of the purposes for which I traveled to Memphis, TN as a sophomore at the University of Alabama. I had been put in charge of initiating an annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and was attending a workshop to learn how to accomplish this goal. As we walked through the door of the hospital, we were engulfed by the colorful murals painted onto every wall, serenaded by the sound of squeaky tricycle wheels rolling down the corridors, and made to laugh at the purposefully humorous ways several of the kids had chosen to cover their bald heads. Depression was simply not allowed.St. Jude is miraculous place. Patients, doctors, and researchers come from all over the world to either receive treatment or work in an hopeful and effective environment. Since 1962, their cure
rate for Hodgkin lymphoma has gone from 50% to 90% and their cure rate for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma has gone from 7% to 80%. This means that St. Jude is close to realizing the dream of its founder, Danny Thomas, who said that, “no child should die in the dawn of life.” At St. Jude, patients are treated both physically and emotionally and their families are very well taken care of also.What amazed me the most was not the cure rates or the eternal optimism of the staff, but rather the fact that absolutely no family ever sees a bill. It costs over $1million to simply open the doors of St. Jude each day and all of that money comes from private and corporate donors. Only through the generosity of concerned people is this charity hospital able to carry out its life saving mission, and fully comprehending just how generous those donors are fills one with awe. A generous spirit is apparently just as moving today as it was in the days following the death of Jesus.
In Acts 2, we read that “awe came upon every soul” when the early Christians were doing as the apostles instructed. Yes, there were “many wonders and signs” being done through the apostles, but other things were also happening such as fellowship, prayer, and giving. Apparently, these early disciples were “selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Part of what caused the people to be amazed was the generosity of the early church. They sold what they owned to ensure that no brother or sister was destitute.
In a similar spirit, our congregation has organized a massive yard sale to raise funds for our
upcoming mission trip to Ghana. Just as these first century Christians did, we have brought belongings to sell so that our brothers and sisters overseas will not have to go without food, shelter, or clothing. Let us pray that we can rally together, taking our cue from first century Christians, so that our community might also feel a sense of awe.
