Child of God, Welcome to Church!

This month, in Mustard Seeds, we are talking about being a child of God and being in a faith family.  We know we have mommies and daddies and other relatives, but a faith family also includes others who help us grown in our faith.  

On our first Sunday in Mustard Seeds, we decorated a candle with multicolored tissue paper.  The colors are similar to stained glass windows we commonly see at church.

Our multicolored candles and the stained glass windows can symbolize how the pieces of a church and the pieces of our faith family work together as part of a bigger picture: God.  We support each other, work with each other and play with each other, and together we create a beautiful, complete picture of what the kingdom of God can look like.  I invited the parents (and you, if you decide to make one!) to light the candle when they are having some quiet, getting-to-bed time with their child.  That moment when, despite all the chaos of the day, we read a story, sing a lullaby, or tell stories to lull our children to sleep.  When you are done, you can bring it out of the room, extinguish it and put it somewhere special, to remember that you are children of God.  You can talk about how the candle has many colors around it, like all different people together make up part of what God looks like when we care for and help each other.

The following Sunday, the children used dot painters to decorate a paper tree with all kinds of colored dots.  They got a little crazy and made many dots!  Then the parents filled in names for each dot of people in their faith family.  We all have a “family tree”, but this is their “faith family tree”, which includes relatives, teachers, special day care providers, nursery workers, pastors, Sunday school teachers, even pets.  I included Mr. Rogers in mine, even though I didn’t personally know him, but he taught me so much about love, patience, expressing feelings and listening to part of myself, which helps me understand right and wrong. Anyone can be in your faith family.  Who is in your faith family? Your child’s?  Don’t forget to put your child on your faith family tree.  We can learn so much from our children about God when we listen to and wonder with them. 

 

Next week, we will be learning about the church sanctuary and go on a look and find tour between services.  The children will be able to look, feel and experience all that our sanctuary inspires and symbolizes and our children can know that these rituals are for children as well as adults.  See you there!

Remembering to Start Fresh

In the Lutheran tradition, when children are baptized, the parents or sponsors are given a candle to light and remember the child's baptism each year.  The tricky part is that lighting a candle in a house with a newborn through about 20 years old is not easy.

How can we remember our children's baptismal anniversaries as well as any other children or adults that we have sponsored?  What about your own?

The first thing to do is to decide why we are marking this date. When your baby is first baptized, that item on your 'to-do' can get rolled in to all the other things we strive to do as parents.  We want to be the parent we always imagined we would be: responsible, raising our child faithfully, attending to all the details of taking care of a child's spiritual well-being.  To me, just merely reminding myself that I am a "child of God" felt elitist, like my baptism sets me apart from the non-baptized (though I know this is not the original intent) and I do not personally believe that this is true.  My heart and core believes believe that every child is special, and every child is God's creation, loved by God.  So what am I celebrating when I light that candle (if indeed I remember and accomplish getting it lit).  

Pastor Mike, of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Kirkland says that we remember our baptism and the baptisms of those that we love and sponsor, by starting fresh.  In the baptism service, we say that we die to sin and are made new, and water reminds us of this blessing.  

I don't know about you, but I could sure use a fresh start sometimes.  With my husband, with my kids, with my Godchildren, with myself.  As a parent and as a bellwether of attitude and response for my family, I fall short of my expectations all the time.  Not just because they are sky-high and un-reachable, though that is the same problem I encounter with living as a child of God.  Note that I never fall short of God's expectations though.  She is the gossamer hand you almost can't feel, soothing you after you've reprimanded yourself for the 100th time for not being a good enough parent.  She is the one waking you with a kiss in the morning through your children who never noticed that Christmas wasn't anything to "pin" about this year.  She is the one teaching you to be a parent constantly by being like a parent to you in showing us her unconditional love. 

Take one day of this year and celebrate the fresh start of God's unconditional love with water and light.  Light candles at dinner, or simply turn the lights on and be thankful that you can do so.  If your children are little, give them a bath, or chat with them while they are in the tub if they like to do so.  Go to a waterpark together as a family, or just turn on the sprinkler in the front yard if it is summer.  When you do these things, remember to start over. 

If you've been struggling with an overly-curious 1 year old, an argumentative 4 year old, a withdrawn 8 year old or an unpredictable teenager, use this moment to start fresh.  They will sense it in you.  If you have sponsored people and forgotten to send that baptism card in the mail every year or whatever you imagined yourself doing, start fresh.  Don't even wait for their baptism, contact them now to let them know you're thinking of them.  Take them out for frozen yogurt or send them an awesome book you love or just send them a letter or email. Use your language that you are comfortable using to tell them "I love you and I am thinking about you".

You can roll all these baptisms you want to remember into one day if you want.  Make it Baptism Day.  I recommend a day in the summer where you can work sprinklers or watering the garden into it, but you can also tour Christmas lights in your neighborhood or use your traditional Advent candles instead of lighting the one 'official' candle (one of my kids' candles is broken) that lies somewhere in a box at home.  Get out and experience the starting over-ness that God has planned for you.  Renew those relationships and renew yourself.  You are not the you of yesterday.  Start over.

Starting fresh: I can get on board with that.

The God-Cloth

A few weeks ago, my 4 ½ year old was busy at the art table.  She was using tape and quietly making something, though I couldn’t see around the corner exactly what it was.  She came out several minutes later, and presented me with a tissue.  It was just a plain tissue, except for the many beads scotch-taped to it.  One piece of tape held down three beads, another encased one bead and still another strained to hold four beads of varying sizes in place.  My daughter presented it to me ceremoniously and announced, “It’s a God Cloth

“Oh!  That’s very nice!  Tell me more about it” I said

“It’s a God-Cloth.” She repeated, with some exasperation, “You put it over your face to pray”.  She demonstrated by holding the bead-side over her face.

So, what do you do when your child hands you a God-cloth to pray in? 

You follow her directions and do it!

As parents who have hopes and dreams for your child’s faith formation, you may feel time slipping quickly by and feel pressured by well-meaning strangers and acquaintances telling you to “treasure every moment!”  However, trying to be, teach and ‘treasure’ every moment with your child is a tall order!  Here’s the good news (and you’re welcome to spread it):  You DON’T have to treasure every moment.  Just treasure the moments that are special to you.  You’ll know which ones they are – the ones that make that little voice in your heart whisper, “stay, and listen!” Trust your instinct, that you will notice these moments and sometimes just being present and a witness to how important it is to your child is enough. 

When I put the “God-Cloth” to my face at my daughter’s request, I was participating with her in her wonderings about God.  I didn’t have to supply answers on the history of prayer aids or supply a specially-written “God-Cloth prayer”.  I didn’t even have to save the God Cloth in that case.  She had moved on and the tissue remained on the counter for a few days before it was filed away in the trash.  Our moment together was enough. Sometimes the best faith lessons do not have words. 

Just be yourself –know that you are enough – and be present to your child around special moments that present themselves.  At that time, take a brief break from stirring mac & cheese, cleaning the toilet, planning out an event or project or Pinterest-ing, and give them your full attention.  Rather than try to make sense out of it, participate in it with them first and be a witness to their wondering.  Let them know that you will always listen to them and let them explore their faith. 

The Lent Tent

You can involve your young children in the liturgical season of Lent by setting aside a space for reflection.  No really!  You can do this by designating a "Lent Tent"

We have a great play tent that a friend gave us, but we could have used a sun shade, a small tent, a box or even a special corner of the house with blankets, pillows and beanbags.   And, the other important supply to make this a place of reflection is to pile all the books that you have on spirituality, God, Jesus, etc. into one place.  Let your child read whatever they want whenever they want in their special space.  They don't have to follow any other special rules - kids have a great way of changing your best laid plans into their version, but let them.  That's where we get to learn from them.  Let your child know that this is a place that will always have a quiet space for them as long as they want it to be quiet (that's up to them) and books galore.  I loved seeing my complete library of spiritual kids books in one place (I have many that are Mustard Seeds books and a few library books that I plan to return to the church library soon). 

My oldest daughter is writing in her journal in this picture and following a modified version of my Lenten Writing Project at www.spirit2spiritwriters.blogspot.com.  She is getting some extra writing practice by committing to write each of the 40 days of Lent.  Today's prompt is a little grownup, so I have given her the prompt: how would you describe God to someone.  If God was a character in a book, what would the description be like?

Now my 7-year-old is reading a book to the 4-year-old that I've been trying to get them to read for months now.  Somehow, sister-to-sister reading is better suited to that book I guess.

Blessings to you as we journey though Lent!

Remembering Baptismal Anniversaries With Joy, Not Guilt

ALLELUIA!!

Did you celebrate your children’s baptismal anniversary this year?  What about your own?  Families are busier than ever and even though baptismal anniversaries may be an important part of your personal theology, it’s easy to miss the *exact date* every year for each of your kids and/or yourself, your spouse, godchildren…the list goes on.  One way to find a solution is to celebrate baptismal anniversaries within everyday experiences or pick a date and have a ‘family baptismal anniversary day’ for everyone together.  Either way offers the time to be thankful and honor the baptisms of yourself and others that are in your life.

Celebrate your baptismal anniversary with water:

1.  Drink those 8 glasses of water you always hear about in order to celebrate the healthy body that God gave you.  Say a prayer of thankfulness with each one.
2. Take time when washing the dishes to think about and pray for others.  Remember the baptisms you’ve seen or been a part of.  Be conscious of the water and how it moves and works in its gentle way with the mess on these dishes and the skin on your hands, and remember how the spirit can move us in its gentle way as well.
3. Visit a local waterfall or if you are on a camping vacation, make sure to visit a waterfall on your trip.  Get as close as you safely can to the falls to feel the mist on your skin (of course, make sure you’re following the rules of the park).  Take some time to write, take or draw pictures and think about the water cascading over the falls and God’s creation.  Marvel at the power of the water to shape the rock underneath.
4.  Go to a waterpark with your kids.  Instead of screaming “Cannonball”, you can scream “Alleluia” before barreling down the slides.  Why not?
5. Go out in the rain on a rainy day and let yourself splash in puddles – put on your raingear and go crazy.  Be thankful for all the gifts that the rain bestows upon the earth and the animals and people that depend on it. 
6. Go to a children’s museum with kids where there is a water sensory area.  Frolic with them.
7. Think or write about or photograph animals that use water as part of their lives.  Ducks, worms, bugs, frogs, beavers etc.  Say a prayer of thanks for them.
8. Take a long, hot shower or bath and be conscious of the healing properties of the water, for both body and mind.
9. Start with water for a meal to make something wonderful: pasta, iced tea, soup, rice, beans, etc..  Say a prayer of thanks for the nourishment that can be built up with it.
10. 3 words: family Jacuzzi soak!

Celebrating your baptismal anniversary with light

1. Say a prayer of thanks for the sun and its presence.  Think about, how the sun is always overhead in the daytime – even on the cloudiest day.  Even though we may not see it above the clouds its life-giving properties are still there for us.
2. Conserve electricity for the day and turn off lights.  Be thankful that their luminescence is still available at the flip of a switch.  Use candles to light up the dark instead.
3. Notice and appreciate the light you see within others that day – notice and appreciate the light you see within yourself.
4. Buy one of the inexpensive candles from the grocery store in the Mexican food aisle of Mary, Jesus and/or one of the saints and light it to focus your meditation and prayer that day/night.  Use it to symbolize the spirit of God’s presence when you write, read, meditate or pray.
5. Do a flashlight prayer labyrinth with kids – lay down a spiral shape on the floor with painter’s tape and let the kids use a flashlight to follow the pattern in a dark room.  Typically a simple labyrinth can be a spiral in and then back out with a pause at the middle for reflection and meditation.

Don’t make celebrating baptismal anniversaries a to-do list item that you feel guilty about trying to find time for.  Intead, find what resonates and fits in with what you are already doing as a family.  You can always celebrate in the way that you pictured when you or your child first felt the splash if that fits with your family, but it’s not the only way.  God knows and calls each of us by name and it’s up to us how we want to reflect that love and that call in a way that resonates with us and with our families.  There are as many ways to celebrate baptism as there children of God!

First Sunday of Epiphany: 3 Kings Day

Here is a crown that one of our Mustard Seeds made,
along with the gift that they "delivered" to baby Jesus.

On the first Sunday in the liturgical season of Epiphany, we celebrated 3 Kings Day!  On this day and throughout the season of Epiphany we remember the Magi that God called to seek Jesus.  We celebrate that God's love extends beyond any Earthly boundaries that we may create.

Parents helping their little ones make crowns for 3  Kings Day.

In Mustard Seeds, we celebrated Epiphany by decorating crowns to celebrate 3 kings day as you can see above.  The kids had fun choosing stickers to stick on the paper towel tubes that I cut into crowns.

We have a sign on the door to bless the room and all who enter and also to welcome Magi  mentioned by name in the Bible (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar) and all modern-day seekers of light and truth.  20+C+M+B+13 can be written in chalk over the door of or on the lintel of homes as a blessing on that home (the date, 2013 with the initials of the 3 wise men, C, M & B in the middle, which can also be translated as a blessing on the home.)  Some churches even do a blessing on the chalk that is used to inscribe this.  I used a modified chalk blessing on the sign that we have on our Sunday school door and it welcomes all who seek and serve. 

This is a printout of the sign that hangs on the door.
I made a simple one with quotes and clip art on Ppt.  Easy!

In class, we played a game of following a flashlight star over a baby doll to give that doll a gift.  The gift that we used was a gold box with a heart ornament inside it.  Some of our Mustard Seeds wanted to carry only the heart.  Others wanted to carry only the box.  Others just wanted to hold the flashlight.  Each had their own way of searching for the Baby Jesus and each of them found him, laying beneath the "star".  We, as parents are also searching and questioning and journeying.  This is part of God's plan and we can choose to love the search and be strengthened by it, knowing that God is already as close as our very breath.

I had to recreate this game for the picture without the kiddos, because they move fast!  

Our parent question was parallel to our Epiphany topic: What are your experiences, travelling with your little ones?  Some parents had traveled during the Christmas season and others had travel stories from summer vacations.  Children add a dimension of ultra-preparation to our travels and each had stories of how unexpected people had been helpful or understanding if things got rocky. 

Our sensory bin this month is a big box of bows.  The little ones love to spill them out of the box, place them around the room or try to put them in their mouths.  After Christmas, bows are marked for clearance because the gifting season is over, but according to the liturgical calendar, our season of celebrating gifts has just begun because we are celebrating the gift of God's son into the world. As caretakers of children, we have a dimension of appreciation for how a child can be like our very hearts walking about in this world - connected to us by a cord of love so strong that nothing can sever it.  Meditate this season on how Jesus was an earthly and Godly son, even beyond what we can humanly understand of love.  Know that we are children of God - of a love that is almost too magnificent to comprehend.

4th Sunday in Advent: Songs & Service

This Sunday, we talked about songs and service.   We talked about songs in our parent discussion topic and sang ‘Away in the Manger’ together so that it would be familiar to the little ones on Christmas Eve.  We sang some fun Christmas action songs as well.  We also talked about  service by making a service project!  I am so proud of all the parents that were able to participate in this service project, as well as all the parents that may get an idea to do this on their own: we made Blessing Bags.

Blessing Bags are bags of necessities – food, hygiene supplies, etc. to give out to the needy and homeless among us.  I requested at the beginning of the month that each family bring in 10 of an item from a list below (10 pairs of gloves or 10 packets of hot cocoa in one box or 10 granola bars, etc.).  Most of these items can be found at the dollar store and/or in a multi-pack.  I brought in extras as well because the point of this project was that we all pack 1 of each item into 10 Ziploc bags and each person gives their bag away sometime when they encounter a person that may need it.  Some ideas of supplies are: granola bars, cereal bars or snack crackers, peanut butter packets, beef jerky, little boxes of raisins, peanuts, applesauce cups or squeezers, fruit cups, juice boxes, trail mix, gum, mints, bottled water, hot cocoa mix, instant coffee packets, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, tooth brush, toothpaste, washcloth, hand towel, soap, comb, nail clippers, socks, gloves, hand warmers, chap stick and travel sized tissues. 

Everyone brought in an amazing amount of supplies and we each took turns making a bag while our young ones played on the floor or colored together.  This week, I didn’t get a chance to take any pictures and THEN, when I got home, I realized that even though everyone got a blessing bag and one of our Mustard Seed moms kindly took all the extras to The Seattle Church of Mary Magdalene , I FORGOT to take one myself to give out!!  Gaah!!  However, you will be happy to know that I did not let me off the hook.  I made a blessing bag from items I had at home and plan to add a few more and give it away as well.  I am glad that I got an additional opportunity to prove that it is easy to make these bags by all the blessings that we have ourselves already.  Here’s a picture of the one that I made:

The parent topic this week was to share our favorite Christmas carol and the significance of that carol.  Also, the story for this week was SilentNight (Sing and Read Storybook) , illustrated by Darcy May, which we all sang together as I turned the pages for the pictures.  The last thing I did was to read a storybook to the grownups as well as the kids.  I read a beautifully illustrated and written book called Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, a Newberry Medal winner and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.  It tells the story of a little girl who sees a man and his performing monkey living on the street and she invites him to her Christmas Pageant at her church.  I highly recommend this beautiful, thoughtful book about giving.

Lastly, as a gift to the Mustard Seeds families, I gave everyone this:

 

We as Mustard Seeds are truly blessed.  We are blessed to see our children grow in faith, body and mind and we see our own faith grow and develop as well.  Thanks be to God!