Back to School

It has been a busy, dusty and chaotic summer around St. Mark's as the construction on our campus took place. My office window provided an unobstructed view of everything from bulldozers to cement mixers as the work crews scrambled to get everything ready for the start of school. On Sundays it has been fun to escort the children going to children's chapel to a spot where they could view the weekly progress and listen to what they noticed had changed from the previous week. And for those of us who work here the construction provided us with a new dress code of closed -shoes and hard hats if we needed to walk through any of the areas where demolition or construction was happening. Thus it seemed only fitting that I brought a hard-hat to the first week of chapel.

Our Bible begins with a construction story, that of God constructing the world. The Master Architect designed light and darkness, land and sea, sun and planets and filled our world with plants and animals of all kinds. And after each stage of the project was completed, God saw that it was good. I brought the hard hat to remind all of us that unlike the rest of creation, we are still under construction. We are created in God's image, but none of us is a completed project. Instead we must participate in our own development, and through prayer and study and action we should try to follow the blueprints that were written for us. Construction can be messy. It can cause headaches. Some mistakes are made, causing delays, and fixing those mistakes may take some time. Luckily God is with us, guiding us through each stage of development, loving us at all times.

Where are you in the construction process? Are you willing to endure some dust and debris in your life? How do we support our children, our families, our friends as their lives are constantly being constructed and reconstructed to be more like God? This week wear your hard hat with pride. God is at work in your life.

Resurection Rolls

Ok- this is not what I put in my box, but this is such a great idea I thought I would pass it along to everyone. If you want to see what was in the box today look at the previous entry, Sleep. But for a cool activity this weekend, try this. Happy Easter! Enjoy!

http://shinefmafternoons.blogspot.com/2010/03/resurrection-rolls-easy-way-to-tell.html

Sleep

I think one of the worst feelings in the world, is when you keep nodding off at a time when you really should be awake. It's embarrassing at the movies, or a concert or lecture. It's dangerous when behind the wheel of a car. One of my most cringe-worthy moments was falling asleep on a date, (think long day and boring episode of Saturday Night Live). I awoke the next morning on my couch to find my date had sweetly put a blanket on me and locked the door on the way out. Needless to say it wasn't a lasting relationship. I can also remember trying desperately to stay awake as a friend and I were driving back, several hours, after going to a concert. Even the cold air rushing in through my open window didn't help keep my eyes open.And what I felt most terrible about as I struggled to keep up the conversation, was that I was letting her down. She was driving, all I had to do was stay awake until we got home sometime the next morning. An easy job at which I was a total failure.

So I have to admit it was with a certain amount of empathy that I brought a warm, soft, snugly blanket in my box today. Empathy for the disciples who were only asked to stay awake and pray with Jesus and yet who, like me, found the spirit willing but the flesh so very weak. Maybe it was the dinner...the bread, the wine, the clean feet, but one by one the disciples drifted off to dreamland, while Jesus struggled with the role he was born to play. It is here, in this moment, that we see how little they understand about the man they follow. Like foolish students, unaware that the final exam is about to take place, they argue over who has the best grades and then fall asleep instead of studying. In Mark 14: 32-42 we are told he wakes them several times, pleading with them to stay awake and pray, yet none of them do.

There are so many things Jesus asks of us that we may struggle to do. Perhaps this Easter, we should make a commitment  to pray, by ourselves, with our children, and as a family. Jesus wants us to share in his journey,  to take up his cross, to join him in prayer. Can we stay awake?

Butterflies

Around my house we love butterflies and have several gardens designed to attract them into our yard. So last year when my mother gave one of us a butterfly pavilion for Christmas we were all excited. It is a large pop-up tent, that hangs in the house where we can watch caterpillars hatch from eggs, eat and grow and form chrysalis and then turn into beautiful butterflies. And this is what I brought in my box today. A home for butterflies, a wonderful sign of life coming out of something that looks like death.

Last week we talked about Mary and Martha and so it was only fitting that this week we share the story of their brother Lazarus. We don't know that much about Lazarus. He is really a bit player in the Gospels, that is until his death. But the story of Lazarus is wonderful and allows us to better understand the man that Jesus is as he travels through his final days on earth. For, it is in the story of Lazarus that see that Jesus, like us, has friends and companions whom he truly loves. Jesus witnesses the grief of the Mary and Martha over the death of their brother and is “greatly disturbed”. (John 11:33) He is again described as being “greatly disturbed” when he came to the tomb. (John 11:38) And it was in this emotional state that he called “Lazarus, come out”! (John 11:43)

When we look at what it means to be human, the ability to emote, to feel, is critical. The sharing of emotions as we laugh together or weep together is what binds us to one another. And so it seems fitting that it is in his final days that Jesus allows his emotions to show. He aches for the loss of his friend and the pain of Mary and Martha. The death of Lazarus allows him to experience the very human pain of loss. And it is seemingly out of this human pain, that he provides one more sign of his divinity by calling Lazarus back to life.

Sometimes we don't want to share our emotions with our children. But allowing them to see us in grief and pain, as well as when happy, shows them both have a place in our lives. And it allows us to remember that our Lord doesn't cause the pain and loss that enters our lives, but grieves with us, and calls us back to life.

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?