You Are the Pan!

There is another moment in “Hook” that completed the journey for Peter Banning.  I’m milking this movie for all it’s worth!

Peter is still wrestling with all it means to be “the Pan”.  He is in a cave with Tinker Bell, and she is trying to help him live into his identity.  After she helps him find his happy thought – his kids -  he discovers he can fly.  He doesn’t do too well at first, but once he gets his bearings it’s like riding a bike.  He flies around Neverland, and eventually lands among the treehouses.  The Lost Boys dance and jump as their leader is back.  “The Pan” can fly again!   It’s at this point that Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys, gives “The Pan’s” sword back to Peter saying the now classic line, “You are the Pan”.    After receiving the sword, Peter draws a line in the sand, and they all have a choice to make, including Rufio. 

Discovering who you are is one thing, but it’s amazing when others acknowledge it, affirming it in community.  Doing things together provides clarifying moments for us, as it did for Peter.  His identity was now complete and affirmed by the Lost Boys, making his “thing to do” clear; find his kids and rid Neverland of Hook forever.  

But he couldn’t have made that journey by himself.  He needed Wendy, Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, and finally Rufio to help him discover who he really was and what that meant.  We can’t make the journey alone either.

Doing things together is essential.  We don’t have to figure out our journey on our own.  We receive encouragement, direction and correction from each other.  Just like discovering who we are is done best together, compassion is best expressed when we figure it out and do it together.  We can try to do things alone, but doing things together not only creates a more sustainable solution, but also protects us from doing things the wrong way.  I think we all want to do “what is ours to do” the right way.  This has been at the heart of our conversation this semester.

In our community, we’ve been patient, waiting for the right time to launch the Food Recovery Network.  The Food Recovery Network is a partnership our students have with Sodexo, our food service at Olivet, to reclaim food that can be recovered, distributing it to receiving organizations in our community  We've been patient, making sure we crossed our "t's" and dotted our "i's", until now it's time to act.  The past two days 150 students signed up to help recover food at the end of each meal.  This is something we can do.

We, like many of you will collect canned goods over the coming month.  Where we live we are helping organizations in our community provide Thanksgiving meals for our neighbors.  This is something we can do for our community.

We'll also participate in helping to provide Christmas gifts for Chicago’s City Life Center, a church in the Englewood community of Chicago we partner with at Christmas, and also send an MIA team to over Spring break.  This year we will help provide Christmas gifts for the children and teens in that community.  You will hear more about this after Thanksgiving break.  This is something we can do.

As I've been going through our list, what has come to your mind.  I’m not sure you noticed, but the three things listed above really don’t take much effort on our part.  It’s just us, doing something, and watching the little thing we do together make a big impact.  If that's true for us, it's true for you, wherever you may be reading this.  No one can do everything, but we can all do something.  What are you hearing God say to you?  What is yours to do? 

1 Corinthians 12:12-26