Dirty Laundry

In our household we embrace the concept of sharing the wealth, which means since we all get to share in the tasks it takes to keep us from wallowing in stacks of dirty dishes and piles of unwashed laundry. Everyone is responsible for keeping his or her room reasonably neat, and the boys alternate between taking responsibility for being in charge of the trash, the dishes or the laundry. Any of the three can be easier or harder depending on our week (pizza for dinner means less dishes, more trash) and in any given week the boys may do a better or worse job of keeping on top of their tasks. What stays constant is that no matter what job is assigned, each of my three sons firmly believes that he is doing the lion's share of the work, while his brothers are simply taking it easy. It was while listening to a dispute along these lines this morning that I decided to fill my box with dirty laundry.

The children loved it when I began pulling items out of my box today. A smelly soccer jersey. Dirty socks. Flannel pajama bottoms. Each item was met with more laughter. But I really wanted to share that arguments between siblings over who is doing more work have gone on forever. In Luke we read about Mary and Martha, sisters who welcomed Jesus into their home. While Martha was busy with the many tasks one has when entertaining guests, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to listen. Martha complained that she was left doing all the work, and Jesus gently told her that Mary had chosen the better part.

This story has been interpreted in many ways, and is sometimes used when debating which is better, working  on behalf of Christ, or spending time in study and prayer. What I reminded the children today, is that Christ calls us to both roles. Jesus quite clearly called to minister to our neighbor, and make sure that others have clothes and food. God needs us to wash the dirty laundry. But that can't be all we do. We are also called to take time to listen for the voice of God, to read and study and spend time in prayer allow God to guide us in our ministry to others.

Spring is a busy time. In between signing up for summer camps, and shuttling to soccer, tennis or ballet, are you taking time to pause, to breathe, to pray, to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen?

Living Water

I was a little disappointed that no one guessed what was in my box today. I told everyone that after my family it was one of my very favorite things. There were lots of laughs in the crowd when I pulled out a diet coke. I am not a coffee drinker, and I will admit you can tell how my day is going by the number of diet coke cans in my office, awaiting a trip to the recycling bin. My favorite beach towel is bright red with the slogan "Coke adds life".

To make sure I wasn't setting a bad example for our children, I also brought a green water bottle to chapel. When I am trying not to chug diet cokes I make sure my water bottle is filled with ice, lemon slices and cold water. Given the omnipresence of water bottles, it is probably hard for the children to understand the significance of the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well.

In Biblical times it was often the job of the young women in the family to fetch water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and watering livestock from the closest well.  This meant that if you were interested in meeting a young woman the well was the place to be. However instead of offering to buy the lady a drink, a pick up line would involve the man asking her to provide water for him or his animals. And so we have a thirsty Jesus, asking the Samaritan women, for a drink of water.

There is so much depth to this story, but what I hoped to get across to the children was the simply idea that while Christ struck up a conversation by asking for water, he is all we need to quench our thirst. There are so many things we seek in this world that leave us still thirsty, wealth, fame, property, power, the perfect pair of heels, but once we ask for him he fills our hearts with love.

Are you thirsty?

Ash Wednesday

Today we had a child-friendly Ash Wednesday service in our pre-primary chapel. In my box I put a palm, and a container of ashes. On Palm Sunday we wave our palms in the air, remembering the crowds who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. Those palms are saved, and on Shrove Tuesday at our Pancake Supper we burn them and use the ashes to mark our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the days we spend in preparation for Easter. The word "Lent" is not from the Bible, but is simply from an Old English word which means "long". The term came into use not because we think the 40 days of Lent are such a long period of time, but because Lent occurs in the spring when the days are getting longer. Jesus came to bring more light into our lives, and during Lent we prepare our hearts for the incredible brightness of Easter morning. Lent lasts for 40 days, a number which appears in many times in the Bible, and is the number of days Jesus prayed and fasted in the wilderness preparing for his public ministry.

There are many ways families can observe Lent together. Here are a few easy ones to get you started.

Prayer
Pray with your children during Lent. Grace at meals is a good place to start. Bedtime also works for many families. Take advantage of other times, such as when you are in the car with your children. Here's a handy way to pray: tell your children about ACTS: adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Adoration means telling God how much you love Him. Confession involves admitting to God what we have done wrong so that we may be forgiven. Thanksgiving is a time to count all our blessings and thank God for all we have been given. Supplication is where we ask God to help ourselves and others.

Giving
Make a “mite box” with your children. This is an excellent rainy day activity. A mite box, which comes from the Biblical story of the widow’s mite (see Luke 21:1-4) is essentially a sacred piggy bank. All that you need is a discarded milk carton or plastic bottle. Decorate the outside of the bottle or carton with paint or markers. Help your children contribute to the box daily or weekly and then donate the total amount at the end of Lent to a charity of your choice.

You can also turn a regular trip to the grocery store into a spiritual exercise and teaching moment. One item that is always needed by our local food banks is peanut butter. Tell your children that you are buying extra food for those in need. Bring any food donations with you on Sunday or to chapel on Wednesday and have your children place them in the baskets in the back of the church.

Fasting
Both Jesus and his disciples fasted, and it is a spiritual practice that helps us to remember our dependence on God. It also cultivates a spirit of thanksgiving, which is at the core of Christian life. Invite your children to give up one of their favorite foods, or something they really enjoy doing. My older boys are giving up Facebook and texting respectively. My younger son wants to give up chocolate, despite the 15 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that were just delivered. Instead of giving up a particular food item during Lent, adults may want to consider fasting one day a week, perhaps from sunrise to sunset. An alternative to fasting is to do something you might not ordinarily do during Lent, such as attend church every Sunday, or volunteer as a family.

Read Bible Stories with Your Children
Lent is a wonderful time to set aside a moment of each day to read Biblical stories to your children or guide older children in the reading of Scripture. This can be used as part of a daily devotion time and linked to prayer or it can be done separately. There are wonderful Bibles for children and youth, as well as other books and devotion guides available at the St. Mark’s Bookstore.

I closed the service today by telling our children that the cross of ashes on our forehead reminds us and others of the love of Christ in our heart. What will you do this Lent to show Christ that your heart is ready for him?

Barbie

As someone who considers herself a feminist I have a startling confession to make: I like Barbie dolls. As a little girl my best friend, Lee, and I would spend hours a days assembling multiple Barbie houses and cars and offices to make a Barbie neighborhood inhabited my a variety of Barbie and Ken dolls with their ever-changing wardrobes. It became a family affair. My grandfather, instead of making a dollhouse for me, made a fabulous house for Barbie which could be broken down and folded neatly away when not in use. I had a Miss America Barbie for which my uncle made a special four-poster bed (fit for a queen) which he painted gold. My grandmother taught me to sew and some of my first projects were clothes for Barbie. And at my parent's home a huge box with the house, furniture, jacuzzi tub, dolls, clothes and shoes are all still safely tucked away under the bed in my room.

My Barbie-filled past never came up until shortly after the birth of my daughter, when someone dropped off a gift for our newborn, a Barbie dream kitchen. Along with my daughter's blocks and train set we also have multiple Barbie dolls at our home, and a wonderful assortment of clothes, which I brought in my box today. As I shared the blue wedge shoes, the white cropped pants, and the numerous ball gowns in my bag of Barbie clothes, I reminded the children that dressing up Barbie, and managing all her possessions can be fun, but it can also be stressful. Searching for a tiny matching shoe and then getting it on is hard! Luckily, Jesus tells us not to worry about these things. He tells us not to worry about what we will wear, or even about what we will eat or drink, for worrying adds not a single hour to our lives. Instead we should be confident in the fact that God will take care of us. (Matthew 6:25-34)

What are your worries? Are they concerns you would take to God in prayer? I have a good friend who likes to remind me, "Never worry too much about a problem that money can fix", by which she means the real problems are ones we have no control over, the ones that money can't fix.  The next time a worry hits you- ask, is this a Barbie shoe problem? And remember that in all things, Christ is there.

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?