The Good Shepherd

Today was Father's Chapel at St. Mark's. It was wonderful to have so many fathers and special friends join us. The children really love having guests come with them to chapel and we hope you know that you are welcome to worship with us every week. In my box was a well-worn, stuffed lamb. It is very soft, plays music, and was a gift to Sarah Frances that lived in her crib until she outgrew it and now moves from place to place in her room.

The Bible is filled with images of shepherds, mentioning shepherds and/or sheep over 200 times. Abel was a shepherd, David watched his father's sheep, and shepherds were the first to visit Jesus at his birth. Tending sheep was difficult and sometimes dangerous work. The good shepherd often lived with his sheep, leading them to pasture and water, protecting them from wild animals, and guarding them at night whether they were out in the open or in a sheepfold. The good shepherd might even carry weak lambs in his arms. The good shepherd knew each one of his sheep, making sure none were ever lost, and those sheep responded to the sound of his voice.

When we teach our children about Christ, we often break stories and lessons down into their most basic components, to make them easy for them to comprehend. In this case Jesus did the heavy lifting for us. Jesus referred to himself as the good shepherd, one who lays down his life for his sheep, and the story and images of the good shepherd are beautiful ones that even a child can understand. (John 10:11-16) I often tell the children about the good shepherd and the love He has for them. Today I added to this image of the good shepherd that of the good father. The good father loves, and cares and protects his child in the same way the good shepherd does for his sheep. We speak of God the Father, and for our children that image often brings with it all the love and care their own father provides for them. To be a good father is an incredible accomplishment, and we should applaud it more often.

And now, an extra thought that was not given to those in chapel. In the last conversation Jesus had with Peter, he asked him to "Feed my sheep". (John 21:15-17) Whose sheep are you feeding this week?

All you need is Love

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and I thought instead of talking to the children about the martyred saints of ancient Rome, I would bring one in my box instead. The Valentine I brought in is one I was given by my friend Mary Blake and features one of my favorite characters, Elmo.

Along with this sweet card, I had in my box three of my absolute favorite things. If you want to know the way to my heart it can be found in four little words: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I told the children how much I loved them and that it was so exciting to me that I received not one, or two, but three with my Valentine. And then, sadly, I gave each away to someone else.

Every week I remind our children that God fills our hearts with love, but this week I wanted them to understand that real love often involves some sacrifice. In 1 Corinthians 13 we see that love is patient and kind, which is not always easy. Love involves laying down traits that many of us carry, such as envy, pride and anger. God calls us to love even those who are unlovable, those who drive us crazy, those who we don't really even like. Because without love, we are empty.

How are you sharing God's love with others?

Let there be light

I brought two things in my box today, one that makes the other more useful. The guesses included an ambulance and paper, but what I had was a candle and matches. The candle is the kind in a glass jar, it is orange and smells like yummy pumpkin pie. But as much as certain commercials would have us think otherwise, the primary point of a candle is not to smell. It is to provide light.

First I lit the orange candle and we watched it burn for a minute. It wasn't a very big light and I'm sure those in the back found it hard to see. Then I brought out a large candle lighter/snuffer (which the children first thought was a shower head) and lit it, and then used it to spread the light to the torches near the altar. The torches are much bigger than my pumpkin candle. But even they stood out only so much, ... until Ms. Pulignano turned off the lights. And suddenly the candles blazed. Even the small one could be seen by everyone in the room.

The Bible tells us God's first act of creation was to bring light into the world. As caretakers of God's creation we should be protecting that light and helping it grow. Unfortunately, in our busy lives filled with distracting brightness, we don't always take the time to notice or to care for the Godlight that shines in us or in others. We often keep our lights covered instead of passing the fire along to others who may need it. We may even let our lights go out, leaving us vulnerable when darkness comes.

What can you do this week to shine your light into the lives of your family, your friends, your community and your world?

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?