Apple

As a mom of a senior who is applying to colleges this fall, I've spent a lot of time thinking about choices. I suppose that is why today my box held an apple. We usually have apples, or yogurt, or other "healthy" snacks at our house and all of our children are told that for the most part, they can have as many of the healthy snacks as they want. And even though they know they will feel better after eating something that is good for them, if there is a sweet option in sight, smart choices can fly out the window.

Making the right choice has been a stumbling block for humanity from the beginning. Male and female, Adam and Eve, were created in God's image, in that they were given the ability to choose. They could choose to obey God, or to take what was forbidden. One choice would allow them to stay in the garden, while the other would send them out into the world, to a life of hardship and eventual death. The Bible is a collection of choices. Abram chose to leave the land of his fathers to the land that God would show him. Rebekah chose to help Jacob trick his father Isaac. The disciples chose to follow Christ and Christ chose to die on the cross.

We are faced with a myriad of choices every day. Our choices may seem more important, like choosing a college, or less important, like choosing a snack. We can choose to wake up early and exercise, or grab a little more sleep. We can choose to start the day with prayer, or with the paper. We can choose to lose our temper, or keep it, speak to our neighbor, or walk on by. We can choose friends who lift us up, or those who tear us down. We can choose to be jealous of the clothes/homes/lives or others, or grateful for all we have been given. We can choose hate, or love.

God has sent the Holy Spirit to support us in all we do. We simply have to choose to receive it.

What will you choose?

 

Our Daily Bread

Any parent who has ever taken multiple children on a long road trip can imagine what the exodus must have been like for Moses. Last-minute packing is always a struggle. It can be incredible hard to get away. And once the journey has begun in earnest it starts, Moses starts hearing the refrain, "Are we there yet?".  It must have been exciting at first. The reverence of the first Passover, the drama of the parting of the sea, the celebration at the destruction of Pharaoh's chariots and chariot drivers. Yet before long, the complaining began.

"Are we there yet?" The Israelites were anxious and frightened. Freedom felt strange. In their haste they had brought no provisions other than flat bread which hadn't been given the time to rise, and thoughts of the unknown, of starvation in the wilderness, overwhelmed them. "Are we there yet?" They complained against their leaders, against Aaron and Moses. And God heard their cries and provided bread for their journey, exactly enough to meet their daily needs.

The Israelites would repeat this pattern of anxiety, fear, and complaint, throughout their forty year journey as they learned, little by little, to trust that God would provide what they needed. The development of a faith that God will "give us this day our daily bread" takes time to rise.

Today I hope you remember to enjoy the journey. The destination is worth the trip!

April Fool's

Growing up April Fool's day was a high holiday in my home. It was my grandmother's birthday. Looking back I have to feel sorry for her, although she always seemed to love the trick packages, squirting flowers, and succession of jokes played on her throughout the years. At some point I started hiding plastic spiders or snakes in her bed, not just for her birthday but whenever I visited. These pranks became more and more elaborate as I aged and I think she found enjoyment from the fact that I liked it so much. So today, in honor of April Fool's Day and my grandmother, I brought a box with a spider who jumps out when you open it.

Our story today was of poor Lazarus. Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha and all three were extremely close to Jesus. While Jesus is off teaching and healing Lazarus becomes sick. The sisters sent word to Jesus , "Lord, he whom you love is ill". Several days pass and when Jesus does travel to Bethany to check on the family it is too late. Lazarus has died. The family and friends are in mourning. And you can almost hear the tone of reproach as Martha says to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus weeps at the grief of Mary and Martha over their brother, and asks to be taken to the tomb. And there, he calls for Lazarus to come out. As Lazarus emerges, waiting to be unwrapped from his shroud, can't you almost here the call, "APRIL FOOL's"!In Christ all things are possible. The lame can walk! The blind can see! The dead will live! And even the crucified Lord will rise again.

My jokes on my grandmother would not have been as funny had I used real spiders, real snakes or cockroaches. They always caused a start, but she knew there was never anything to fear. And so it is with a God-filled life. We will have our ups and downs. But we have assurance that death will not claim us, but that we will have eternal life!

Slime

Years ago I was given a huge bucket of green slime, the kind made popular by Nickelodeon. Today that slime made its appearance in chapel in my box. Apart from being a huge hit with the kids, I really though the slime fit with today's lesson.

In John 9: 1-12 we read about Jesus healing a man who had been born blind. He heals the man by spitting on the ground and making a mud with the saliva which he then spread on the man's eyes. Children typically love this Bible story because, well, because it's gross. Spitting is gross. Making mud out of dirt and your spit is gross and then smearing the slimy mess onto someone's face is really gross. And that is the part of the story that I emphasized today. Ministry to others isn't always clean. It often involves getting our hands dirty. It may involve doing things we don't like to do, or even watch being done. Yet when we take that risk to touch others we become the hands and feet of Christ.

How will you get dirty this week?

Hunger

I love to bake. On our counter sit two glass cookie jars and my new year's resolution is to keep them filled with something homemade most of the time. However, as I stared at one of the empty jars a few weeks ago I decided to fill it with some baked dog treats I had that look like gingerbread men. Clever right? Fast forward to later that day when one of my sons walks in, hungry from lacrosse practice, decided to get himself a cookie without asking first, and you can guess the rest. It only took him one bite to realize his mistake, but it isn't a bite he will forget anytime soon. He made me aware that it was very confusing to have two jars, next to each other, one filled with things to eat and one filled with things not to eat. So a few of the dog treats were in my box today.

I think the story of our fall from grace and redemption through Christ can be summed up in the pithy instruction to "Eat this, not that."  The story of Adam and Eve is a familiar one. God created our world with strict instructions to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and yet, like hungry children, they took and ate without really thinking of the consequences. It is a pattern we have kept repeating. We hunger for knowledge, experiences, possessions, and power to fill the void that is caused by our separation from God. Yet our hunger can only be ended when we listen to the words of Christ who said. "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me". Only then will we truly be full.

How have you allowed Christ to fill you up? Are you sharing this meal with others?

Practice Makes Perfect

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the first day of Lent. Every year on Ash Wednesday I have a palm in my box. The palm reminds us that the same Jesus who rode triumphantly into Jerusalem amidst cheers and waving palm branches was crucified mere days later. The green palms we weave and wave on Palm Sunday here at St. Mark's are saved and burned and turned into ashes for the following year's use.

I love Ash Wednesday. It is a beautiful service and one I think we should feel comfortable sharing with our children. What I try and emphasize in my lessons is that lent is a time to really practice those things we know we should be doing all the time. It takes practice to become a good soccer or tennis player.  It takes practice to become a great painter, or a strong musician. If we are willing to encourage our children to practice these skills, why would we not encourage them to practice praying? Why do we spend time at swimming lessons, but not practice worship? Scheduling the time to practice compassion, to practice service, is a wonderful way to celebrate Lent as a family.

Try creating a Lent calendar of daily activities, like reading the Bible, helping someone in need, attending worship services each week or sharing a nightly prayer. As you fill your mite box or lift your voice in song remember, practice makes perfect.