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?

Angel Wings

Today I brought in a truly spectacular set of angel wings for the children to see. They are large, golden wings that glow when the lights hit them the right way. Typically they live in my supply closet until once a year they are worn by the angel Gabriel in the family Christmas Eve service here at St. Mark's. Gabriel is a coveted role in our Christmas Eve tableau, and I think it is in large part because of those wings.

Advent is a season of angels. An angel appears to Zechariah in the temple to tell him his wife Elizabeth is going to have a son. Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her she has been chosen to have a son. An angel appears to Joseph in a dream to tell him to go ahead and marry Mary, even though she is with child. And a multitude of angels appear to the shepherds to announce Christ's birth. We don't know what any of these angels look like, but we do know their appearance must have been awe-inspiring and even frightening, for in most cases the first words spoken by them are "Be not afraid."

While each time the angels appeared their message was different, the command to be not afraid stays the same. It is a message I hope we take to heart. Be not afraid of uncertain finances, of illness, of change, of death. Be not afraid for God is with us, surrounding us with love, carrying us on our journey.

Army Men

Today I had the chance to speak to our first-sixth grade students. I always enjoy joining the older children for their chapel. Our lesson was from James 5:7-11, on the virtue of patience and the Gospel was Matthew 11:2-11. In this section of Matthew we find an imprisoned John the Baptist sending his disciples to meet with Jesus. I spent a long time thinking about John and his time in prison, and so of course my prop for today was a box of army men.

When my oldest son was little, he loved building forts of blocks and populating them with army men. We have a box that now contains a time traveling assortment of soldiers from the revolutionary war, civil war and both world wars. My question for the children was, "Historically, what was one of the most dangerous positions for a soldier to occupy, a position that has to do with John the Baptist?" There were many excellent answers, but no one guessed correctly- the messenger.

Think of it. Instead of waiting to be ordered into battle, the messenger is sent out to the enemy, or even a friend, carrying news that very often no one wants to hear. Often messengers were killed and sent back to their commanders as part of a strong reply. That's why Shakespeare spoke of "not shooting the messenger." At this point in Matthew, John was in prison for his role as God's prophet, or messenger. John spoke the truth. It was a truth which Herod saw as a threat and it was for speaking God's message that John was killed.

Jesus also comes as a messenger of God's love, but Jesus is not only a messenger, he is the Good News- the message. The season of Advent is a time of preparation and waiting to celebrate the birth of Christ. Now is the time to consider how open we truly are to receiving God's message for us. Now is the time to prepare not just our homes, but also our hearts for Christ.

Advent Calendar

Last Sunday was the first Sunday in Advent, the season where we wait in joyful anticipation of the coming of our Lord. Waiting can be very difficult. I've waited for planes and trains to pick me up, for packages to arrive, and for water to boil. Sitting in the waiting room to see a doctor seems to take forever, as can waiting for a special event, a visit from a friend or the birth of a child. I know that patience is a virtue, but it is not always one of mine. What I pulled from my box was a gift, wrapped and tagged and waiting. It was given to me several days ago by my friends the Hainlines. And on the tag it said, "Wait until December 1st to open." So today in chapel I pulled it out and finally opened it.

My gift was an advent calendar. Each day there is a window to open and a Bible verse to read as I count down until Christmas morning. Today's verse is "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. " Isaiah 9:1. I love advent calendars, especially ones with Bibe verses, as they give me something to do each day during advent. For that's the thing about waiting, it is only hard to do if we have nothing to fill our time while we wait. Time spent in an airport with a good book is infinitely better than without, and the best appetizers provide a little something flavorful while waiting for a meal to arrive.

On Sunday our Gospel lesson was Matthew 24:36-44. This passage may seem to be a strange way to begin Advent, for the verses have nothing to do with the birth of Christ, but about his return. They remind us that we must be prepared, for the Son of Man will come at a completely unexpected hour. I suppose the question, for advent and beyond, is how will we spend the time we have to wait?

I hope that you and your children can plan some wonderful ways to share Christ's love as we await his coming this season.

Hand Me Downs

Today my box held a real treasure in our family, a set of very worn Batman pj's. When my son Thomas was three he loved Batman and wore Batman pj's under his clothes every day to school for well over a year. (He also wore cowboy boots, but that's another story). In almost every picture of him at that age you can see the gray pj's peeking out from his shirt, or he has on only the pj's. We had several pairs, both short and long sleeved and when Thomas outgrew them they were lovingly put away. The pj's emerged when Xander was three, and although he didn't love them as much as Thomas they were worn quite a bit. And now Sarah Frances has them in her pajama drawer. As parents we often love hand me downs, because it gives us a chance to remember what our older children were like when they wore those clothes, even while loving the child who is in them now. But for children who grow up in a family with lots of siblings, who gets hand me downs and who gets something new can become a sore subject.

I imagine that the new coat Jacob made for Joseph was probably the straw that broke the camels back. You have to feel a bit sorry for his older brothers, working hard, with a little brother who liked to tattletale and had dreams of ruling them all and who was clearly the favorite with their father. The new coat, when most of them had probably had hand me downs, was enough to set off a horrible chain of events. The thought of older brothers conspiring to murder their little brother is horrible, that they sold him into slavery is not much better.

For me, the story of Joseph is a stark reminder that God does not promise us that nothing bad will happen to us, no matter how strong our faith. Illness, disappointment, temptation, failure, all these and more are simply part of being human. And while I don't believe God throws these stumbling blocks in our path, if the story of Joseph teaches anything it is that God is with us in the pit, and in slavery, and in jail, and that God can work through us and through adversity to bring about God's kingdom.

Next week is Thanksgiving. I hope you take some time to share with your child or children all you are grateful for and then thank God for being with us in good times and in bad.

Shoes

All morning long one of my favorite songs from childhood has been playing in my head. I suppose that's why I felt the need to put a new pair of shoes in my box this morning. They are some 5" heels I bought recently that a real kick to wear. In them I am quite literally 6 feet tall. And while I am comfortable enough with my height that I wear flats often, there is something about being that tall that is a real rush.

What is it about being taller that excites us so much. Remember the childhood excitement of being measured against a door frame and finding out you had grown? I now have one son who loves the fact he is taller than me and a second who is constantly standing shoulder to shoulder with me to see how he measures up. (And sadly, I think he's passing me, even when we smash his hair down flat). I think it is is because so many of us have stood on tiptoes in a picture or to see over someones shoulder that the story of Zacheus is such a favorite. You remember Zacheus, the "wee little man".

While I am sure if Zacheus had access to my shoes they would have worked, he was so desperate to see Jesus he climbed a tree to look at him. Zacheus was a tax collector, a profession despised then even more than it is now, and yet in spite of the wrongs he had committed against his people Jesus looked at him, and informed him that he would be dining at his house later that day. Jesus accepted him, and all of us, sins and all.

What would it look like for you to spend the day straining on tiptoes, or climbing a tree, just to catch a glimpse of God?