Ash Wednesday

Today begins the season of lent, and the children guessed that in my box I had palms and ashes. At St. Mark's we save the palms from Palm Sunday until the following year's Shrove Tuesday, when they are burned and the ashes mixed with oil to be used on Ash Wednesday.

Lent has many meanings, but at its core is the idea of taking some time to prepare your heart for the mystery and sacrifice and wonder of Easter. We lead such busy lives, full of school, work, sports, clubs, social events and all sorts of things which crowd our every minute. Lent is the perfect time to breathe, to stop, to listen for what God might be saying to you. Think of establishing some daily habit with your children of prayer, or Bible reading or conversation about the day.

One of the traditions of lent is marking the forehead with ashes. It is a strange feeling, forgetting and then remebering that whatever you do that day, the ashes are there. During lent take time to remember that every day, ashes or not, you are marked as Christ's own forever.

Soccer Ball

I brought a soccer ball to chapel today. The kids really wanted me to kick it around, but I decided to hold it instead. There is something wonderful about being a part of a team. The best team experiences teach us to use our talents to benefit the whole, to take turns, to support our teammates and respect our opponents. The best coaches select players who bring something to the team that allows it to be great, without trampling on the skills of others. The best players are the ones who allow themselves to be coached.

Jesus had a great team of disciples. We don't know why he selected who he did to be on his team. They weren't necessarily the brightest or most religious or the best in their fields. Perhaps they were the ones who, when he called them, they came. Are we listening for the call to join the team? Are we allowing our coach to use our gifts and talents to His glory? Are we team players?

The Good Shepherd

Today I had a sheep in my box. Every year we have someone bring sheep, goats and a donkey to our Palm Sunday procession. The children (and adults) get to pet the sheep and the goats and watch as they wander all over the grass. And then the procession begins. I always have lots of volunteers to lead the animals in the procession at the beginning, and it is only once we get started that the children realize how hard it is to get the sheep to walk in the right direction. They can pull as hard as they like on the lambs, but it is only with just the right coaxing that they can get them to move. How wonderful it is to have a good shepherd who knows each of our names. A shepherd who leads us to green pastures and cool water and who was willing to lay down his life for us. A good shepherd who is always there for us, no matter how difficult we are to lead.

Dove

Today I brought a dove to chapel. It wasn't a real dove, but one that we fly overheard on Sundays when we want to more visibly celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit. We always have it in the procession on Baptism Sundays, and today I talked about the baptism of Jesus by John. When we baptize our children, we make certain promises on their behalf. We promise to resist evil, and follow in the apostles' teaching. We promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourself. We promise to strive for peace and justice among all people. And we promise to respect the dignity of every human being. It is only by making the choice, every day, to allow the Holy Spirit to enter into us that we can have the strength to follow through on these promises. Daily prayer with our children teaches them (and us) to have the daily habit of asking "Come, Holy Spirit, come".

Epiphany

This morning I had two things in my box. The first was a big star balloon. It hovered around the altar for all to see. It is the same star balloon I had for the children at our service on Christmas Eve. The second was a king. He was one of three who left St. Mark's on Christmas Eve to travel through the parish in search of the Christ child. The kings and the star remind us to keep our eyes and hearts open for signs of God in our world. If we aren't keeping Christ in our heart and watching for him, we might miss those wonderful opportunities to see his love in action.

Blanket

This morning I had a baby blanket in my box. It is a soft, flannel blanket made for Quinn by my grandmother. We all had these soft blankets when my brothers and I were little and my grandmother made them for all of my children, even making extra, planning ahead for the time when she wouldn't be able to sew or crochet anymore. We talked about how wonderful it is to have a soft lovie blanket like that, that someone special has made for you.

When Mary and Joseph left on their journey to Bethleham it is unclear whether she knew she would be delivering her baby during the journey or not. Clearly they were unprepared for how long it would take to get there in her condition, or how crowded the city would be. What we do know is that she did bring soft strips of cloth to swaddle her new baby, to protect him, and comfort him in the dark of the stable. My hope for our children, is that they constantly feel God's love around them like a soft blanket, as something warm and comfortable that they know is always there for them. No matter how dark the night or how loud the storm in good times and bad, we are swaddled in God's love.

Here are two of the ELP II Chapel Songs we sing at Christmas.

Mary Had A Baby Boy (Sung To: Mary Had A Little Lamb)

Mary had a baby boy, baby boy, baby boy
Mary had a baby boy, his name was Jesus Christ
He was born in a manger, in a manger, in a manger
He was born in a manger, among all the hay
Mary had a baby boy, baby boy, baby boy
Mary had a baby boy, his name was Jesus Christ
The shepherd's came to visit him, visit him, visit him.
The shepherd's came to visit him, the angel told them to.
Mary had a baby boy, baby boy, baby boy
Mary had a baby boy, his name was Jesus Christ
Three wise men came and brought him gifts, brought him gifts, brought him gifts.
Three wise men came and brought him gifts, Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh
Mary had a baby boy, baby boy, baby boy
Mary had a baby boy, his name was Jesus Christ

The Baby in the Manger (Sung to: The Wheels on the Bus)

The cow in the manger went moo-moo-moo, moo-moo-moo, moo-moo-moo, the cow in the manger went moo-moo-moo, all through the night.
The hay on the ground went crunch-crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch-crunch, crunch-crunch-crunch, the hay on the ground went crunch-crunch-crunch, all through the night.
The baby in the manger went waa-waa-waa, waa-waa-waa, waa-waa-waa, the baby in the manger went waa-waa-waa, all through the night.
His mother Mary went shh-shh-shh, shh-shh-shh, shh-shh-shh, his mother Mary went shh-shh-shh, all through the night