CCC Blog

Share Your Biscuits

Rev. Melinda McDonald

If we humans will look around in our everyday lives, we can see incarnation - the presence of God through people's caring actions and/or presence. Hurricane Helene brought record-setting water and wind damage into the Appalachian Mountains that caused rivers to rampage through the valleys there, and caused landslides and mudslides that have broken roads and destroyed lives, homes, and businesses nestled in the nooks of Western North Carolina. Serious destruction also occurred in Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. It is in these hard hit areas that incarnation has been happening!

The lesson of sharing is one we teach our children at home. James' teaching, "be doers of the word," intersects with the essence of following The Way of Jesus. The biscuits story is a striking fit for the message of good news! I simply had to share with you the powerful first-hand account of an anonymous father in the Burnsville, NC, area who is experiencing what it means to be on the receiving end of others' compassionate actions. God's presence has been showing itself in bountiful ways. Here is the original version, slightly longer than what was given in my sermon, Share Your Biscuits.

From Burnsville, NC’s Mountain Time on Main Street…  10/21/24

When I woke my boys this morning, I pulled this can of biscuits out of the bed. That was weird.

We have a lot of kids. I've pulled puppies, computers, random friends I've never met, homework, food of all kinds over the years.... but this was a first, the biscuits.  I asked what the deal was with the biscuits, and they told me they wanted them for breakfast. They had hidden them so Kaj wouldn't eat them.

We had the lesson on that, being that we don't sleep with a can of biscuits because now no one can eat them because they were ruined ..... and....that we share our food. Period. We don't hide it.

It brought to my mind quickly what we've seen over and over and over again during this event.

People have shared what they have. They've not hidden anything for themselves. They give, rather than receive. They take care of others’ needs before their own.

We see it every day, all day.

I've seen folks with four bottles of water give three away. Folks opened their homes to complete strangers. Front porches became community gathering spots for food and conversation. Places that used to be public businesses are now flattened and serve as a meeting spot to plan for the next day. Strangers have done our laundry.

Church sanctuaries have become major distribution hubs. The churches that aren't able to meet are meeting in the yard. Our school classrooms have had the mud cleaned out of them and are now housing teams of volunteers to work in our homes. Hotels serve as soup kitchens. The Square has become a place for friends and neighbors to meet up and share a meal and a hug. Retail shops have become therapy centers. Sidewalks have filled up with strangers offering hot meals, supplies, and music. Dog walking has become a huge thing.

Fire departments are doing SO much more than putting out fires. The Sheriff's Department is doing SO much more than fighting the bad guys. The Police Department is doing SO much more than writing traffic tickets and protecting the community from trouble. EMT's are literally going door to door providing much needed services.

People are SERVING people. People are LOVING people.  People are GIVING to people. People are CARRYING the load. They are SHOVELING the mud. They are BUILDING the bridges. They are COVERING the roof tops.

There is a lot that could be said right here. Read between the lines and know we are talking about people taking care of one another. Both physically and mentally. Spiritually and financially.

Most of us have mush for brains right now.

But, we are thankful for the new faces that show up every day.

And.... Don't sleep with your biscuits. Keep them cool and ready to share with whomever needs them. Keep the ice box filled or the fridge plugged in the generator. Keep them ready to be served. Keep them ready to share with whomever needs them.

Someone will need them. I promise.

Ordinary and Extra-Ordinary

In yesterday’s message, we focused on the figure of Lydia (Acts 16:11-15).  One of our take-aways was that the sensational is a often a by-product of the ordinary.  That is, God can break into the midst of our doing ordinary things and reveal something extra-ordinary.  But if we are not in the habit of doing those ordinary things – with eyes, ears and hearts open – we might miss that extra-ordinary gift from God when it comes.  What follows is a reflection on Psalm 1 I wrote last summer during my sabbatical that echoes this same theme.

Every day we have a choice.  We get to decide what kind of people we want to become.  What kind of parents, spouses, children, siblings, friends, colleagues and neighbors we want to be.  Do we want to reflect more of God’s character in the many different roles we play?  Or not?  If we do, God stands ready to work with us, as v. 6 says, “… the Lord watches over the way of the righteous.” 

It has been said by different leading theologians throughout history that every day is a mini-Easter for us.  Each day is a chance to “die” to the people we don’t want to be and “rise to live” as the people we do.  At the end of every day, we can review the day, hour by hour and examine how we fared.  But regardless of how well or poorly we performed, we arise the next day with that same choice in front of us.

This is the essence of Psalm 1.  There are two paths to take in life.  One that leads toward God and one that does not.  The way toward God must be        consciously chosen.  The path away from God is the one that takes hold of us if we do nothing.  Clearly, the desirable path is the first one.  Psalm 1 calls the end result of this path “Happiness,” which is not an emotion as much as it is the state of someone who is firmly attached to God.  It is a path of slow growth, but the only one that endures.  Mighty trees with deep root systems don’t spring up overnight. 

The path away from God is one of fleeting-ness.  It is the path of quick-fixes, and treating the symptoms of the problem and not its deeper cause.  For a brief  moment there may be relief, but once that moment is gone what is left are new problems to go along with the original problem that existed in the first place.  That is what “chaff which the wind drives away” (v. 4) looks like.  

Very few people in their right mind want to take the path that sinners tread (v. 1), but we find ourselves on that path if we do nothing consciously that avoids it.  According to Psalm 1, the most important thing we can do to stay on the path that leads to God is “meditate on his Word day and night” (v. 2).  Spending time in God’s Word on a regular basis matters.  God may not reveal some grand insight every day.  God’s voice may never be booming or heard as clearly as a person’s standing a few feet away.  But in the practice of reading God’s Word, over and over again, we will hear God speaking to us.  We will learn more of God’s will for our lives and how we can be part of the life-giving goodness God desires for our world.

Prayer: God of wisdom, guide me by your Holy Spirit to seek your scripture every day.  Every time I open your Word, open my eyes at the same time to see, learn and understand what it is you would have me receive that will lead me to greater attachment with you.  Amen.