As I finally got home late Saturday night after the Men’s Band concert, my body was absolutely exhausted. My feet and back hurt, my voice was cracking and weak, and I thought that when I sat down I might not be able to get up for days. Though my body was tired, my spirit was not. It was energized and buzzing. And running through my brain was one word: generosity.
Generosity was on display throughout the week at Trinity. There was the generosity of time as people came in to help make lefse, dropped off baked goods, gave donations for the Silent Auction, and worked all of the events of the Spirit of Christmas or stopped by to bid, buy, or hear the Men’s Band in Knapp. Time is a precious commodity these days and yet so many people gave of their time to support Trinity during this week and support the community events in general.
People were generous with their talents and treasures, from baking awesome items or making great soup to all those who bought bake sale items and put bids down on Silent Auction items. The Mission Trip Youth made over $6,500! It is a massive and frankly unexpected amount and I was just blown away by how the church, and the community, support our kids and give them a chance to serve others in need. The women also had a phenomenal haul as well, clearing over $3,400. This generosity as an impact on all of our ministries.
There was definitely a generosity of spirit. From all the laughter and conversation between people making lefse, to the way the crowd sang “Joy to the World” at the Live Nativity to all those that came up offering help as we had to rework our poinsettia orders after Sharon Seeger’s passing to joy of hearing our Sunday School youth practice their songs for next week’s Christmas program, the Christmas Spirit was alive and well and full of the love of God. My favorite part of the Spirit of Christmas is the generous spirit that people share with each other even as we work hard to make lefse, organize the Silent Auction, and much more.
The sore back, hurt feet, and crusty voice are worth it because in the end it is the generosity that I saw and felt during this week that makes it all worth it. It is a reminder that the greatest gifts we get are the people we get to interact with and the shared experiences we have with them. They are gifts from God.
Thank you for your generosity, people of God, and for all the ways you shared and supported Trinity ministries and our community this week!