Sermons and bone marrow donations

Yesterday in my sermon I concluded with the current status of a child in Norwalk, CT who needs a bone marrow donor in order to survive the leukemia that has returned stronger than ever after rounds of chemo and radiation. His name is Sebastian and he lives on hope - and his beautiful smile.

After worship and the Vestry meeting, our Deacon and I went down to St. Thomas the Apostle Parish gymnasium to get swabbed and be entered in the national bone marrow register, only to find that you have to be within the age span of 18 to 55 to be a donor. I am 65. I was very disappointed, to say the least.

But then the very kind information volunteer told me that they were taking donations of $1 on the other side of the gym. Well, at least this was something I could do at my aged stage of life so Deacon and I went over and put money in the big, clear, plexiglass cube on the donation desk. I put in all the "1's" I had. They volunteers smiled - grinned, actually - and thanked us and then one of them blew a horn and other took of noise-makers and the entire gymnasium erupted into applause that went on and one until we were out the door! Now that's the way to greet a voluntary donation! I really felt I had been useful after all. Thank you, God.

This morning the Norwalk newspaper, The Hour, reports that over 300 people registered yesterday with the bone marrow bank. Hallelujah. May there be a match there for 7 year old Sebastian.

"Now hope hat is seen is not hope. For who hopes/awaits for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Romans 8:24b-25)

For what do you hope this last week of Advent? Even so, come, Lord Jesus!