A Time to Dance

I remember clearly the first time I heard Tessie's name. Thomas and I were in our backyard playing baseball when my then neighbor and her two year-old son arrived home. It was a rare occasion for all of us to be outside at the same time. Our conflicting schedules usually prevented any neighborly play between the two boys. But on this particular day, neither of us were pressed for time nor hindered by responsibilites and while the two boys played, Kristin and I sat on the grass and talked. We spoke about pregnancy, infertility, and adoption. We were in the process of adopting and she and her husband were likewise hoping to expand their family. "You should meet my friend Tessie, " Kristin casually commented. "She and her husband are adopting a little boy from Ethiopia." And as a result of Kristin's generous invitation to join a recently formed book club, I did indeed meet Tessie, as well as four other intelligent, strong, gracious women.

It was last Wednesday afternoon when, as part of an effort to combat my excessive list of "must haves," and other poisonous thoughts that creep into my head, I was taking a few moments to thank God for all His provisions to me and my family. As I was reflecting upon the abundance of food, clothing, heat, and other basic necessities, as well as luxuries, that I and most Americans possess, it occurred to me, for the first time, to be grateful that I had access to clean water. It was just twenty minutes later that I opened an email from Tessie entitled, "Wanna Dance?" I was intrigued by the title and awed and humbled by its content. According to recent information, 1.1. billion people do not have access to clean water; 4,500 children and 42,000 adults die daily as a result. Illness due to lack of clean water is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five in underdeveloped countries. Experts estimate that it would take nearly $10 billion to provide everyone with clean water. While it is difficult to wrap one's mind around that number, Tessie urged us to consider that Americans spend a staggering $45 billion annually on Christmas gifts. Passionate about giving back to the African people, Tessie and some friends are attempting to spread the word of this global crisis (and attain contributions for a non-profit group called Charity: Water) by, well, dancing. (To find out more, visit Tessie's blog: dancingforwater.blogspot.com.) Our motley crew will eventually dance for water, too. (With a flare for the theatrical, Jared would like us to dance to Prokofiev like Woody Allen's dance with Death at the conclusion the film, Love and Death.)

It was Sunday morning, November 16th, the day the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Matthew the Evangelist, and thus Russell's namesday (he was baptized Matthew). Things for the Johnson family were grim. Though we had actually managed to assemble into the van by 9:00 and were on schedule for arriving at church before liturgy began, tempers were inflamed. (Thomas concluded that a lot of people in the family, i.e. me and Jared, had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.) The hostile environment worsened when twenty minutes into the trip to Iowa City, Jared realized that he had inadvertenly left a box of pamphlets in the trunk of the car. It was necessary that the pamphlets be delieverd to church, so with no other viable option we exited and headed east on I-80 towards home. "Why bother going," I hissed (really, I hissed). But it was Russell's namesday and thanks to Jared driving a bit over the speed limit, we were really not any later than usual. (Editor's note: Does it balance the cosmic scale if the purpose for speeding is to get to church on time? Moreover, does the fact that I did not get a ticket infer God's blessing on my speeding?) During his homily, our priest typically relates the story of the saint the Church is commemorating that day. This Sunday was no exception. As I held sweet Russell and attempted to distract him with all sorts of jewlery, Fr. Ignatius told St. Matthew's story. Most of it I knew - how when Christ gave his offer to Matthew of becoming a disciple, Matthew instantly dropped everything and followed Him. But then, my ears perked up. Suddenly I was hearing a portion of the story I had never known. According to Church Tradition, after writing his gospel, St. Matthew traveled to (as Thomas would say, "you cannot imagine it") Ethiopia. In fact, St. Matthew is attributed to founding the Church in Ethiopia, and this is the land where he obtained the crown of martyrdom. And when the Ethiopian woman and her children, whom I had not seen in weeks entered the chapel, I fought back laughter and tears.

Lately I have been considering what we as a family can do to consume less and give more. Though it is a vice I vehemently detest and pray to eradicate from my being, greed all too often envelops my heart in subtle ways. And frankly, I am sick to death of feeding it by convincing myself that my wants are sincere needs. Last week we had received in the mail the most recent edition of the magazine our adoption agency, Holt International, publishes. Listed in the center were suggestions of "meaningful gifts that could transform children's lives." Overall, the amounts of money necessary to significantly affect a child's life are quite minimal. For example, a gift of $100 would provide a poor family in Cambodia, the Philipines, Thailand, or Vietnam with "a brood of chickens, a cow, piglets, a sewing machine and supplies, as well as agricultural equipment" so the family could commence a home-based enterprise which would stabilize the family financially and eliminate the risk of children losing their parents. This is less money than I drop for food per week. (If you want to donate, click here.)

The Church in her wisdom sanctions a fast prior to the celebration of the Son's incarnation into the world for our salvation. For forty days, Orthodox Christians all over the world prepare together, abstaining from certain foods and sinful practices until the feast to come. The days prior to the Christmas season are a time not only for reflection but also for self-denial- not solely as an end of itself, but in order to unite us with God. More than linked to this period of abstinence is the act of almsgiving. As we consume less, we are called to give generously to those in need. It is not optional, but an essential part of our salvation. Indeed, according to St. John Chrysostom, feeding the poor is to be considered a greater act than raising the dead.

The Gospel reading assigned for today by the Church lectionary is from Luke 14. While there are times when reading Christ's words, I am puzzled by their meaning, His teaching on how we are to treat others, and especially the poor, is straighforward and pertinent.

When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you... He who has ears to hear, let him hear.