Christmas Toys and Continued Love

For the past few Christmases, men and women from the Compassion team have perched on bar stools behind a table in Riv’s lobby, asking, “Would you like to buy a toy for an underprivileged kid at Christmas?” If you’ve seen us there, your immediate response has probably been an enthusiastic “Yes!” Everyone feels good when children have a happy Christmas. And for most of us, gifts under the tree are a part of that.

But the story doesn’t end with a lovely gift on Christmas morning. It’s painful to voice the truth that everyone knows – gifts aren’t going to fix the broken life many of these kids experience each day. A new basketball can’t ease the horror an eight year old boy feels while hiding in a closet as his parents scream at each other in yet another drunken, violent fight. And a new jacket doesn’t replace the nurturing love an unwanted little girl so desperately craves.

Here’s the deal. Sharing Jesus with our broken world is multi-layered. It requires our hands and our hearts. It’s all about Jesus bringing physical, emotional and spiritual healing to His broken world.

That is why Riv’s Compassion team works to share Jesus on two levels. One, we call Relief, which simply means we are helping someone make it through a crisis by giving everyday necessities—food, clothing, personal care, household necessities. (If this is right up your alley, take a minute to check out a new Compassion tool at RivChurch.com/needs.)

The second level is Development, in which we seek to build genuine relationships. In the context of relationship, we have the opportunity to talk about Jesus, to ease emotional and spiritual pain that can’t be met through providing a square meal or a warm bed.

How does a Christmas toy drive fit in? It actually doesn’t fall into that Relief category—it is part of a Development ministry. If you’ve been around Riv for a while, you’ve probably heard about a kids’ summer program at Foster Park. For several years, we’ve joined Crossroads church in working to build Jesus-focused relationships with the kids who attend that program. These Christmas gifts go to those kids, as part of a plan to keep in touch with them over the school year.

This year, if buying that gift makes you wonder, “Where is this present going?” or “What is life like for the little one who will receive this?”, let it become a stepping stone to greater involvement in the lives of these kids.

So, on November 29th, stop by the Compassion drive table and sign up to give a toy. And if you want to do more, you can participate in the Foster Park Christmas party! (It’s scheduled for December 12. Contact [email protected] for details.) Volunteers are needed to help pass out gifts, get everyone hyped up on sugar, and play some crazy games. You’ll feel like a kid again—maybe you’ll make a new friend. You could become a lifeline for one child who is desperately grasping for someone to hang on to—that Someone is Jesus, personified in you.

 

Photo credit: Balu