Reflections: Kids, pens, heart stickers and Jeremiah 31.

Reflections on a Sunday Morning (March 22)

As I shared during the Time for Children on Sunday, every week that a certain little preschooler sits with me in church  - he likes to use the pen from the attendance pad and write his name on my hand. 

He is learning how to write words and simple sentences and a few weeks ago he asked me to write "God is Love" on the front of his bulletin so that he could recopy it.  

Some weeks he draws. Some weeks he writes his name on the offering envelope in the pew. He also has written "no money" on the envelope in the spot where a person is supposed to record their pledge or donation amount.  

I understand that it can be very frustrating for other church goers to have these fidgety, sometimes noisy,  and always questioning little people in the pews during worship. We are doing our best to teach them how to behave in church and what the parts of the service are all about.  Some weeks are easier than others. Preschoolers and toddlers are unpredictable - everyone knows that. Sometimes they come to church meowing like a cat. Sometimes they take communion wearing a dress-up fireman's helmet that they refused to take off. Sometimes they "boink" loudly or click their tongues during the time of silent meditation. Sometimes Spiderman and Superman are attending Sunday school and church.

What is often hard to notice through all the squirming, movement, and animals sounds is that they are ALWAYS paying attention to what's going on around them.  My little preschool friend understands what the offering envelope is for - even if he has "no money." They know about and watch carefully for the moment in the service  when the pastor puts his hands in the Baptismal font and lifts up the water during the Assurance of Pardon. They are starting to look up the hymn numbers and want to hold the heavy hymnals by themselves even though they can't yet read the words. 

They know that they are a part of the congregation and our church family.They are learning that they are loved and included children of God. 

 

On Sunday,  a the New Testament reading and the focus of our Sunday school lesson was words from the prophet Jeremiah.  (Jer. 31:31-14.) In this passage Jeremiah is having a conversation with God. This message was for a group of people that had had a very difficult life. Some of them may have started to wonder if there even was a God that still loved them.  God tells Jeremiah – “I will put my law in their minds and I will write it in their hearts, I will be their God. “   God is reminding the people through Jeremiah that he will always with them in their hearts and that God has a dream for them.  

As I told the kids on Sunday, sometimes when I get home from church I am not in a hurry to wash off the name that has been written on my hand in pen. It reminds me of God's love.  It reminds me of the child who, although squirmy and loud and sometimes defiant, is a perfectly wonderful child of God.

 During the time for children on Sunday, I passed out heart stickers for each to wear and be reminded that God writes his love on their hearts.  When I got home from church not only did I have a child's name written on my hand  - but I had several heart stickers stuck to the back of my sweater.  These are pretty good reminders that God loves us all - everyday. No matter what.