Teamwork

We are a soccer family. My brothers and I played growing up, my husband played and now coaches and all of our boys play, as will our daughter once she's older. I love watching the transition of children playing soccer as they really learn how to play the game. Watching a young children's soccer game is similar to watching a group of border collies compete over who gets to herd a lone sheep. The children tend to clump around the ball, they bump into each other, and sometimes kick it away from their own teammates in their excitement. Typically teams of younger children don't try and keep the children in specific positions, such as goalkeeper, midfielder or wing, and instead focus on foot skills and fun.

With older children, a smart coach will spend time rotating everyone though all the positions on the field. Everyone gets a chance to practice as keeper, everyone gets to play defender, or forward so that everyone has at least the opportunity to try and score a goal. Over time as the players develop, their strengths and talents begin to emerge, and a strong coach is able to identify the best position for each player, based on his or her gifts.

What I reminded the children of, was that every position is important. A team of just goalkeepers wouldn't be able to score, whereas a team where everyone plays forward leaves no one in goal. If midfielders aren't in position the ball can get stuck instead of being passed down the field. God has given each of us a gift, and while some of us may have more than one, no one has them all which is why we are all needed for God' team. Some of us may have a beautiful singing voice, others may be comfortable speaking in public, while another may have the rare talent of being a really good listener. Often our gifts come so naturally to us we may not even consider them a gift. I have always been comfortable teaching, both children and adults, and never realized it might be difficult for others until I tried to recruit Sunday School teachers.

It is our responsibility to listen for the voice of God and discern what gifts we have been given and how we can best put them to use. As our children's "coach" we need to help them discover what they enjoy doing, what they do well, and how they can do both in God's service.

First Aid

We had a wonderful group of visiting parents of children in ELPII today in chapel. I get to see those children on Thursdays when we have ELP chapel, and it was a lot of fun for them to join "the big kids" today. My box was very heavy, as inside I had a large first aid kit. It usually hangs on the wall in the church kitchen, and has everything from antiseptic wipes and band aids to aspirin, antacids, and even lotions for burns, bug bites and poison ivy.

The first disciples chosen by Jesus are the fisherman, Simon Peter, and James and John. And while in the time of Jesus fisherman weren't at the top of the social ladder, there was nothing wrong with associating with them, other then having to deal with the smell of fish. Jesus performs a miracle for them by increasing their catch of fish, and so they left everything to follow him. Soon after this Jesus sees a tax collector named Levi (Matthew). Tax collectors were considered to be sinners. They were shunned by the community. With Matthew, there is no miracle. Jesus sees him, calls for him to follow, and the Bible says Matthew left everything and followed him. And then, because in those days collecting taxes meant having access to money, Matthew a banquet for Jesus in his house. He invited his friends, who, because of his status as outcast, were other tax collectors. And now Jesus was criticized. While is was fine for him to associate with fisherman, it was not okay for him to eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners.

And how does Jesus answer? He reminds his critics that those who are well have no need of a doctor. If there is nothing hurt, the first aid kits sits quietly on the wall. It is not appreciated by those of us who walk in and out of the kitchen, until we have a cut, or a burn, or a bug bite that needs attention. Jesus has come for those who recognize they are in need of healing, and welcome his aid. In the new year, I hope we can all take some time to recognize what in us needs the gentle touch of the Great Physician's hands.

Water

This past Sunday we enjoyed both baptisms and confirmation at St. Mark's as we celebrated the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in my box I brought a long, blue length of fabric. I use this fabric whenever I tell a story to our younger children that involves water, so it has made appearances in the creation story, Noah and his ark, Moses marching to freedom, and of course, the baptism of Jesus.

Water and the image of water has a distinctive hold on many of us. Especially those of us who live in a town where you can't really go anywhere without crossing over water at least once, if not several times. The sound of water soothes us, the power of water awes us, the beauty of water touches our soul. We need water to nourish us and with some work, it makes what was once unclean, clean. The image of a humble, human Jesus, asking the prophet John to baptize him is a favorite of mine. John preached a gospel of repentance and baptism was a way to publicly show an internal, spiritual change. The baptism of Jesus publicly identified him as the Son of God, and linked him with us, the sinners who cross he came to bear.

I reminded the children that after his baptism, as Jesus rises out of the water he heard the words each of us longs to hear, "This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased". The same Holy Spirit that descended to Jesus is there for all of us. We are all beloved children of God. I hope the water that surrounds us can serve as a reminder to repent, to immerse ourselves in God's grace, and to emerge a child with whom the Father can be well pleased.

Gifts

My box today had three of my favorite things in it. Years ago I ran into a store to try and find one or two items on my Christmas shopping list. As I searched for whatever it was among the shelves of knick knacks and useless decorative objects, some movement caught my eye. There, tucked away between vases and picture frames, was a plush bobble-head king holding a gift. A bobble-head king! As I looked on the crowded shelves I saw one, then two more. Someone had thought the perfect gift item that Christmas was a set of three bobble-head kings! They are not small, ranging from 7' to 9' in height, and yet they came with a sticker bottom so you could, I suppose, stick them on the dash of your car. Of course I had to get them.

The three bobble-head kings came home with me. Now, here is where I have a confession to make. I originally bought them as gifts for our three priests. But, as they sat in my room at home, bobbling occasionally for me, I just couldn't part with them. What started out as a gift for others became something I kept for myself.

I love the stories about the three kings, both those from the Bible and the legends that have sprung up around these mysterious figures. What I shared with the children today, is that while the kings brought Jesus precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the most precious gift we can give him is our heart. And, sadly, that gift is one we sometimes hoard for ourselves, instead of sharing freely with Christ. What would our lives look like, if, instead of keeping part of ourselves separate, on a shelf, to be enjoyed by us alone, we gave all of our being freely to the King of Kings?