Fifty years ago the city of Tulsa-Megan’s hometown-buried a time capsule to be opened for the state’s centennial celebration. Inside was a beautiful, brand new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere. The car was lowered into a the crypt and sealed in concrete. Unfortunately it wasn’t a tight seal and water leaked into the box. Over the fifty years the car was completely submerged in water and when it was pulled out it was literally rusting away. As you can see chunks are falling off… (CLick on the picture to link to the USA Today article and a video of the car raising.)

   I have always hoped the UPS man would pull up to my house and deliver a box of money. I am not sure how many bills could fit into a small box, but I imagine even one’s would add up to a sizable amount. So every time the deliveryman pulls up, I announce to Meg, “Here comes our box of money!” Of course when we open the package it ends up being clothes for Ivy…

   For Joseph and Mary the delivery box of money became reality. People literally arrived at the door bearing gifts. As always the present was for the child, but the package instantly made the family rich. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh are foreign to us, but they were gifts reserved for a king. Too valuable to be in the possession of a carpenter’s family…

   Unfortunately openings are not always as they seem. With the arrival of riches also came a curse. The valuable gifts must have been on Joseph’s mind as he slipped off to sleep. He was excited about the future, but he awoke in a cold sweat from a nightmare. The same men who brought gifts had also brought the wrath of the ruler. Herod would soon murder babies and the family was forced to Egypt. Their delivered riches washed away to keep the family alive…

The money we have raised through t-shirts and the mop bucket change will go to World Vision’s Africa Food Aid. I have not even started to count the coins, but so far the shirt money is $370!!! Remember to bring your change and if you have not already gotten a shirt you can get one on Sunday. If you filled out a green sheet I reserved a shirt for you. Click here for a link to the World Vision’s Africa Food Aid.