Logan Earles – Littleton, Colorado … The Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church set out to follow Jesus’s command to his disciples to love others with sharing a small gift of love, encouragement, and a little sugar, December 9.
Earlier in the week, the church had prepared little holiday bags of candy canes and a card with encouraging words. Immediately after the Sabbath service, four groups of volunteers went to 80 houses surrounding the church with a simple message, “We love you.”
Have you ever wondered what the candy cane is all about? The story of the candy cane is about what Jesus has done for the world. An unknown poet wrote:
Look at the Candy Cane, what do you see?
Stripes that are red like the blood shed for me
White is for my Savior Who’s sinless and pure!
“J” is for Jesus My Lord, that’s for sure!
Turn it around and a staff you will see
Jesus my shepherd was born for Me!
“During this season many people are focused on getting gifts for others, so it was fun to see people’s faces light up as they were handed an unexpected gift. Everyone was grateful,” commented Logan Earles, associate pastor at Littleton Church.
Many wondered why the church would hand out such gifts. One Individual even said after being handed the bag, “So now what do you want?” to which the volunteers happily replied, “Nothing!”
Littleton Church set out on a simple mission: to show love to their surrounding community and God blessed their efforts. Not only did the outreach go off without a hitch, but many of the houses that the volunteers went to had people home and willing to talk to them. The volunteers were able to share a little bit about what the church is doing.
Jadon, a child participant in the outreach, remarked, “We got to meet many cool people all while sharing God’s love and the Christmas spirit. It was really fun.”
The efforts that Littleton Church is making during this holiday season are only a small part of what they have planned for the coming year. There is no better way to show God’s love than to love the people God has placed in your life.
—Logan Earles is the associate pastor at the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos supplied.
