy food but the officers make sure some presents are included in the mix. Another boy wanted to make sure his brothers and sisters got presents. He had no concern for himself, but the officers made sure he got some good things, too.
These kids represent struggling families. They aren’t bad, they’re just having a tough time. Which one of you haven’t been in that situation before? What happens when the Church says “Enough!” It can start with families, whose trees are empty for Christmas, getting a few presents and some food on the table. But it never ends there. Once we start the compassion ball rolling, it’s hard to stop it.
Christians are obligated to help those who would otherwise fall through the cracks. I love how Isaiah puts it in chapter 58 of his book. When God’s people are debating about who’s offered the best sacrifice or brought the most valuable thing to the Temple, God says “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. ‘Yes, I am here’.”
The case for children is hard to miss in the Word. God’s heart is always for the hurting, the hungry, the broken…especially the little ones. Jesus says if we do anything to bring harm to these little ones it would be better for us if we tied a rock around our necks and jumped off a cliff! I believe one reason our heart strings get tugged on when we see kids in need is because this is the way God feels. His heart is broken every time a kid is brushed aside. He cries when kids go hungry. This is why the language is so straightforward in the Bible about kiddos.
I’ve learned this lesson many times, but never more clearly than in the foster world. When Laura and I first said “yes” to a little girl, we did so with lots of fear and trembling! “Where is this going to go? What are we going to do? How are we going to make this work?” All these questions and so many more went out the window in about a week. God gave us a love for that little one beyond anything we could have imagined. We cried when she left just six months later. The next baby we had for 14 months. I was the first to hold her sister when she came home from the hospital. We named her! Weeping doesn’t accurately describe out tears when they left. But this is God’s heart. We choose to love these kids because God loves them.
Aren’t you thankful God loves kids? You and I were 9 & 10 once. We went to school, got pushed around, went to funerals, had a few tough Christmases and same sparse nights around the table. But we also were apart of a community that cared. We opened presents we wouldn’t have had were it not for good neighbors and kind friends. Most of us grew up happy. I’m thankful for a police force that shares God’s heart on this issue. I’m thankful for Christians who carry this burden. If you want to support “Operation Christmas” this year, there is a fund at Diamond Bank you can contribute to. It’s October and they still have a good amount of money to raise this year. This is a worthy cause.