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“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa
Although Advent is over for another
year, I want to write about a special
Christmas present I received from my wife,
Charlotte. And since it involves a loving
act, this can always work for Valentine’s
Day. One thing that makes this present
unique is that it was something I already
owned, specifically a ukulele. If you know
me, my owning yet another instrument
shouldn’t be a surprise. But, as you might
guess, there’s a story behind this gift.
The ukulele itself is unassuming, with painted-on decoration. It’s old, with its share of “battle scars.” What makes it special to me, though—beyond the fact that my amazing wife re-gave it to me—is that it was my mom’s. From time to time, she would get it out and play old, familiar songs, and we would sing together. I can’t remember a time when she didn’t own it, and it may be older than I am. I found it in mom’s house after she died, and it was in sad shape, with a crack in the top, missing strings, and a piece missing from the bridge, where the strings are attached. I brought it home and told myself (and Charlotte) I would have it fixed up but then it simply sat in a corner, neglected, while I waited for “someday.” Charlotte finally decided “someday” had arrived and took it to a local music store to be repaired. Shortly after the traditional “holidays,” I found a mysterious “late Christmas present” sitting on the couch. I unwrapped it and found a marvelous surprise and thanked my thoughtful wife for doing what I had never gotten around to doing. The shop was able to fix the crack in the top, repair the broken bridge, and put on new strings. She even bought a nice case for it. I tuned it up and strummed a chord and it brought back happy memories. As I said earlier, to look at the ukulele, you would never know its value to me. Instead, most folks, even if they were knowledgeable about such things, would probably see an old, cheap-looking instrument that had obviously been through its share of events. In the same way, the things of God don’t always appear to be as significant as they are. Jesus told a parable about mustard seeds to illustrate this (Matt. 13:31-32). It works the same way with people. Two midwives named Shiphrah and Puah refused to kill Hebrew babies as Pharaoh had commanded and, although they weren’t what anyone would consider “important,” they played a part in God’s plan (Exod. 1:15-22). (And thanks to Lori Hatcher, writer for Crosswalk.com, for mentioning them.) And when a young man named David offered to fight a giant, King Saul dismissed him (1 Sam. 17:33). There are even examples of people whose names weren’t recorded. Naaman, commander of the Syrian army, had leprosy (2 King. 5:1), and an unnamed servant girl who was a Hebrew told Naaman’s wife he should reach out to her people’s prophet (vs. 3). The prophet Elisha gave Naaman instructions (vs. 10) and after some initial resistance, Naaman did as Elisha instructed and was healed (vs. 14). And sometime after he told the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus brought a child in front of the disciples and told them he or she represented Most folks would never think a baby in a stable might be a sign of God’s presence in human affairs (Luke 2:6 7, 12, 16), but of course we know better. And when Philip told his friend Nathanael about Jesus, his friend scoffed, saying, “‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’” (John 1:46a CEV). But Philip simply responded, “‘Come and see.’” (vs. 1:46b CEV). There was no elaborate sermon, just “‘Come and See.’” That is our message to the world. Come and see: God’s love in action. What acceptance feels like. What God has done for us. What God has helped us to do for God’s world and Godְ’s people. What it means to be part of a community of faith. A place you can belong. Come and see. “Philip then found Nathanael and said, ‘We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ “Nathanael asked, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’ “Philip answered, ‘Come and see.’” (John 1:45-46 CEV.) Copyright © 2022 by David Phelps
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