Are We Moving toward Jesus, the Peaceful One?
Bruce Crockett of Redmond OR, USA
Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.
For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones. -Psalm 37:27-28a
Years ago, when I was pastoring in Fairfield, California, a woman of wisdom said in our branch council meeting that the congregation did not celebrate the children enough. The woman of wisdom, Geri Zagata, had a background in Buddhism and was not baptized in the church…not yet!
She was definitely a member of the congregation as she worked with the children in the Sunday school class and regularly attended branch council meetings with her husband Bob. Geri and Bob were teachers for the elementary hearing-impaired students in Solano County. Geri pointed out that our denomination only had one day a year in June to celebrate Children’s Day. In her tradition people would celebrate girls’ day and boys’ day in May and then celebrate the church’s Children’s Day in June.
But she was just getting started. Geri suggested that the lower elementary children could take up the offering, pass out bulletins, and help clean up. The upper elementary children could draw the cover of the weekly bulletin that correlated with the Sunday theme. Each week the winning drawing was chosen to represent the class. The junior high and high school students would be assigned a Sunday to give a short message from the pulpit during the service. The children really enjoyed their roles and appreciated the notoriety of being a part of the worship as well as the congregation. On Children’s Day in June, Bob Zagata created a collage of pictures of all the children in the congregation for the bulletin cover for the Sunday service.
The last piece to this wonderful program was related to the adults. It was further suggested that church should not be the only place where members would interact with the children. The adults of the congregation committed themselves to show up at the athletic events, the plays, the band concerts, and other special activities that featured the students. It was wonderful. Even at the band concerts that I put on for the parents (I was the music educator for David Weir Elementary School) I would turn around to greet the audience and see a row of church members sitting in the audience.
When we increased the activity of the children in the Sunday worship and when we as church members showed our faces at their school events, we were sharing the love of God and moving the congregation toward Jesus, the peaceful One.
Prayer Phrase
Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?
Spiritual Practice
Gospel Contemplation (John 2:13-22)
Each week during Lent, you are invited to pray with a different gospel story from the life of Christ. Use your senses and imagination to enter the text. Allow it to come to life in you, observing details, noticing interactions, even engaging in dialogue. Notice where you find yourself in the story and how you feel about what is happening. Notice what it evokes in you or invites of you. Take time to journal or enter silent prayer to reflect on your experience and to sense where the Spirit may be leading you through this scriptural encounter.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
