A Prayer for Parents

In the parent group with whom I have been meeting the past few weeks, we have been discussing what it means to be a Christian parent. A great deal is expected of us as Christian parents and we worry whether or not we measure up in passing on the faith to our children. Looking through some old files of mine for something I never did find, I came across this anonymous prayer that I had cut-out and used on a bulletin board many years ago. It still speaks volumes to God about what is in our hearts as parents and so I share it here:

Oh Heavenly Father, make me a better parent.

Teach me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say,

and to answer their questions kindly.

Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them.

Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes,

or result to shame and ridicule when they displease me.

May I never punish them for my own selfish satisfaction or to show my power.

Let me not tempt my child to steal or lie.

Guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say and do

that honesty produces happiness.

Reduce, I pray, the meaness in me.

When I am out of sorts, help me to hold my tongue.

May I ever be mindful that my children are children

and I should not expect of them the judgment of adults.

Let me not rob them of the opportunity to wait on themselves and make decisions.

Bless me with the bigness to grant all their reasonable requests

and the courage to deny them privileges I know will do them harm.

Make me fair and just and kind.

And fit me, O Lord, to be loved and respected and imitated by my children.

Amen.

Stories Told in Water, Grapes and Grain

During this Lenten season, I have been having a wonderful time exploring the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion with our 2^nd -5^th graders and their parents. As we “play” with water, fire and different kinds of bread, I am reminded all over again about the power of our Christian Story.

Christians are a people set within the Story of God’s loving and saving actions in the world. The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are God’s “show- and- tell” or, as John Wesley wrote in the Articles of Religion, “They are certain signs of grace, and God's good will toward us, by which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm, our faith in him.” Water, grapes and grain graft us to God’s story. When we pray over the water at Baptism, that water connects us to the water of Creation, the water of the Great Flood, the water the Israelites traveled through on their way out of slavery into freedom, and the water in which Jesus was baptized. We participate in these stories, and through the water, they become part of our experience too. Water is God’s vehicle of new life and it flows throughout Christian life. We are renewed and re-born in it.

As we celebrate Holy Communion each Sunday during Lent, we are given the chance to experience our story as God’s people through the grapes and grain. Just like the baptismal prayer over the water, the communion prayers remind us of who we are, how we got to be that way and what God has done for us in Jesus. As our Pastors lead us in the Great Thanksgiving and then consecrate the bread and cup, listen carefully to the story that is told; the covenants God made with us that we broke, and how Jesus restores us to right relationship with God, “In love you made us for yourself; and when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, your love remained steadfast . . . Blessed is your Son Jesus Christ whom you sent in the fullness of time to redeem the world” (UMH pg. 62). The prayers may differ a bit from week to week, but through them, the story of our redemption in Jesus is told. In the bread and the juice, the new life given us through Jesus in baptism, is sustained, nurtured and grown by the regular family meal at Christ’s table.

As John Wesley reminds us in his sermon, The Duty of Constant Communion,” The benefits of [Holy Communion] are so great to all that do it in obedience to him; the forgiveness of our past sins and the present strengthening and refreshing of our souls.”We are never too young or too old to be reminded that we are formed by God to be part of God’s story. We are never too young or too old to share the family meal. Eating and drinking together at the table is the visible sign of God’s grace – the place where we all belong, where we all are welcomed and valued, where we are forgiven and restored joyfully to our place in God’s story.

See you at the family table this Sunday!

Dr. Elizabeth

Lenten Communion Thoughts

As part of our communal Lenten discipline, we are experiencing Holy Communion each Sunday during Lent. While our children have been receiving Communion regularly, up until now, they have received it with their church school class. Lent offers us the opportunity to have our children worship with their families – a grace that brings both blessings and challenges of its own! Here are some tips to help you experience Holy Communion together:

· Worship begins before the service: Remind your children Saturday night or on your way to Church on Sunday morning that we will be sharing God’s special meal together and that everyone is welcome at God’s table.

· Let your children know where you are: On your way to Church School, show your children where you will be sitting so they can find you when they come into Church.

· If your children are readers: help them follow along in the hymnal as we begin the Great Thanksgiving.

· If your children are not readers yet: Our Church School music program has introduced our children to the music we sing during the Great Thanksgiving and the consecration prayer. Nudge them when it is time and invite them to sing with you.

· Follow the action: Remind your children to watch carefully what the Pastors do with their hands during the prayer of consecration. They take, bless and break the bread and offer up the cup. Watch particularly for the part where the bread is broken.

· Help your children receive: As we come forward to be fed by Jesus, our hands are lifted up, one palm over the other (making a crib or throne for Jesus depending on how it works best for your children) to receive the bread. Then we take the bread and dip it in the cup and place it in our mouths. If your child would like to come forward but does not wish to receive, hands are crossed over the chest so the server knows to bless the child rather than distribute the elements.

· Holy Communion is the food of the baptized Christian: The bread and cup nurture us and help us to grow. Much like the benefit of vitamins, we do not have to know cognitively how Jesus is with us in Holy Communion. We receive grace to grow on when we take the bread and juice into our bodies, souls and hearts!

Remember to say “thank you!”: When you return to your seat, take a minute with your children to say “thank you” to Jesus for having us at his table

Lenten Thoughts

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 "Alleluia" beginning on Ash Wednesday. We do not say it again until Easter when we kindle the new fire and light the paschal candle.

It can be hard to keep a "holy Lent" at home. 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. 24 in the UMH Hymnal)

The seasonal color for Lent is purple - it is both the color of penitence 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 ways 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.

Grace and peace,

Dr. Elizabeth