I suspect that I am one of the few people who love the short days and the early nights. Ever since I was a little girl, I have yearned for the darkness and silence of December evenings. The dark is luscious, rich, deep, and I feel enveloped and held by it.
It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I became aware that the time of early darkness coincided with the season of Advent. Suddenly, my love of the darkness made sense to me. I am such an extroverted personality – and I have been all of my life – that it is difficult for me to be still, to wait, to be contemplative. As the darkness creeps in around 4:00 PM, I can feel my body go quiet and still. Without willing it, without any work on my part, I find myself still and waiting.
I know now that what I wait for in the stillness is the fullness of God to grow within me. For me, the darkness is pregnant with possibility and hope. As I rest in the silence, God’s voice gets stronger within me. My deepest yearnings surface and I find myself looking at my self and my gifts in new ways. I see the world more clearly and I begin to puzzle out how God might be asking me to make a difference, to contribute more to the world around me, to be a light that shines in the darkness. The themes of Advent echo through the darkness to me in an almost embodied way. I feel the rhythms of new life pulsing inside me. It is holy time.
This Advent, I invite you to let the darkness envelop you and your family. Rather than try to cram as much as you can into the holiday season, let the early coming of night wrap your family in a cocoon. Light your Advent wreath at dinner and linger a few moments before dashing off to making lunches for tomorrow, catching up on email/voicemail and starting the kids off on their homework. Just rest in each other and the candles glow. Don’t direct the conversation or feel like you must accomplish anything productive. Just BE together and let the Holy Spirit fill you and yours. Wait. See what happens. Something new will come of it in God’s time.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Our Offering of Thanks and Praise
In this busy, stressful, competitive world of ours, we are focused on performance. What we do - and how well we do it - defines us. Or so we think anyway. We worry about what our friends, our familys, our neighbors, our bosses and a host of other folks think of us.
Thanksgiving is a time when we get to take a breath and realize that God does not judge us on our performance. God loves us simply because we ARE - each of us a unique creation reflecting "the image and likeness" (Genesis 1:26) of our Creator. This is where the heart of our thanksgiving prayer comes from - a realization that God loves us and gifts us with our talents, our livelihoods, our children, our homes, our food, etc simply because God LOVES us.
This coming Sunday, the 23rd, the Church School Chapel children will lead the congregation in the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful when they come into Church. While Kim has been faithfully teaching the hymn for several weeks now, it will not come out perfectly. Little voices will stumble over words, little hands will flutter like birds as we sing about mountains and there will be one or two children who simply aren't paying attention. And none of that will matter. The children's singing is not a performance. It is an OFFERING - and that is something quiet different. The children are leading us in celebrating all the "bright and beautiful" things with which God has gifted us. They bring their voices and their hearts to the altar as an "offering of praise and thanksgiving," as the Book of Common Prayer names it. The need for perfection vanishes when thanksgiving is the purpose of the offering. God asks only for our grateful hearts; off-key voices, mixed-up words and shyness don't matter a bit. What matters is that they are offering back to God the love God has given them.
That is what each of us are asked to do every day. God neither expects nor requires perfection. God asks only for grateful hearts sharing love with others. So this Thanksgiving week, let the children lead you. Stop worrying about whether or not the turkey will be dry or if there will be enough mashed potatoes - come to your Thanksgiving table with a grateful heart. You will not leave empty.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thanksgiving is a time when we get to take a breath and realize that God does not judge us on our performance. God loves us simply because we ARE - each of us a unique creation reflecting "the image and likeness" (Genesis 1:26) of our Creator. This is where the heart of our thanksgiving prayer comes from - a realization that God loves us and gifts us with our talents, our livelihoods, our children, our homes, our food, etc simply because God LOVES us.
This coming Sunday, the 23rd, the Church School Chapel children will lead the congregation in the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful when they come into Church. While Kim has been faithfully teaching the hymn for several weeks now, it will not come out perfectly. Little voices will stumble over words, little hands will flutter like birds as we sing about mountains and there will be one or two children who simply aren't paying attention. And none of that will matter. The children's singing is not a performance. It is an OFFERING - and that is something quiet different. The children are leading us in celebrating all the "bright and beautiful" things with which God has gifted us. They bring their voices and their hearts to the altar as an "offering of praise and thanksgiving," as the Book of Common Prayer names it. The need for perfection vanishes when thanksgiving is the purpose of the offering. God asks only for our grateful hearts; off-key voices, mixed-up words and shyness don't matter a bit. What matters is that they are offering back to God the love God has given them.
That is what each of us are asked to do every day. God neither expects nor requires perfection. God asks only for grateful hearts sharing love with others. So this Thanksgiving week, let the children lead you. Stop worrying about whether or not the turkey will be dry or if there will be enough mashed potatoes - come to your Thanksgiving table with a grateful heart. You will not leave empty.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Top Ten Reasons Why Children Are Welcome in Church
From our friends in the Diocese of Western MA via a parishioner:
- Repeated exposure to the sights, sounds and symbols of the Eucharist help form all Christians.
- Children like sitting in those usually empty front pews so they can see and hear what is going on.
- It would be costly to repaint all those signs to read, "The Episcopal Church Only Welcomes Adults."
- Teaching young children to enjoy and participate in the service helps them become active and worshipping adults.
- There are no pop quizzes as the communion rail!
- Children have their own unique relationships with God. Being in Church helps them learn how to pray, sing, worship, and otherwise strengthen that relationship.
- If children aren't in Church, who are the candy-wrapping, restless, coughing whispering adults going to blame for the noise?
- Sunday services make great family togetherness time. Use the quiet space for extra hand-holding or snuggling time that may get lost during a busy week.
- Children teach us what absolute joy looks like - and what better palce to experience that in Church?
- And the number one reason why children are welcomed in the Church: the Circle of God's family is incomplete without them!
We look forward to seeing you and your children on Sunday!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
"There's Gonna Be a Floody, Floody"
It seems to have been raining forever. As I drove to Church last Sunday morning, I found myself humming that old camp favorite, "The Lord said to Noah 'There's gonna be a floody, floody." I first sang that song at vacation Bible School too many moons ago to mention, but prompted by circumstance, it sprang unbidden to the forefront of my consciousness.
I continued to hum it as I set up Church School snack and made classrooms ready. When Kim Lysaght arrived before Children's Chapel, I mentioned that I had been singing it and with a laugh, she pulled the lyrics from her music bag and said, "I thought it might be fun to sing with the kids this morning." She was right.
I watched Kim's face as she introduced the song to the children and told them that she had sung it when she was a girl. You could see the joy that the memory gave her and the delight she took in sharing it with a new group of children. Kim and I sang and laughed as we watched yet another generation learn "So, rise and shine and give God your glory, glory."
It was a small moment in a very busy Sunday, but these kinds of moments are the things faith is made of. As parents and faith educators, we never know just what of all the many things we say and do our children absorb and remember. But those small moments are stored in the hearts and souls of our children, ready to spring out - unbidden - when something triggers the memory. In my case, it was several days of rain. But there have been times of crisis in my life when a distant memory of something I learned in Church School or a bit of a hymn I sung in the Junior Choir years ago filled my heart and sustained me in a difficult moment. God became real and present because of the love and faith poured into the foundation of my soul as a child.
This is why faith development matters. It is never about whether or not a child can recite the Tne Commandments or the Lord's Prayer - although those are good things to learn. It is about the truth of God's love and grace woven into the very fiber of our souls as we grow and mature. Sometimes, it seems as though those seeds lie dormant forever, but in God's time, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that grace bursts into flower in the moments when we need it most.
So today I give thanks for all of those who so graciously share the faith memories of what they have been given with the next generation of Christians, not just here at Christ Church, but around the world. Just like the rain, each small gift of faith is a drop in the bucket, but the entire bucket overflows into the world and makes visible the love of God. Pretty amazing stuff!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
P.S. I am moving on to the last verse of the song in the hope that it is prophecy, "The sun came out and dried out the landy, landy . . ."
I continued to hum it as I set up Church School snack and made classrooms ready. When Kim Lysaght arrived before Children's Chapel, I mentioned that I had been singing it and with a laugh, she pulled the lyrics from her music bag and said, "I thought it might be fun to sing with the kids this morning." She was right.
I watched Kim's face as she introduced the song to the children and told them that she had sung it when she was a girl. You could see the joy that the memory gave her and the delight she took in sharing it with a new group of children. Kim and I sang and laughed as we watched yet another generation learn "So, rise and shine and give God your glory, glory."
It was a small moment in a very busy Sunday, but these kinds of moments are the things faith is made of. As parents and faith educators, we never know just what of all the many things we say and do our children absorb and remember. But those small moments are stored in the hearts and souls of our children, ready to spring out - unbidden - when something triggers the memory. In my case, it was several days of rain. But there have been times of crisis in my life when a distant memory of something I learned in Church School or a bit of a hymn I sung in the Junior Choir years ago filled my heart and sustained me in a difficult moment. God became real and present because of the love and faith poured into the foundation of my soul as a child.
This is why faith development matters. It is never about whether or not a child can recite the Tne Commandments or the Lord's Prayer - although those are good things to learn. It is about the truth of God's love and grace woven into the very fiber of our souls as we grow and mature. Sometimes, it seems as though those seeds lie dormant forever, but in God's time, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that grace bursts into flower in the moments when we need it most.
So today I give thanks for all of those who so graciously share the faith memories of what they have been given with the next generation of Christians, not just here at Christ Church, but around the world. Just like the rain, each small gift of faith is a drop in the bucket, but the entire bucket overflows into the world and makes visible the love of God. Pretty amazing stuff!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
P.S. I am moving on to the last verse of the song in the hope that it is prophecy, "The sun came out and dried out the landy, landy . . ."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
God's Abundant Grace
“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of
God that has been granted . . .” 2 Corinthians 8:1
The apostle Paul begins most of his letters with some salutation that refers to the great grace of God that has been granted to believers, and the beginnings of 2 Corinthians 8 is no different. Christians have received a great grace through Jesus Christ and those of us who follow in footsteps of the apostles are also called to share the grace we have been given with others. At Christ Church, one of the many ways we see this grace being shared is in the Church School.
Adults who teach, mentor and lead worship with our children each Sunday morning are doing their very best to share the grace of God with the youngest members of our parish family. These adults serve as stewards of the faith that they graciously share and pass on to our children. Christians are formed. None of us becomes mature in the faith without the assistance of others sharing our experiences of what it means to follow Jesus. We would not have our faith without the faithfully stewardship and witness of those who work with our children Sunday after Sunday.
Being a steward of the faith is a calling worthy of respect and support. We tend to think that to teach Church School, we need to be great repositories of information about Christianity. Folks tend not to want to teach because they feel they don’ know enough; we get confused over which prophet came first, what an epistle actually is and in which Gospel can you find the parable of the leaven. None of this is required, nor is it important in the long run. Teaching in the Church School is a leap of faith made out of what we have experienced of God’s grace and goodness in Jesus. Our thankful hearts and a willingness to share them is all teaching is about. The rest of it comes with good curriculum materials (which we have) and support from the Director of Family Ministries (all it takes is a phone call or an email). As in most of Christian life, the Holy Spirit meets our intentions and once we commit to sharing the faith, what we need to do so is provided for us.
So as you think about how you can be a faithful steward of the grace you have been given in Jesus over the next few months, please give prayerful thought to teaching in the Church School. We still have openings to teach in the 3rd & 4th grade and I am looking for one more teacher in the 5th and 6th grade. We also can always use volunteers to fill in on a Sunday morning when a teacher is absent or to help out with a special craft or outreach project. And as you continue to pray about how you might be a faithful steward, please remember Kim Lysaght, Diane Gaitely, Patty Smith, Barbara Diener, Melyne Nagel, Kim Rutherford, Kevin Ruddy, Joe Barr, Nancy Lankford, Ginny Yerardi, Bob Keener, Sarah Heath, Dusty Hecker and Joe Leghorn in your prayers. These stewards need your support in prayer to be faithfully with our children each Sunday.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
God that has been granted . . .” 2 Corinthians 8:1
The apostle Paul begins most of his letters with some salutation that refers to the great grace of God that has been granted to believers, and the beginnings of 2 Corinthians 8 is no different. Christians have received a great grace through Jesus Christ and those of us who follow in footsteps of the apostles are also called to share the grace we have been given with others. At Christ Church, one of the many ways we see this grace being shared is in the Church School.
Adults who teach, mentor and lead worship with our children each Sunday morning are doing their very best to share the grace of God with the youngest members of our parish family. These adults serve as stewards of the faith that they graciously share and pass on to our children. Christians are formed. None of us becomes mature in the faith without the assistance of others sharing our experiences of what it means to follow Jesus. We would not have our faith without the faithfully stewardship and witness of those who work with our children Sunday after Sunday.
Being a steward of the faith is a calling worthy of respect and support. We tend to think that to teach Church School, we need to be great repositories of information about Christianity. Folks tend not to want to teach because they feel they don’ know enough; we get confused over which prophet came first, what an epistle actually is and in which Gospel can you find the parable of the leaven. None of this is required, nor is it important in the long run. Teaching in the Church School is a leap of faith made out of what we have experienced of God’s grace and goodness in Jesus. Our thankful hearts and a willingness to share them is all teaching is about. The rest of it comes with good curriculum materials (which we have) and support from the Director of Family Ministries (all it takes is a phone call or an email). As in most of Christian life, the Holy Spirit meets our intentions and once we commit to sharing the faith, what we need to do so is provided for us.
So as you think about how you can be a faithful steward of the grace you have been given in Jesus over the next few months, please give prayerful thought to teaching in the Church School. We still have openings to teach in the 3rd & 4th grade and I am looking for one more teacher in the 5th and 6th grade. We also can always use volunteers to fill in on a Sunday morning when a teacher is absent or to help out with a special craft or outreach project. And as you continue to pray about how you might be a faithful steward, please remember Kim Lysaght, Diane Gaitely, Patty Smith, Barbara Diener, Melyne Nagel, Kim Rutherford, Kevin Ruddy, Joe Barr, Nancy Lankford, Ginny Yerardi, Bob Keener, Sarah Heath, Dusty Hecker and Joe Leghorn in your prayers. These stewards need your support in prayer to be faithfully with our children each Sunday.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Sunday, September 7, 2008
"We Will, with God's Help
One of my very favorite moments during the Baptism service is when the congregation is asked, "Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?" And we answer back, "We will with God's help." When we take part in a baptism as members of the Christian family, we become responsible for forming the faith of that new Christian in our parish family. As the service then moves to the part where the baby or children or family walk down the aisle and are greeted by the congregation, we tend to focus on how cute the baby is and not think so much about what we have just promised to do.
But long after the baby has gone home and changed out of the christening gown, we remain charged with the responsibility of helping that child of Christ grow into a mature faith. It is an awesome responsibility - and one that is also full of fun and wonder along the way. None of us really believe that we are mature enough in the faith ourselves to form the faith of others - and who among us really is? But the Holy Spirit rests on each of us and works through us whether or not we have theological educations and completely understand what we profess to believe ourselves.
We must nurture our faith and give the Holy Spirit something to work with. Attending Bible study, reflecting on the weekly lessons, daily prayer and meditation, talking with our partner or another member of the Church are all ways in which we can invite the Holy Spirit to help our faith grow. But that is not enough. No matter where we are in our faith journey, we are also called to share what ever we know and have experienced. Whether we are two or ninety-two, a Christian has been touched by God's love in Jesus and can share that with others.
The Church School is one place where we make manifest our promise to"support these persons in their life in Christ." To pass on our faith to the next generation requires adults who are living out their baptismal promise in an intentional and specific way by committing to teach. At Christ Church, we are blessed with many adults who do just this the seventeen Sundays a year that Church School meets. Some of them are very experienced Christians who are easy about sharing their faith and comfortable with questions. Many of them arrive on Sunday with curriculum materials clutched to their chests, hope in their hearts and a prayer on their lips. And no matter what they know or don't, the Holy Spirit works through them, and our children learn that not only do they matter to God, they matter to these adults who take the time to be with them on Sunday mornings. After almost twenty years as a professional Christian educator, I have come to believe that this is the only Church School lesson that really matters - if they leave here on Sunday morning knowing that God loves them and so do we, we have been faithful to our vow to support them in their life in Christ. The tools for living out that love come along through constant exposure to the great stories of the Bible, from participation at worship, from sharing laughter and fellowship with others who are hungry for the Good News of God in Christ and who are trying to figure out what it all means together. A Church School teacher needs only a willingness to be a channel of the Holy Spirit. We all know more than we think we do and teaching Church School lessons is a good way to figure out what we already know and fill in some of the blanks of what we don't.
So - here is my invitation to you to prayerfully consider joining the Church School teaching team and support our young Christians in their lives in Christ this fall. We still have spots that only YOU can fill. I will guarantee that you will have fun, learn more about your own faith and meet some pretty awesome Christians there. And really, where else in your life can you play with glitter glue and model magic?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Help Wanted: YOU May Be Just Who We Are Looking For!
Wanted: Enthusiastic, Loving Mentors in Faith For Our 3rd & 4th Graders
We are looking for three to six folks who will share fun, faith, and fellowship with an exuberant group of 3rd and 4th graders (many of them boys) who love experiential learning, games, snacks and movement.
Support provided:
- A flexible curriculum that is user-friendly and provides multiple approaches to sharing the Gospel message.
-On-going consultation with the Director of Family Ministries.
-A well-stocked supply closet.
-All the Goldfish crackers you can eat.
Time Commitment:
-Church School meets from 9:50 to 10:40 on Sunday mornings.
-Church School meets 17 Sundays from September –May (3 meetings in September, 2 meetings in October, 2 meetings in November, 2 meetings in December, 1 meeting in January, 1 meeting in February, 4 meetings in March, no meetings in April, 2 meetings in May).
-Church School is taught in teams. Two teachers need to be present each time class meets. The more of you there are, the more you can rotate who is leading class when.
Responsibilities:
-Getting to know class members.
-Sharing the lesson each week (can be done by telling a story, playing a game, acting out the lesson, etc. – the more movement the better)
-Helping class members learn a bit about the liturgy by training them as acolytes during class time.
Skills needed:
-A love for God and for the children in the class.
-A desire to share your faith through the ministry of being present.
-A sense of humor helps along with a willingness to be flexible and go with the flow.
This is a group who enjoys being together and who really likes hands-on, experiential learning. They are eager to share their thoughts and questions, want to help and belong, and are looking for good male role models in particular. Are YOU who this group needs?
We are looking for three to six folks who will share fun, faith, and fellowship with an exuberant group of 3rd and 4th graders (many of them boys) who love experiential learning, games, snacks and movement.
Support provided:
- A flexible curriculum that is user-friendly and provides multiple approaches to sharing the Gospel message.
-On-going consultation with the Director of Family Ministries.
-A well-stocked supply closet.
-All the Goldfish crackers you can eat.
Time Commitment:
-Church School meets from 9:50 to 10:40 on Sunday mornings.
-Church School meets 17 Sundays from September –May (3 meetings in September, 2 meetings in October, 2 meetings in November, 2 meetings in December, 1 meeting in January, 1 meeting in February, 4 meetings in March, no meetings in April, 2 meetings in May).
-Church School is taught in teams. Two teachers need to be present each time class meets. The more of you there are, the more you can rotate who is leading class when.
Responsibilities:
-Getting to know class members.
-Sharing the lesson each week (can be done by telling a story, playing a game, acting out the lesson, etc. – the more movement the better)
-Helping class members learn a bit about the liturgy by training them as acolytes during class time.
Skills needed:
-A love for God and for the children in the class.
-A desire to share your faith through the ministry of being present.
-A sense of humor helps along with a willingness to be flexible and go with the flow.
This is a group who enjoys being together and who really likes hands-on, experiential learning. They are eager to share their thoughts and questions, want to help and belong, and are looking for good male role models in particular. Are YOU who this group needs?
We cannot run our Church School program in the Fall without volunteers. If you would like to learn more or would like to offer your gifts for this ministry, please contact:
Elizabeth Windsor, Director of Family Ministries
781-444-1469
elizabethwindsor@ccneedham.org
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Holy Spaces, Holy Places
I try to live my life always connected to the holy. A lot of the time, life gets in the way of that. I feel myself fragmented by the urgency of something else that must be done and I tell myself I'll get around to this later. But from time to time - and right now is one of those times - I find myself filled with an intense yearning to be deeply connected to and immersed in, my connection to God.
By being immersed in the holy, I don't mean a false piety or a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Rather it becomes my heart's desire to spend more time open to where the Spirit is in my life, listening to and sharing with Jesus and simply be present to and in awe of what God has done for me and mine.
Like all of you, I live a busy life full of commitments to family and friends and work and community. Often times, I am too busy to do much about this yearning for connection when it floods me. But this time around, I am really trying to pay attention to what I might do to respond to this sense of urgency and desire to spend time with God.
Tom and I share a rich and deep spiritual life together. We often pray together, as well as for one another, and I was sharing this sense and hunger with him last night. After we talked and prayed for a while, we decided we would find a corner and make an altar - a place that would center our prayer, remind us daily of our need to be connected to God and draw us closer to God and each other and our family.
I have a hope chest that holds my boys first pairs of shoes, their baby blankets and other treasures of their lives that we thought would be a good altar. On it we have placed things that speak to us of the sacred: a rock a Christian wise woman brought me back from Iona, an insense burner given to Tom by his mentor in faith, the small New Testament that belonged to the grandmother who taught me how to share God's story with children and gifted me with my vocation, the dried petals of the first roses Tom gave me, a clay mold of Scott's (Tom's son) handprint, the icon of Mary of Magdalene my spiritual director gave me, the small, palm-sized stuffed fish that Alex handed me as I went out the door in labor with his brother.
As I looked at these small treasures after we had placed them there, I realized that each item was an "outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual graces" (to paraphrase the Catechism on the Sacraments) - signs of the sacramental connections we have to each other, to our children and others who love us. As Tom and I continued to reflect, we realized that what is missing from our altar is a cross for the center- because each of these sacred and holy connections made visible on our altar is grounded in a relationship with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is the thread that ties everything together. So this weekend, we are going to look for a cross that will center and anchor this holy place we have made for holy space in our lives.
I wonder what you would put on your altar? Would you share that with me and the other readers of this blog.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
By being immersed in the holy, I don't mean a false piety or a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Rather it becomes my heart's desire to spend more time open to where the Spirit is in my life, listening to and sharing with Jesus and simply be present to and in awe of what God has done for me and mine.
Like all of you, I live a busy life full of commitments to family and friends and work and community. Often times, I am too busy to do much about this yearning for connection when it floods me. But this time around, I am really trying to pay attention to what I might do to respond to this sense of urgency and desire to spend time with God.
Tom and I share a rich and deep spiritual life together. We often pray together, as well as for one another, and I was sharing this sense and hunger with him last night. After we talked and prayed for a while, we decided we would find a corner and make an altar - a place that would center our prayer, remind us daily of our need to be connected to God and draw us closer to God and each other and our family.
I have a hope chest that holds my boys first pairs of shoes, their baby blankets and other treasures of their lives that we thought would be a good altar. On it we have placed things that speak to us of the sacred: a rock a Christian wise woman brought me back from Iona, an insense burner given to Tom by his mentor in faith, the small New Testament that belonged to the grandmother who taught me how to share God's story with children and gifted me with my vocation, the dried petals of the first roses Tom gave me, a clay mold of Scott's (Tom's son) handprint, the icon of Mary of Magdalene my spiritual director gave me, the small, palm-sized stuffed fish that Alex handed me as I went out the door in labor with his brother.
As I looked at these small treasures after we had placed them there, I realized that each item was an "outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual graces" (to paraphrase the Catechism on the Sacraments) - signs of the sacramental connections we have to each other, to our children and others who love us. As Tom and I continued to reflect, we realized that what is missing from our altar is a cross for the center- because each of these sacred and holy connections made visible on our altar is grounded in a relationship with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is the thread that ties everything together. So this weekend, we are going to look for a cross that will center and anchor this holy place we have made for holy space in our lives.
I wonder what you would put on your altar? Would you share that with me and the other readers of this blog.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Ordinary Time
The Season After Pentecost which begins after Trinity Sunday is sometimes referred to as "ordinary time." It is "ordinary" because the weeks that follow are not associated with a specific liturgical season such as Lent or Epiphany. There are no over-arching themes for these weeks of the Church's year which makes them "ordinary." The liturgical color for the Season After Pentecost is green - and because this season coincides with Spring and Summer in our hemisphere, it has often been connected to growth in the Christian cycle. It is also a long season, lasting until Advent begins again.
Lessons each Sunday focus our attention on our relationship with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and one another, and on the Church and its mission. As the season often coincides with our vacations, it is also a season where we can reflect on the gift of time God gives to each human life.
Time is something we pretend we are in control of in the post-industrial West. We think about "managing our time," "making good use of our time" and "not wasting time." We are busy people, families and communities. But as much as we feel we are in control of time, time still remains God's, not ours.
Jeremy Taylor, an early anglican divine wrote:
"There is too little time to purchase great wealth, to satisfy the pride of a vain-glorious fool, to trample upon all the enemies of our just or unjust interests; but for the obtaining of virtue, for the purchase of sobriety and modesty, for the acts of religion, God gave us time sufficient."
- Jeremy Taylor The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living (1650)
"Ordinary time" is the perfect time for us to reflect both on how we use time and how we can simply be in time. We are so busy most of the year pretending we control time that we forget that we have allowed time to control us. The slower pace of the summer months gives us times of refreshment - times to "be" rather than "do." I love to just sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in and out in their timeless fashion. As the days lengthen, I find myself more drawn to watching the sunrise or the sunset, to simply sitting still and breathing. I don't have to look for God the way I do when I am flying from task to task, but sitting still and letting the ancient rythyms of the creation envelop me, God finds me. I am easily in touch with the incarnate Jesus who fills my soul without my searching for him. All I have to do is stop managing time and, instead, be in time.
So - I invite you to join me in ordinary time, doing ordinary things and finding the rythym of the holy so close that all we need to do to find it is breathe.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Lessons each Sunday focus our attention on our relationship with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and one another, and on the Church and its mission. As the season often coincides with our vacations, it is also a season where we can reflect on the gift of time God gives to each human life.
Time is something we pretend we are in control of in the post-industrial West. We think about "managing our time," "making good use of our time" and "not wasting time." We are busy people, families and communities. But as much as we feel we are in control of time, time still remains God's, not ours.
Jeremy Taylor, an early anglican divine wrote:
"There is too little time to purchase great wealth, to satisfy the pride of a vain-glorious fool, to trample upon all the enemies of our just or unjust interests; but for the obtaining of virtue, for the purchase of sobriety and modesty, for the acts of religion, God gave us time sufficient."
- Jeremy Taylor The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living (1650)
"Ordinary time" is the perfect time for us to reflect both on how we use time and how we can simply be in time. We are so busy most of the year pretending we control time that we forget that we have allowed time to control us. The slower pace of the summer months gives us times of refreshment - times to "be" rather than "do." I love to just sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in and out in their timeless fashion. As the days lengthen, I find myself more drawn to watching the sunrise or the sunset, to simply sitting still and breathing. I don't have to look for God the way I do when I am flying from task to task, but sitting still and letting the ancient rythyms of the creation envelop me, God finds me. I am easily in touch with the incarnate Jesus who fills my soul without my searching for him. All I have to do is stop managing time and, instead, be in time.
So - I invite you to join me in ordinary time, doing ordinary things and finding the rythym of the holy so close that all we need to do to find it is breathe.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Meditations on Motherhood (a few days after Mother's Day!)
You may have heard me say it - my children have been the best teachers of faith I have ever had. As I think back on all the things I have learned about God from being a mother, I see how being Alex and Josh's mother has changed the way I understand God, shaped the way I live out my faith and kept me continually focused on what really matters. Here are some of the things I have discovered on my journey as a Christian mother:
Life is washable: To quote the Prayer Book, "this is a true saying and worthy of all to be received." A little soap and water can cure a whole host of things, and what it can't doesn't really matter. Green footprints on the carpet (Alex put food coloring in the dog's water one St. Patrick's Day morning, spilled the water, stepped in it and THEN came to tell me he had made a mess!) DO come out with a bit of elbow grease. Sin is a bit harder, but baptismal water is REALLY effective. The major learning here was to relax and enjoy the gift God gave me in my children, not worry about the furnishings or the mistakes.
God's love really is THAT big: I grew up with the notion of God as a stern and judgmental father. In that euphoria that followed the birth of each of my children - as I was overwhelmed with unconditional love for these small and amazing beings - I realized that if I loved my children than much, how much more did God love me and them?
The small stuff MATTERS: Not things like taking out the trash, but ants and butterflies and blueberries ripening on the vine. Both of my boys are explorers who marvel at things I take for granted everyday. My boys have taught me that the sacred is revealed in the business of birds building a nest and leaves changing from bud to full blown (did you know that the new leaves of Japanese maple trees feel like raccoon's paws? I didn't, but Alex thought they did!). Josh's class is watching worms become butterflies and he announced, eyes full of wonder as he got off the bus yesterday, "Mama, we saw a MIRACLE today!" How much of God's goodness and creativity I would have missed had I not had these guides to point them out along the way.
Forgiveness is more than possible: As I think about the ups and downs of family life, I know both how important and how possible forgiveness is. I am often overwhelmed with gratitude for two boys who can forgive the flaws of a menopausal, most of the time tired and often times cranky mother. They not only forgive me, they love me anyway and because of it all. They have been wonderful role models to me in how to live a life of forgiveness. I find it easier to forgive because they so generously and regularly forgive me.
These are just a few of the things my children have opened my eyes to. I'll bet you have stories like mine where because of something your children did or said, you suddenly saw faith with new eyes and recognized God's presence in a new way. Would you share those stories with us?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Life is washable: To quote the Prayer Book, "this is a true saying and worthy of all to be received." A little soap and water can cure a whole host of things, and what it can't doesn't really matter. Green footprints on the carpet (Alex put food coloring in the dog's water one St. Patrick's Day morning, spilled the water, stepped in it and THEN came to tell me he had made a mess!) DO come out with a bit of elbow grease. Sin is a bit harder, but baptismal water is REALLY effective. The major learning here was to relax and enjoy the gift God gave me in my children, not worry about the furnishings or the mistakes.
God's love really is THAT big: I grew up with the notion of God as a stern and judgmental father. In that euphoria that followed the birth of each of my children - as I was overwhelmed with unconditional love for these small and amazing beings - I realized that if I loved my children than much, how much more did God love me and them?
The small stuff MATTERS: Not things like taking out the trash, but ants and butterflies and blueberries ripening on the vine. Both of my boys are explorers who marvel at things I take for granted everyday. My boys have taught me that the sacred is revealed in the business of birds building a nest and leaves changing from bud to full blown (did you know that the new leaves of Japanese maple trees feel like raccoon's paws? I didn't, but Alex thought they did!). Josh's class is watching worms become butterflies and he announced, eyes full of wonder as he got off the bus yesterday, "Mama, we saw a MIRACLE today!" How much of God's goodness and creativity I would have missed had I not had these guides to point them out along the way.
Forgiveness is more than possible: As I think about the ups and downs of family life, I know both how important and how possible forgiveness is. I am often overwhelmed with gratitude for two boys who can forgive the flaws of a menopausal, most of the time tired and often times cranky mother. They not only forgive me, they love me anyway and because of it all. They have been wonderful role models to me in how to live a life of forgiveness. I find it easier to forgive because they so generously and regularly forgive me.
These are just a few of the things my children have opened my eyes to. I'll bet you have stories like mine where because of something your children did or said, you suddenly saw faith with new eyes and recognized God's presence in a new way. Would you share those stories with us?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 8, 2008
HOORAY! It's Pentecost!
When we think of the major Christian festivals, Christmas and Easter are at the top of the list. We tend to forget about Pentecost which is one of the three most important celebrations of the Christian Church - we wouldn't be a Church without it!
We celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 11th this year (the date always changes because it is fifty days after Easter)On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples, giving them the power to preach, teach, heal, serve and love in Jesus' name. The Holy Spirit's presence within us and among us is how we are empowered to do the same.
The Holy Spirit can be hard to explain to young children. It is a more an intangible "thing" than a concrete object. The Holy Spirit is like the wind - we can't see wind, we can only see the leaves it blows. The Holy Spirit is like the wind. We can't see it, but we can see what it does. When we see someon caring for another person, cleaning up litter in the park or sharing a kind word, that is when we see the Holy Spirit in action.
"Spirit Bubbles" are a Pentecost tradition in my house. On the Day of Pentecost, when we celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit among us, my children and I head outside after Church with our bubbles and we blow them. As the bubbles rise on the wind, we offer up our prayers for each other and those we are worried about. We shout out our thanksgivings and laugh together. And then we finish with this prayer:
I am an Alleluia!
I am a Wonder!
The gifts of your Spirit, O God, make me so!
With these gifts, I can live your life, Jesus.
I can be fully alive!
Amen!
So this Pentecost, I invite you to share in our tradition. Head outside with your bubbles and shout your praise to God together! And be sure to wear red to Church on Sunday! Red is the color of the tongues of fire that came upon the disciples as the Holy Spirit descended on them and it is a color of passion in the Church. So wear your red to Church and we will be a living, breathing representation of the Spirit!
Happy Pentecost!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
We celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 11th this year (the date always changes because it is fifty days after Easter)On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples, giving them the power to preach, teach, heal, serve and love in Jesus' name. The Holy Spirit's presence within us and among us is how we are empowered to do the same.
The Holy Spirit can be hard to explain to young children. It is a more an intangible "thing" than a concrete object. The Holy Spirit is like the wind - we can't see wind, we can only see the leaves it blows. The Holy Spirit is like the wind. We can't see it, but we can see what it does. When we see someon caring for another person, cleaning up litter in the park or sharing a kind word, that is when we see the Holy Spirit in action.
"Spirit Bubbles" are a Pentecost tradition in my house. On the Day of Pentecost, when we celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit among us, my children and I head outside after Church with our bubbles and we blow them. As the bubbles rise on the wind, we offer up our prayers for each other and those we are worried about. We shout out our thanksgivings and laugh together. And then we finish with this prayer:
I am an Alleluia!
I am a Wonder!
The gifts of your Spirit, O God, make me so!
With these gifts, I can live your life, Jesus.
I can be fully alive!
Amen!
So this Pentecost, I invite you to share in our tradition. Head outside with your bubbles and shout your praise to God together! And be sure to wear red to Church on Sunday! Red is the color of the tongues of fire that came upon the disciples as the Holy Spirit descended on them and it is a color of passion in the Church. So wear your red to Church and we will be a living, breathing representation of the Spirit!
Happy Pentecost!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Busy, but . . .
I drove to the Church this morning, revelling in the sights and sounds of Spring around me. The sky was a perfect blue, the flowering trees and forsythia were enthusiastically sharing their blossoms and I hummed "All Things Bright and Beautiful" as I went along. It was a moment to rejoice. But it was only a moment as I found my thoughts wandering to the things I had to get done in the office today and I prepared myself for work.
It was a moment that also made me realize how tired I am. Easter came early this year and following so soon on the heels of Christmas/Epiphany, it took energy to prepare. My semester at school is ending and I am writing my end-of-class paper. Baseball began this week for my younger son and the second grade music performance is next Tuesday. I will be moving my older son home from college next Friday ( just where did his freshmen year go?). In between being Mom, student and minister, I have been trying to deal with detritus winter left behind in my yard (I am beginning to agree with my older son: "If God hadn't wanted leaves on the ground, they would fall UP"). As happy as I am to see Spring, it makes me realize what a busy and tiring year it has been.
When I find myself this tired, I realize that the first thing that suffers is my prayer life. I am too tired to pray - surely God can understand that? Even God rested after all the work of creating, and that is one of the lessons I need help remembering. As I run from project to project and responsibility to responsibility, I push my tiredness away and stiffle the urge to simply sit still, breathe and connect with God for a bit.
Busy yourselves with family and professional responsibilities, I am sure you can identify with my feelings. So the questions I invite us to ask ourselves this week are: Does it have to be this way? Are we really just supposed to grit our teeth and get done what needs to be done until vacation time arrives and we can just collapse on the beach?
I don't think this is what God had in mind. God offers us not just food for the journey, but refreshment along the way. When the world is a riot of spring celebration around us, isn't this an invitation to let go of whatever urgent thing is before us and just breathe it in - if only for a few minutes?
I think the answer to this is a resounding YES! So here is what I am going to do today to break the cycle of putting one foot in front of the other until all the tasks are done. Instead of running around like a madwoman unloading the dishwasher and throwing in a load of laundry in the few minutes between arriving home from work and meeting my younger son's bus, I am going to sit in the rocker outside my front door and just let the goodness of God's new life wash over me. The only item on my agenda will be breathing. I am not going to solve any problems, review my "to-do" list in my head or figure out when I have time to mow the lawn. I am just going to be in God's presence and see what happens.
What about you? Can you find ten minutes in your day to let God refresh you?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
It was a moment that also made me realize how tired I am. Easter came early this year and following so soon on the heels of Christmas/Epiphany, it took energy to prepare. My semester at school is ending and I am writing my end-of-class paper. Baseball began this week for my younger son and the second grade music performance is next Tuesday. I will be moving my older son home from college next Friday ( just where did his freshmen year go?). In between being Mom, student and minister, I have been trying to deal with detritus winter left behind in my yard (I am beginning to agree with my older son: "If God hadn't wanted leaves on the ground, they would fall UP"). As happy as I am to see Spring, it makes me realize what a busy and tiring year it has been.
When I find myself this tired, I realize that the first thing that suffers is my prayer life. I am too tired to pray - surely God can understand that? Even God rested after all the work of creating, and that is one of the lessons I need help remembering. As I run from project to project and responsibility to responsibility, I push my tiredness away and stiffle the urge to simply sit still, breathe and connect with God for a bit.
Busy yourselves with family and professional responsibilities, I am sure you can identify with my feelings. So the questions I invite us to ask ourselves this week are: Does it have to be this way? Are we really just supposed to grit our teeth and get done what needs to be done until vacation time arrives and we can just collapse on the beach?
I don't think this is what God had in mind. God offers us not just food for the journey, but refreshment along the way. When the world is a riot of spring celebration around us, isn't this an invitation to let go of whatever urgent thing is before us and just breathe it in - if only for a few minutes?
I think the answer to this is a resounding YES! So here is what I am going to do today to break the cycle of putting one foot in front of the other until all the tasks are done. Instead of running around like a madwoman unloading the dishwasher and throwing in a load of laundry in the few minutes between arriving home from work and meeting my younger son's bus, I am going to sit in the rocker outside my front door and just let the goodness of God's new life wash over me. The only item on my agenda will be breathing. I am not going to solve any problems, review my "to-do" list in my head or figure out when I have time to mow the lawn. I am just going to be in God's presence and see what happens.
What about you? Can you find ten minutes in your day to let God refresh you?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Little Known, But Not Lesser
The Easter season is full of what the Church calls "mystagogy" - explorations of the mysteries of the Church. Baptism is a major focal point during the Great Fifty Days between the Great Vigil of Easter and Pentecost. In the Episcopal Church, we tend to skip right over Ascension Day.
Ascension Day is the fortieth day after Easter (it falls on May 1 this year and there will be a 7:00 PM service here at CC) and on that day we celebrate Jesus taking his place "at the right hand of the Father." Jesus in his risen, but still fully human form, ascends to heaven to be with God. This reminds us that we, too, will rise to be with God one day.
Once Jesus has ascended, a new era begins for the people of God. Ten days later, as Jesus promised, he sends his Spirit to the disciples on Pentecost and the Church as we know it is born. Pentecost is a major Christian feast day, as important as Christmas and Easter. At Pentecost, we are empowered to live out our baptismal ministry to "go and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 20:18).
All of the feast days of the Christian church year remind us of the story of God's plan of salvation for us. Celebrating them as a parish family helps us to understand the very important place God has given human beings in transforming and re-creating the world to be as God intended it!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Ascension Day is the fortieth day after Easter (it falls on May 1 this year and there will be a 7:00 PM service here at CC) and on that day we celebrate Jesus taking his place "at the right hand of the Father." Jesus in his risen, but still fully human form, ascends to heaven to be with God. This reminds us that we, too, will rise to be with God one day.
Once Jesus has ascended, a new era begins for the people of God. Ten days later, as Jesus promised, he sends his Spirit to the disciples on Pentecost and the Church as we know it is born. Pentecost is a major Christian feast day, as important as Christmas and Easter. At Pentecost, we are empowered to live out our baptismal ministry to "go and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 20:18).
All of the feast days of the Christian church year remind us of the story of God's plan of salvation for us. Celebrating them as a parish family helps us to understand the very important place God has given human beings in transforming and re-creating the world to be as God intended it!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Is It Spring Yet?
I must confess that I am hungry for Spring. Especially with Easter falling so early this year, I find myself yearning for warm sun and the smell of newly turned earth. I am tired of what seems like never-ending rain and cool temperatures.
But there are signs spring is coming. The forsythia in my yard has buds and my daffodils have broken through the soil. And as the earth gets ready to burst forth into new life, I find myself humming over and over the third verse of one of my favorite hymns, Immortal Invisible (423 in the Hymnal):
To all life thou givest, to both great and small.
In all life thou livest, the true life of all.
We blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
then wither and perish, but nought changeth thee.
The Easter season we continue to celebrate reminds us that the cycle of birth, death and resurrection is one that is ordained by God, the Creator. We live that story in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus during the "Great Fifty Days of Easter" (did you know Easter last for 50 days?). In this hemisphere, we are blessed that Easter always falls in the Spring and we can see the visible signs of new life coming forth from what looks like death all around us.
I hope you and your family find some time together to dig in the dirt, to watch the new life poking up from the earth and bursting forth on the tree branches and to celebrate the miracle that is resurrection in the creation this spring. This is a wonderful way to not only celebrate God's goodness, but to help children understand that all created life is born, flourishes, lies dormant and is then resurrected in God's time. As we tune our spirits into the divine rhythyms in the creation, we are again reminded that death holds no fear for us because we know that God through Jesus is at work in it and we, too, we share in the new life blossoming all around us.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
But there are signs spring is coming. The forsythia in my yard has buds and my daffodils have broken through the soil. And as the earth gets ready to burst forth into new life, I find myself humming over and over the third verse of one of my favorite hymns, Immortal Invisible (423 in the Hymnal):
To all life thou givest, to both great and small.
In all life thou livest, the true life of all.
We blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
then wither and perish, but nought changeth thee.
The Easter season we continue to celebrate reminds us that the cycle of birth, death and resurrection is one that is ordained by God, the Creator. We live that story in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus during the "Great Fifty Days of Easter" (did you know Easter last for 50 days?). In this hemisphere, we are blessed that Easter always falls in the Spring and we can see the visible signs of new life coming forth from what looks like death all around us.
I hope you and your family find some time together to dig in the dirt, to watch the new life poking up from the earth and bursting forth on the tree branches and to celebrate the miracle that is resurrection in the creation this spring. This is a wonderful way to not only celebrate God's goodness, but to help children understand that all created life is born, flourishes, lies dormant and is then resurrected in God's time. As we tune our spirits into the divine rhythyms in the creation, we are again reminded that death holds no fear for us because we know that God through Jesus is at work in it and we, too, we share in the new life blossoming all around us.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
” “Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us . . . ?” -Luke 24:32
The Gospel reading for the third Sunday of Easter in Year A is always the disciples experience on the road from Emmaus. I grew up hearing this story and it never ceases to thrill me. I look forward to hearing it every three years.
The story the two disciples tell of their experience at Emmaus is a familiar and rich one. There is much food for thought and prayer within this text, yet I always find it is verse 32 of this passage that leaps out at me: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the Scriptures to us?”
I suspect this verse catches my attention because, at heart, I am both a teacher and a student. I recognize the thrill and certainty the disciples feel when they have been in the presence of Truth that opens their hearts and eyes to seeing in a new way. Educators of all kinds refer to what happens in this story as a "teachable moment"- a moment that helps us to see and know in a new way. This is the function of Christian formation within the tradition of the Church. Gathered together as the community of faith around both sacrament and teaching, we experience over and over again the "teachable moments' that faith offers us. We meet Jesus the teacher again and again - and our lives change as our hearts change because of it.
Christian formation – Church School as it is more commonly known – it not the glamour place of the Church. It tends to be messy (glitter paint and glue) and noisy (children aren’t designed by God to be quiet!). Viewed in passing, it can often appear somewhat chaotic. And it is easy to think that it is only one more activity in which our children participate. But something else goes on in Church School that doesn’t happen during our children’s other activities. It is in this place, at this time, in these activities that our children, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, encounter Jesus, the teacher. At Church school, our children hear, play, share and explore the teachings of Jesus in community with others doing the same. As they mature and progress through the different stages of faith formation here at Christ Church, our children encounter the stories of Scripture over and over. Each moment is rich with the possibility of new understanding, change and growth. These stories of God’s saving action in Jesus form a foundation of faith that lasts a lifetime, and continues to grow and develop as our children mature throughout life.
In the larger scheme of life, it is easy to forget the place of Church School in our children’s lives. But where else in their busy lives will they hear the stories that change their hearts, provide a secure foundation of love and trust, and form them into the people God calls them to be? That’s the role of the Church School in partnership with you, their parents. We are delighted to have your children on the journey with us.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
The story the two disciples tell of their experience at Emmaus is a familiar and rich one. There is much food for thought and prayer within this text, yet I always find it is verse 32 of this passage that leaps out at me: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the Scriptures to us?”
I suspect this verse catches my attention because, at heart, I am both a teacher and a student. I recognize the thrill and certainty the disciples feel when they have been in the presence of Truth that opens their hearts and eyes to seeing in a new way. Educators of all kinds refer to what happens in this story as a "teachable moment"- a moment that helps us to see and know in a new way. This is the function of Christian formation within the tradition of the Church. Gathered together as the community of faith around both sacrament and teaching, we experience over and over again the "teachable moments' that faith offers us. We meet Jesus the teacher again and again - and our lives change as our hearts change because of it.
Christian formation – Church School as it is more commonly known – it not the glamour place of the Church. It tends to be messy (glitter paint and glue) and noisy (children aren’t designed by God to be quiet!). Viewed in passing, it can often appear somewhat chaotic. And it is easy to think that it is only one more activity in which our children participate. But something else goes on in Church School that doesn’t happen during our children’s other activities. It is in this place, at this time, in these activities that our children, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, encounter Jesus, the teacher. At Church school, our children hear, play, share and explore the teachings of Jesus in community with others doing the same. As they mature and progress through the different stages of faith formation here at Christ Church, our children encounter the stories of Scripture over and over. Each moment is rich with the possibility of new understanding, change and growth. These stories of God’s saving action in Jesus form a foundation of faith that lasts a lifetime, and continues to grow and develop as our children mature throughout life.
In the larger scheme of life, it is easy to forget the place of Church School in our children’s lives. But where else in their busy lives will they hear the stories that change their hearts, provide a secure foundation of love and trust, and form them into the people God calls them to be? That’s the role of the Church School in partnership with you, their parents. We are delighted to have your children on the journey with us.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
"Easter Triumph, Easter Joy!"
Alleluia!!! Christ is Risen!!!!
These are the most joyful words in the Christian vocabulary - they are the Truth that defines us and the mystery that every other event in the Christian liturgical year points to. Because Christ has risen from the dead, we need fear nothing. In the resurrection of our Lord, God proves once and for all that NOTHING can destroy love. It is a huge gift and a mystery that takes our entire lives to live into.
Because Easter is such a complex mystery, the Church takes the fifty days between Easter and the Day of Pentecost to ponder together what Christ's rising from the dead means for us. We hear accounts of the resurrection appearances to the disciples and we think about the sacraments so that we can discover how we are to live our lives as members of Christ's risen body. The Sundays between Easter and Pentecost tell a story and we invite you to bring your children to Church and Church School these next several Sundays to join us in the wondering and celebration.
Here are some thoughts from Joe Russell's The New Prayerbook Guide to Christian Education that will help you share the themes of Easter with your children at home:
- Jesus has risen from the dead. We have everlasting life because of Jesus' resurrection!
- God's love is stronger than death. Because of God's love, we do not have to be afraid to
die.
- Easter is about new life coming from what appears to be death and that new life is full
of surprises and new possibilities.
- We receive Jesus' new life at our baptisms, and during the Easter season, we think about
what our baptisms mean in our lives.
I hope these themes help you talk easily with your children about what Easter means. Many families have Easter traditions that help make visible to their children the importance of the Easter message. I would love to hear how your family shares in the Good News of Easter. Please leave a comment and we can share how we tell the story of the Easter Triumph as families at Christ Church!
Blessings,
Elizabeth
These are the most joyful words in the Christian vocabulary - they are the Truth that defines us and the mystery that every other event in the Christian liturgical year points to. Because Christ has risen from the dead, we need fear nothing. In the resurrection of our Lord, God proves once and for all that NOTHING can destroy love. It is a huge gift and a mystery that takes our entire lives to live into.
Because Easter is such a complex mystery, the Church takes the fifty days between Easter and the Day of Pentecost to ponder together what Christ's rising from the dead means for us. We hear accounts of the resurrection appearances to the disciples and we think about the sacraments so that we can discover how we are to live our lives as members of Christ's risen body. The Sundays between Easter and Pentecost tell a story and we invite you to bring your children to Church and Church School these next several Sundays to join us in the wondering and celebration.
Here are some thoughts from Joe Russell's The New Prayerbook Guide to Christian Education that will help you share the themes of Easter with your children at home:
- Jesus has risen from the dead. We have everlasting life because of Jesus' resurrection!
- God's love is stronger than death. Because of God's love, we do not have to be afraid to
die.
- Easter is about new life coming from what appears to be death and that new life is full
of surprises and new possibilities.
- We receive Jesus' new life at our baptisms, and during the Easter season, we think about
what our baptisms mean in our lives.
I hope these themes help you talk easily with your children about what Easter means. Many families have Easter traditions that help make visible to their children the importance of the Easter message. I would love to hear how your family shares in the Good News of Easter. Please leave a comment and we can share how we tell the story of the Easter Triumph as families at Christ Church!
Blessings,
Elizabeth
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Thinking Ahead to Holy Week
It is hard to believe that Palm Sunday is almost here (March 16th!). And if Palm Sunday is almost here, then Holy Week and Easter are rapidly approaching. Parents, especially the parents of young children, are often confused as to how to deal with the crucifixion as we tell the story of how Easter happens.
The events of Jesus' death are shocking and violent, but we cannot fully live into Easter if we have not experienced Jesus' death. There are ways to approach this with children that make it easier to share the whole story. Here are some of the things I have learned in twenty years as an educator and a parent:
1. Children - even very young ones - know that bad things happen. The Easter message is that good always triumphs over evil - even if it doesn't seem to at the moment. This is a message children can hear and understand.
2. When you talk about the crucifxion, always continue immediately with the Ressurrection. I have found the following kinds of language helpful: "Jesus loved people so much that some people were scared by it and they put Jesus to death on a cross. But love is so strong, that not even death can destroy it, so God raised Jesus from the dead on Easter to show us that love lives always."
3. Some children find any visual picture of the crucifxion too hard to manage. If your child is a visual learner, you may only want to share the story in words - the shorter the better.
4. Some children are curious about how crucifixion actually works. They will ask questions like "Did it hurt?" ("yes") "How does crucifixion kill someone?" ("slow suffocation".) You do not need to dwell on the gore, but an honest answer that is short and to the point is helpful to yor child and allows you to move on to the resurrection.
5. Other children worry that Jesus was alone. He wasn't - his mother and the Beloved Disciple were there, along with other women. Two other men were crucified with him. And most importantly, God was with Jesus.
Experiencing the events of Holy Week and Easter can be a powerful way for children to share in the defining action of our Christian faith while being held in a safe and familiar environment. Please join us for our Maundy Thursday Supper and Eucharist. We will begin at 5:30 PM in Fellowship Hall making bread with the children for the Eucharist that evening. We will have a simple supper of soup, bread and salad at 6:00 PM. The service begins at 7:00 PM. We will hear the liturgy of the word and wash each other's feet. Following the Peace, we will head upstairs to the Sanctuary for the liturgy of the table and the stripping of the altar. The Youth Choir will sing at the service.
We offer a Good Friday service especially for children and families. We will re-enact the events of Holy Week together beginning with a procession into the Chapel, sharing matzoh and grape juice with Jesus and letting him wash our feet. The children will then carry the cross down the aisle, sit in the tomb and be amazed as Jesus is resurrected. This is a powerful and meaningful service that many families have found important to their lives of faith. There is nothing morbid or scary involved. We will offer this twice - once at noon and once at 4:00 PM.
If you have questions or concerns, please give me a call or email me. I am always happy to talk things through with you.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
The events of Jesus' death are shocking and violent, but we cannot fully live into Easter if we have not experienced Jesus' death. There are ways to approach this with children that make it easier to share the whole story. Here are some of the things I have learned in twenty years as an educator and a parent:
1. Children - even very young ones - know that bad things happen. The Easter message is that good always triumphs over evil - even if it doesn't seem to at the moment. This is a message children can hear and understand.
2. When you talk about the crucifxion, always continue immediately with the Ressurrection. I have found the following kinds of language helpful: "Jesus loved people so much that some people were scared by it and they put Jesus to death on a cross. But love is so strong, that not even death can destroy it, so God raised Jesus from the dead on Easter to show us that love lives always."
3. Some children find any visual picture of the crucifxion too hard to manage. If your child is a visual learner, you may only want to share the story in words - the shorter the better.
4. Some children are curious about how crucifixion actually works. They will ask questions like "Did it hurt?" ("yes") "How does crucifixion kill someone?" ("slow suffocation".) You do not need to dwell on the gore, but an honest answer that is short and to the point is helpful to yor child and allows you to move on to the resurrection.
5. Other children worry that Jesus was alone. He wasn't - his mother and the Beloved Disciple were there, along with other women. Two other men were crucified with him. And most importantly, God was with Jesus.
Experiencing the events of Holy Week and Easter can be a powerful way for children to share in the defining action of our Christian faith while being held in a safe and familiar environment. Please join us for our Maundy Thursday Supper and Eucharist. We will begin at 5:30 PM in Fellowship Hall making bread with the children for the Eucharist that evening. We will have a simple supper of soup, bread and salad at 6:00 PM. The service begins at 7:00 PM. We will hear the liturgy of the word and wash each other's feet. Following the Peace, we will head upstairs to the Sanctuary for the liturgy of the table and the stripping of the altar. The Youth Choir will sing at the service.
We offer a Good Friday service especially for children and families. We will re-enact the events of Holy Week together beginning with a procession into the Chapel, sharing matzoh and grape juice with Jesus and letting him wash our feet. The children will then carry the cross down the aisle, sit in the tomb and be amazed as Jesus is resurrected. This is a powerful and meaningful service that many families have found important to their lives of faith. There is nothing morbid or scary involved. We will offer this twice - once at noon and once at 4:00 PM.
If you have questions or concerns, please give me a call or email me. I am always happy to talk things through with you.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Resources!!!!
I have been spending a good portion of my time lately updating the children's section of our library. There are all sorts of books to help you make faith come alive at home with your children, storybooks to share at reading time, books to help you help your child deal with grief and loss, and books of prayers and blessings to use as a family. Many of these books are listed in the box next to this post, but some others you might want to have a look at are:
When Good-bye is Forever by Lois Rock
Guiding Children Through Life's Losses by Phyllis Vos Wezemen, Jude Denis Fournier, and R. Wezemen.
Bless Us All by Cynthia Rylant
The Faith of Parents by Maria Harris
The Usborne Book of World Religions by Susan Meredith
I also keep my eye out for websites that might be helpful to you in nurturing faith at home. Some of my favorite ones are in the side box, but I did come across a few especially for the Lenten season. Take a look at www.domesticchurch.com/CONTENT.DCC/pages.dir/fridge.html#LENT for kid's lenten activities. They are a site to bookmark as they have projects and activities that change throughout the liturgical seasons. As we move toward Holy Week and begin thinking about Good Friday, check out www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/stations/indes.html for a children's experience of the Stations of the Cross.
There are lots of good resources out there. Let me know what you think of these resources and be sure to share what you might find!
When Good-bye is Forever by Lois Rock
Guiding Children Through Life's Losses by Phyllis Vos Wezemen, Jude Denis Fournier, and R. Wezemen.
Bless Us All by Cynthia Rylant
The Faith of Parents by Maria Harris
The Usborne Book of World Religions by Susan Meredith
I also keep my eye out for websites that might be helpful to you in nurturing faith at home. Some of my favorite ones are in the side box, but I did come across a few especially for the Lenten season. Take a look at www.domesticchurch.com/CONTENT.DCC/pages.dir/fridge.html#LENT for kid's lenten activities. They are a site to bookmark as they have projects and activities that change throughout the liturgical seasons. As we move toward Holy Week and begin thinking about Good Friday, check out www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/stations/indes.html for a children's experience of the Stations of the Cross.
There are lots of good resources out there. Let me know what you think of these resources and be sure to share what you might find!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
"Thanks! Wow! Gimme! and Oops!"
In their book How Do You Spell God? Answers to the Big Questions from Around the World, Marc Gellman and Thomas Hartman have a wonderful chapter on praying. The book is a child-appropriate exploration of the different beliefs present in many kinds of religious faith, but they observe that all faiths teach us to listen to and for God - which is the beginning of wisdom for all of us, no matter our age.
But human beings also need to talk with God - and there are four major ways they discuss in this chapter that are easy ways to introduce your children to a life of learning how to talk with and listen to God.
Thanks! is one of the easiest ways we talk to God. When something wonderful happens to us, it is time to remember that all good things are gifts from God and we need to take a breath and take the time to thank God for blessing us. Thanksgivings are an easy way to begin praying with your children. Grace before meals is an example of a thanksgiving prayer - and they are good models for other "thank you" prayers. The words aren't anywhere near as important as the feeling of gratitude we express.
Wow! is another easy and obvious way to pray with your children. When you see a beautiful sunset, hold a new brother or sister for the first time, or play in the first snow of the winter it is easy to be amazed by the world God has created so lovingly. Sometimes the feeling of awe we have is beyond words, but, again, the words aren't what is important. Simply to stand in the presence of God's work and acknowledge that it leaves you breathless is enough. Awe inspires wonder and children are wonderful at wondering. Invite them into the experience with you!
Gimme! These prayers require a bit more negotiation with your children to help them understand. It is always tempting to pray for things we want but don't need. We may want to hit the ball out of the park, but is that really the sort of thing we should ask God for? When your child wants to offer a prayer like this one, we need to gently guide them into the proper way of understanding what God wants for us. There is nothing wrong with asking God to help you use your abilities to their fullest or to be a graceful winner, but to ask to win games, get prizes or to be popular doesn't help us to learn to trust God and to rely on the good things God gives us. Gimme! is a normal desire of human nature, but it is one that needs to be tempered. The Lord's Prayer is a good model (granted, it's wordy!) for what a Gimme prayer might look like - what we ask for reveals our dependency on God and our desire to help make the world the way God wants it to be.
Oops! Just as we teach our children to apologize to others, we need to teach them to aplogize to God. One of the biggest reasons to talk to God is to learn how to be sorry for the things we do that hurt other people, hurt ourselves, hurt the world and hurt God. As we pray Oops prayers we begin to understand what we did wrong, our hearts soften and we learn not only how to ask for forgiveness from others, but we learn what it feels like to be forgiven. God ALWAYS forgives us and can help us to forgive ourselves and others. This one is a life long lesson for all of us and we are never to young to start!
Elizabeth Caldwell adds one more kind of prayer to the list. She calls them Don't Forget! or Please Remember! prayers - you most likely know them as intercessions. These kinds of prayers are when we pray for others - asking God to bless them, to heal them or to help them with some kind of difficulty in their lives. Again, this is an important lesson in being a grace-filled human being that can never be started too early in life. At bedtime we can invite our children to bless those they love by remembering them to God and asking God's blessing upon them. We can help our children pray for the playground bully or the friend who is too sick to come over and play. Life offers many opportunities to pray for others.
Lent is a wonderful time to begin to re-focus our lives of prayer as individuals and as families. Begin with one of the above - I bet the practice of one form of prayer with your children will lead you into the others! Praying with our children is one of the greatest privileges of parenthood. To see into and share the joys, hurts and worries of their hearts is one of those experiences that always leads me to both Thanks! and Wow! prayers. I'll bet you will find it the same!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
But human beings also need to talk with God - and there are four major ways they discuss in this chapter that are easy ways to introduce your children to a life of learning how to talk with and listen to God.
Thanks! is one of the easiest ways we talk to God. When something wonderful happens to us, it is time to remember that all good things are gifts from God and we need to take a breath and take the time to thank God for blessing us. Thanksgivings are an easy way to begin praying with your children. Grace before meals is an example of a thanksgiving prayer - and they are good models for other "thank you" prayers. The words aren't anywhere near as important as the feeling of gratitude we express.
Wow! is another easy and obvious way to pray with your children. When you see a beautiful sunset, hold a new brother or sister for the first time, or play in the first snow of the winter it is easy to be amazed by the world God has created so lovingly. Sometimes the feeling of awe we have is beyond words, but, again, the words aren't what is important. Simply to stand in the presence of God's work and acknowledge that it leaves you breathless is enough. Awe inspires wonder and children are wonderful at wondering. Invite them into the experience with you!
Gimme! These prayers require a bit more negotiation with your children to help them understand. It is always tempting to pray for things we want but don't need. We may want to hit the ball out of the park, but is that really the sort of thing we should ask God for? When your child wants to offer a prayer like this one, we need to gently guide them into the proper way of understanding what God wants for us. There is nothing wrong with asking God to help you use your abilities to their fullest or to be a graceful winner, but to ask to win games, get prizes or to be popular doesn't help us to learn to trust God and to rely on the good things God gives us. Gimme! is a normal desire of human nature, but it is one that needs to be tempered. The Lord's Prayer is a good model (granted, it's wordy!) for what a Gimme prayer might look like - what we ask for reveals our dependency on God and our desire to help make the world the way God wants it to be.
Oops! Just as we teach our children to apologize to others, we need to teach them to aplogize to God. One of the biggest reasons to talk to God is to learn how to be sorry for the things we do that hurt other people, hurt ourselves, hurt the world and hurt God. As we pray Oops prayers we begin to understand what we did wrong, our hearts soften and we learn not only how to ask for forgiveness from others, but we learn what it feels like to be forgiven. God ALWAYS forgives us and can help us to forgive ourselves and others. This one is a life long lesson for all of us and we are never to young to start!
Elizabeth Caldwell adds one more kind of prayer to the list. She calls them Don't Forget! or Please Remember! prayers - you most likely know them as intercessions. These kinds of prayers are when we pray for others - asking God to bless them, to heal them or to help them with some kind of difficulty in their lives. Again, this is an important lesson in being a grace-filled human being that can never be started too early in life. At bedtime we can invite our children to bless those they love by remembering them to God and asking God's blessing upon them. We can help our children pray for the playground bully or the friend who is too sick to come over and play. Life offers many opportunities to pray for others.
Lent is a wonderful time to begin to re-focus our lives of prayer as individuals and as families. Begin with one of the above - I bet the practice of one form of prayer with your children will lead you into the others! Praying with our children is one of the greatest privileges of parenthood. To see into and share the joys, hurts and worries of their hearts is one of those experiences that always leads me to both Thanks! and Wow! prayers. I'll bet you will find it the same!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Because Life is What Happens While You Are Making Other Plans
When I planned tonight's book discussion, I not only failed to take into account that it was the Wednesday of public school vacation week, I was naive enough to think the flu raging around me wasn't going to strike! I woke up this morning with the stomach flu, so . . . Rather than share the wealth, I will stay home tonight and RESCHEDULE our discussion to NEXT WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 27TH AT 7:00PM IN MY OFFICE!
Jennifer called those of you who I knew were planning on coming. I hope this reaches those of you I didn't know were planning on coming!
See you next week instead!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Jennifer called those of you who I knew were planning on coming. I hope this reaches those of you I didn't know were planning on coming!
See you next week instead!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Preparing for our Book Discussion
Next Wednesday evening at 7:00 is the first of our book discussions of Elizabeth Caldwell's Making a Home for Faith: Nurturing the Spiritual Life of Your Child. I would like to focus our discussion around pages 40 -44, the section she calls Every Parent Needs. Caldwell writes that to raise faithful children, every parent needs to be able to do the following:
1. Read a story from the Bible.
2.Tell a Bible story.
3. Deal with children's questions.
4. Pray (privately and publicly).
5. Take some time daily or weekly for personal meditation.
6. Ask faith questions.
7. Struggle to understand and interpret affirmations of faith while balancing a life of faith in mission and witness and the being of faith in mediation, Scripture, reading and prayer.
8. Explain the meaning of the sacraments and the liturgical year.
9. Struggle with language for God.
10. Become familiar with the basic beliefs and religious pracitices of other faith traditions.
11. Regularly participate in adult education.
12. Be layleaders in worship.
Seems like you would need a full seminary education for this, doesn't it? It is a rather daunting list for any of us, but it is not beyond the realm of what any one of us can do. As you ponder these questions this week, identify those practices you already are doing. I'll bet you already have some practice of private prayer (even if the prayer is just of the "Help me, Lord!" variety as the bathtub overflows!) and most likely, you are struggling like the rest of us to understand the affirmations of faith and balance a life of service, witness, prayer, study and reflection! The other pieces are harder. Not all of us were raised in a faith tradition and we may not know the biblical stories - how to find the ones we know or how to figure out where the ones are that we maybe heard in Church once upon a time. We may not know what to say when our children ask us questions and it is hard enough to understand our own faith traditions, sacraments and liturgical year, never mind have enough knowledge of other faith tradtitions to share them with our children.
Please think about what you know and what you need to know more about as you prepare for our discussion on Wednesday. I am happy to guide and support you in your faith journey with your children, but I need to know what you would find most helpful. Would a session on the liturgical year be useful? What other classes would you be willing to come to? Does the blog provide you with helpful information? If not, what would you like to see in this space? Those are just the questions I begin with. Leave me a comment or email me. Better yet, come next Wednesday night and we'll talk about it! See you then.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
1. Read a story from the Bible.
2.Tell a Bible story.
3. Deal with children's questions.
4. Pray (privately and publicly).
5. Take some time daily or weekly for personal meditation.
6. Ask faith questions.
7. Struggle to understand and interpret affirmations of faith while balancing a life of faith in mission and witness and the being of faith in mediation, Scripture, reading and prayer.
8. Explain the meaning of the sacraments and the liturgical year.
9. Struggle with language for God.
10. Become familiar with the basic beliefs and religious pracitices of other faith traditions.
11. Regularly participate in adult education.
12. Be layleaders in worship.
Seems like you would need a full seminary education for this, doesn't it? It is a rather daunting list for any of us, but it is not beyond the realm of what any one of us can do. As you ponder these questions this week, identify those practices you already are doing. I'll bet you already have some practice of private prayer (even if the prayer is just of the "Help me, Lord!" variety as the bathtub overflows!) and most likely, you are struggling like the rest of us to understand the affirmations of faith and balance a life of service, witness, prayer, study and reflection! The other pieces are harder. Not all of us were raised in a faith tradition and we may not know the biblical stories - how to find the ones we know or how to figure out where the ones are that we maybe heard in Church once upon a time. We may not know what to say when our children ask us questions and it is hard enough to understand our own faith traditions, sacraments and liturgical year, never mind have enough knowledge of other faith tradtitions to share them with our children.
Please think about what you know and what you need to know more about as you prepare for our discussion on Wednesday. I am happy to guide and support you in your faith journey with your children, but I need to know what you would find most helpful. Would a session on the liturgical year be useful? What other classes would you be willing to come to? Does the blog provide you with helpful information? If not, what would you like to see in this space? Those are just the questions I begin with. Leave me a comment or email me. Better yet, come next Wednesday night and we'll talk about it! See you then.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Season of Lent
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is the forty days (Sundays don't count because each Sunday is a little Easter) period during which we remember Jesus' temptation in the desert following his baptism. It helps us get ready for Holy Week and the celebration of the resurrection at Easter. Most folks associate Lent with fasting or giving up something. This is one lenten tradition, but there are others. For example, we stop saying the word "allelulia" beginning on Ash Wednesday. We do not say it again until the Great Vigil of Easter when we kindle the new fire and light the paschal candle.
It can be hard to keep a "holy Lent"at home as the Prayer Book invites us to. But here are some themes you can share at home as a family during this season. Lent is:
-a time for looking at the things we have done that are wrong and asking forgiveness
of God and those we have wronged.
-a time to grow closer to God by either giving up something or adding something to our lives that helps us focus more on God.
-a time to think about new ways to show our love for others as God shows God's love for us.
-a time to remember our baptismal promises and try to live into them (check out pg. 304 in the Book of Common Prayer for a refresher!)*
The seasonal color for Lent is purple - it is both the color of penitience and the color of royalty. In the words of the Godly Play story the Mystery of Easter, "Purple is the color of kings. We are preparing for the coming of a king and his going and coming again . . . purple is a serious color and it reminds us that something sad is going to happen." (The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Vol. 4, pgs 29-20). The purple color reminds us that Jesus must die before he can rise again.
There are many ways to incorporate purple into your family life during Lent. A purple scarf in the middle of the table or purple placemats are easy wasy to remind your family daily. Lent is a good time to write a family grace if you don't have a favorite. Learn it together and share it when you are together. Paper chains are another easy way to bring the seasons of the church year into your home. Perhaps each family member might want to write the name of someone or something they are praying for on one of the rings each day and the entire family can share that intention in silence together for a moment before mealtime or bedtime. Small purple napkins can be tucked into your child's lunch box or backpack with a note like "I love you and so does God" or "I am praying for you today." Little things like this connect us to one another and to our larger Christian family - past, present and future!
Be creative! Lent can be a refreshing and nurturing time for us as individuals and families. If you have a family lenten tradition you would like to share, please write about it in the comments so that others can try it at home too!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
*Adapted from: The New Prayer Book Guide to Chrisitan Education, edited by Joe Russell
It can be hard to keep a "holy Lent"at home as the Prayer Book invites us to. But here are some themes you can share at home as a family during this season. Lent is:
-a time for looking at the things we have done that are wrong and asking forgiveness
of God and those we have wronged.
-a time to grow closer to God by either giving up something or adding something to our lives that helps us focus more on God.
-a time to think about new ways to show our love for others as God shows God's love for us.
-a time to remember our baptismal promises and try to live into them (check out pg. 304 in the Book of Common Prayer for a refresher!)*
The seasonal color for Lent is purple - it is both the color of penitience and the color of royalty. In the words of the Godly Play story the Mystery of Easter, "Purple is the color of kings. We are preparing for the coming of a king and his going and coming again . . . purple is a serious color and it reminds us that something sad is going to happen." (The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Vol. 4, pgs 29-20). The purple color reminds us that Jesus must die before he can rise again.
There are many ways to incorporate purple into your family life during Lent. A purple scarf in the middle of the table or purple placemats are easy wasy to remind your family daily. Lent is a good time to write a family grace if you don't have a favorite. Learn it together and share it when you are together. Paper chains are another easy way to bring the seasons of the church year into your home. Perhaps each family member might want to write the name of someone or something they are praying for on one of the rings each day and the entire family can share that intention in silence together for a moment before mealtime or bedtime. Small purple napkins can be tucked into your child's lunch box or backpack with a note like "I love you and so does God" or "I am praying for you today." Little things like this connect us to one another and to our larger Christian family - past, present and future!
Be creative! Lent can be a refreshing and nurturing time for us as individuals and families. If you have a family lenten tradition you would like to share, please write about it in the comments so that others can try it at home too!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
*Adapted from: The New Prayer Book Guide to Chrisitan Education, edited by Joe Russell
Thursday, January 31, 2008
About This Blogspace
Growing up in the Episcopal church, I spoke the language of faith from birth. I have a seminary education and certainly felt comfortable raising my children as Christians. With years of experience as a professional Christian educator under my belt, I was sure that I was up to the challenge of sharing the Christian faith with my children.
So you can imagine my surprise one Palm Sunday when my then eight-year-old elder son piled into the car after Church and said, "Ok, Mom - So who's Hosanna anyway? I get the whole Father, Son and Holy Spirit thing, but just who is this Hosanna person and how come I haven't heard about him before?" Having processed around the Church that day with his palm branch, my son was sure that "Hosanna" was a previously un-named manifestation of the Holy Spirit that for some bizzare reason we had decided to sing about only on this particular Sunday. Rather chagrined, I explained that "Hosanna" is not a person, but rather a Hebrew word meaning "save now" or "please save." We sing it and say it on Palm Sunday to re-enact Jesus' entry into Jerusalem that final Passover before his crucifixion. He seemed satisfied with my answer, but I drove home wondering just what other bits of confusion about his faith he might be musing on - and I was considerably less impressed by my effectiveness in sharing my faith at home!
I share this story because I think all Christian parents - no matter how strong our faith or whether or not we were raised in the Church - have questions about sharing and teaching faith at home. Even if our children regularly attend Church School, they have questions they bring only to us. We want to answer them, but we are afraid we might say the wrong thing, or we don't have the "right" answer or we aren't sure about the answer ourselves. This is perfectly normal in the life of a Christian family.
I hope this blog can be a place for us to talk about our questions, to learn together about what it means to make a life of faith as a family and to share the joy and struggles of raising children in the faith. I will post weekly with information about the liturgical seasons, suggestions for activities and prayers to share at home and provide references to websites and books and other media that will help you and your family live a rich life of faith together at home. As you comment and respond, I will get a better sense of what your questions are, of the things that we need more information about and I will know how to better support you and help you support one another as we share the raising of our children in faith as families and as a Church community.
So welcome to this new adventure! Let's enjoy the journey together!
Faithfully.
Elizabeth
So you can imagine my surprise one Palm Sunday when my then eight-year-old elder son piled into the car after Church and said, "Ok, Mom - So who's Hosanna anyway? I get the whole Father, Son and Holy Spirit thing, but just who is this Hosanna person and how come I haven't heard about him before?" Having processed around the Church that day with his palm branch, my son was sure that "Hosanna" was a previously un-named manifestation of the Holy Spirit that for some bizzare reason we had decided to sing about only on this particular Sunday. Rather chagrined, I explained that "Hosanna" is not a person, but rather a Hebrew word meaning "save now" or "please save." We sing it and say it on Palm Sunday to re-enact Jesus' entry into Jerusalem that final Passover before his crucifixion. He seemed satisfied with my answer, but I drove home wondering just what other bits of confusion about his faith he might be musing on - and I was considerably less impressed by my effectiveness in sharing my faith at home!
I share this story because I think all Christian parents - no matter how strong our faith or whether or not we were raised in the Church - have questions about sharing and teaching faith at home. Even if our children regularly attend Church School, they have questions they bring only to us. We want to answer them, but we are afraid we might say the wrong thing, or we don't have the "right" answer or we aren't sure about the answer ourselves. This is perfectly normal in the life of a Christian family.
I hope this blog can be a place for us to talk about our questions, to learn together about what it means to make a life of faith as a family and to share the joy and struggles of raising children in the faith. I will post weekly with information about the liturgical seasons, suggestions for activities and prayers to share at home and provide references to websites and books and other media that will help you and your family live a rich life of faith together at home. As you comment and respond, I will get a better sense of what your questions are, of the things that we need more information about and I will know how to better support you and help you support one another as we share the raising of our children in faith as families and as a Church community.
So welcome to this new adventure! Let's enjoy the journey together!
Faithfully.
Elizabeth
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