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Hello families,
After making love gifts over the last month or so in the Art Room on Wednesday nights, we finally got to give them away freely, no strings attached, at the Pride Parade.
Now if you didn't know, there was a lot of learning going on behind this project:
1) First and foremost - The greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37–40) where Jesus says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself". Lots of discussions about 'Who is our neighbor', who gets our love easily and who do we have to strive to love, who have we not noticed that needs our love, it is hard to love sometimes.
2) We love unconditionally, without strings attached, not expecting anything in return. God is our model - God loves us completely, just as we are, without any prerequisites. We can do nothing to lose that love. ( this is a hard one for young children, so we practice!)
3)This is Ba-BOOM-Ba! We are called to act out of love, expecting nothing in return, and yet, we are filled back up by love.
All the discussion in the world doesn't prepare the kids for what actually happens on that sidewalk that day. Watching folks that are wary of the Church ( many for good reason) try to slide by unnoticed, only to be roped in by children loudly saying "Come get some love for free!". They walk over hesitantly and are enveloped by the love from these children. Pretty soon they are letting themselves be tattoed by an 8 year old or given a bracelet by a 5 year old with so much joy and acceptance, they forget they were hurrying to the parade. Then comes the 'Aha' moment for the kids - these folks ask if they can pay for the gifts. The kids lift their heads and smile and so, 'No, love is given freely'. And then the surprised looks, the teary eyes, the warm smiles from their 'neighbors' wash over our kids and fill their hearts. And they know. They know what true love is.
One last important learning for me is that our simple little homemade Pop Up shop is a huge statement to gay folks in our church and maybe even an example to fellow parishioners of how to love. Here are two comments I received after Sunday:
"Thank you for doing this and being a visible sign of acceptance and love for us. And for teaching these young children about love. I pulled down my usual guard and let that love fill me up. I felt seen."
"This is a perfect example of how the children can lead us. They are learning so much better than I did how to love all people."
Peace,
Kathy
**I need a helper or two for this Sunday in Children's Church. If you haven't helped yet, use the QR code below to sign up.
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