Celebrating Purim

As I write this, it is the aftermath of Christmas and I am just getting over the annual chocolate overdose. These days our gifts of food tend to be calorie-laden confections that we gobble up with gratitude in December and live to regret when we finally break down and step on the scale in January.

In celebrating this salvation from certain destruction (the feast which came to be known as Purim), the Jews were exhorted to give gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor. This past year one of my friends did make a point of remembering the poor. Instead of sending out Christmas cards, a goat was purchased through Canadian Lutheran World Relief for a poor family in Africa. My friend spent Boxing Day making phone calls to those who would normally have received cards. For me, that was way better than getting a card that would, sooner or later, hit the trash can. As we approach another Christmas season, I’m encouraged to think about the poor this year as well.

Thank you, Lord, for your provision in my life. Open my eyes to the needs around me and gift me with a generosity of spirit that mirrors your goodness. Amen. — CN