Event | Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Children's Ministry Event

Some photos and ideas from our Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Children's Ministry Event

Cadbury Eggs re-wrapped in gold foil sheets placed on a deviled egg plate.  A large gold plastic egg sits on a bed of Easter grass in the center. Veruca Salt would eat this up!

Walnut-shaped cookies with Nutella filling are served in a vintage nut bowl.  A ceramic squirrel sits nearby.

Story | The Stoning of Stephen

Although the ritual was not often performed, the villagers still remembered to use stones.  A pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready by the edge of the cliff, just outside the city; there were stones on the ground as well.  Dvir, one of the witnesses, selected a stone so large he had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Oren.  “Come on,” he said.  “Hurry up.”

Oren had small stones in both hands, and he said, gasping for breath, “I can’t run at all.  You’ll have to go ahead and I’ll catch up with you.”

The children had stones already, and someone gave little David a few pebbles.

Earlier in the day, the villagers had seen Stephen’s face.  He looked as if he were an angel.  But in their rage, they could no longer see him clearly.  The villagers dragged Stephen out of the city, pressing in on him, edging him backward toward the cliff.  A stone hit him on the side of the head.  With all his strength, Oren pushed Stephen, who fell over the cliff.  Dvir threw the large stone.  Old Omri was saying, “Come on, come on, everyone.”  A young man named Saul was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with their tunics piled beside him. 

“Lord Jesus,” Stephen prayed, “Do not hold this sin against them.”  He cried out in a loud voice, and then they were upon him.[i]   

---

[i] The story of Stephen is told in an homage to Shirley Jackson short story, “The Lottery.”

Reflection | From seaside to mountaintop, God is with us

For over 25 years, my extended family vacationed on the coast of North Carolina.  For one week of the summer, we breathed in the salty air, buried our feet and bodies in the white sands of the beach, collected sea shells, tried to catch tiny crabs and lizards, and laughed and played in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.  The last summer my own family was at the beach, we stayed up late to await the hatching of a nest of 100 loggerhead sea turtle eggs.  It was an awesome sight to see the 2-inch hatchlings crawl from the dunes to the ocean to begin their new life. 

Breaking tradition this year, the family gathered in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  An early morning outing led a small group of us toward the peak of Clingmans Dome, 6643 feet above sea level.  After parking our vehicle, we hiked the final half mile to the observation tower.  I paused often to catch my breath in the higher altitude, and to survey the lush plant and animal life.  The National Park Service reports that over 17,000 species have been documented in the park, with the possibly of another 30,000 to 80,000 species yet to be cataloged.  Though the view from the top was limited, there was a mysterious beauty to the evergreen trees visible through the smoky fog.  

As I think about vacations past, the words of Psalm 139 come to mind: "Lord, you have searched me out; O Lord, you have known me... Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I climb up to heaven, you are there; if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand will lead me and your right hand hold me fast" (vv. 1, 7-9). 

Whether we're on the beach or at the bottom of the ocean, whether we're in the deepest canyon or on the highest peak, whether we're in the rain forest or on the prairie, whether we're away or at home, whether we're working or resting, God's people can trust that the Creator who marvelously made us and wonderfully works in us is leading us and holding us. 

Sermon | "Creator / Father" | Holy Trinity, Year A

Sermon Text: Genesis 1:1--2:4a

In the beginning, Pinocchio was formless, a large, dead, log, void of any life or personality.  But like any good artist, Geppetto could see the life of possibilities within the wood.  It was evening, the Geppetto's workshop was lit by candlelight, and the moon and stars watched him get to work.    

With hammer and chisel in hand, Geppetto quickly stripped the log of its rough, outer bark, revealing a smooth surface underneath.  He carefully studied the grain of the wood, and sketched with pencil the rough outline of the head, trunk, and limbs of his creation.  Geppetto worked quickly, and quietly, chips of wood flying as the form of a boy began to appear.  The chisels Geppetto selected got smaller and smaller, as he refined the details of his puppet--a round head, with round cheeks, a button nose, and a mischievous smile.  A slender neck connected Pinocchio's head with this cylindrical body.  Two arms were jointed at the shoulders, elbows and wrists.  Two legs jointed at the hips, knees and ankles. 

The chisel and hammer were set down, the rasp and file picked up.  Then sandpaper, from coarse to fine, made the wooden puppet as smooth as skin. 

And, at last, Gepetto put down his tools and rested.  Pinocchio sat before him, and Gepetto the Artist surveyed his Artwork.  The Woodworker, his Woodwork.  The Creator, his Creature.  And as the sun rose outside the workshop, Gepetto looked at Pinocchio bright in the morning sunlight, and saw that what he had made was good.  Very good.

But Pinocchio was no ordinary puppet.  Gepetto had created him in his own likeness.  He had poured his heart and soul into his project.  So Pinocchio was a living puppet, a marionette without strings.  When Pinocchio ventured out that morning to explore the world beyond the workshop, no one was controlling him, no one was making choices for him, no one was pulling the strings.  Pinocchio strolled down the streets of the village, amazed by all he saw.  By and by, Pinocchio met "Honest" John, a sly fox, and his associate Gideon.  "Honest" John--who was not so honest--Gideon tempted Pinocchio lured him and all the other boys they could find to "Pleasure Island," where there were no adults and no rules and no curfews.  So with no one to stop them, Pinocchio and the other boys enjoyed all the pleasures of Pleasure Island--gambling, smoking, vandalizing, getting drunk... 

When Pinocchio awoke the next morning, he realized he had made an jackass of himself.  I mean, he really felt like a donkey.  He felt long donkey ears coming from his head, and he reached back and felt a donkey tail on his behind.  The other boys too were  turning into donkeys.    

Frightened, Pinocchio left Pleasure Island and ran, fast as his wooden legs would take him, back to the only home he had ever known--Gepetto's workshop.  He cried as he ran, his sobs becoming "hee haws," and his run becoming a trot as his transformation from puppet to donkey was nearly complete.  Finally, he reached Gepetto's workshop.  Hot tears ran down Pinocchio's donkey snout, tears of shame and fear.  He told Gepetto his story, hee-hawing his guilt, his regret, his remorse, as Gepetto listened.    

Gepetto held Donkey Pinocchio and embraced him in his strong arms.  "I created you.  I love you.  I forgive you."  Gepetto said.  And as Gepetto held Pinocchio, Gepetto's grace, love and forgiveness transformed Pinocchio.  Not from donkey to back to puppet, but from donkey to real boy.

And together they lived, Artist and Artwork.  Woodworker and Woodwork.  Creator and Creature.  Father and Son. 

And they lived happily ever after. 

The End.

*   *   *

Sometimes a story like this one, or a fable, or song, or poem, are able to carry deep truths better than a news report or a piece of non-fiction.  The story of Pinocchio and Gepetto carries deep truths about our own relationships with our Creator, our Heavenly Father.      

The same is true of our First Reading this morning, from the first chapters of the Bible.  In the poetry of Genesis one, we hear, "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth...

God is the Creator... of Day and Night, Sky and Sea, Vegetation and Fruit, Sun and Moon.  God is the Creator of Flying Creatures, Swimming Creatures, Creeping Creatures.... And the Creatures known as Humans.  God is our Creator.    

"God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them."

And God's creation, God's creatures, were good.  Very Good. 

But also, very bad. 

As the story of Genesis unfolds, we hear of humanity's failures: Adam and Eve tempted by the serpent in the Garden.  Cain killing his brother Abel.  The wickedness of humanity in the days before the Flood.  The division among humankind at the Tower of Babel.    

Not long after the Creation, the relationship between the Creatures and the Creator became stretched, strained, shattered.

But, there is a happy ending to the story.  The Creator sent his Child to earth, to rescue, to restore, to redeem.  Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God is made known to us.  Through the Son, we know the love of the Father. 

God is not only our Creator, but also our Father.  God's grace, love and forgiveness transform us, make us his children, make us real, make us who we were meant to be.

This transformation begins at the font, when we are baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We are made children of the Father, united to the Son through the death and resurrection of Christ, sealed and filled with the Spirit. 
We are held forever, in the gracious, loving, transforming embrace of our Triune God, now and forever.  Even to the end of the age.  Amen. 

Reflection | How Children Grow Strong, Grow Wise, and Grow with God

The Gospel of Luke tells us that the newborn Jesus "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him" (Luke 2:40). 

As a parent of a four-year old boy and 21-month old triplets, that is what I want for my children.  For them to grow--to grow strong, to grow wise, to grow in their relationship with God.  As a pastor, that is what I want for the children of my congregations and communities.  For them to grow--to grow strong, to grow wise, to grow in their relationship with God. 

How does this happen?  How do children grow?  Earlier in Luke's gospel, we are told that Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, took him to Jerusalem to the Temple to present him to the Lord.  While at the Temple, they met Simeon.  Simeon is described as being righteous and devout and filled with the Spirit.  The text suggests that Simeon was an old man, close to death, but they Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not see death until he had seen God's chosen Messiah.  Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God saying, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation..." (2:29-30).

Mary, Joseph, and Jesus also met Anna at the Temple.  Anna was a great woman of a great age.  She never left the Temple, but worshipped there day and night, fasting and praying.  Anna, too, praises God because of the child Jesus (2:36-38). 

When Mary, and Joseph, and Jesus had finished at the Temple, they returned to Nazareth in Galilee.  Jesus grew strong, grew wise, and grew in his relationship with God.

How?  First, Mary and Joseph spent time with Jesus in the Temple, in God's presence.  Then Jesus grew.  Joseph and Jesus spent time with God's people, like Simeon.  Then Jesus grew strong.  Mary and Jesus spent time with a great woman like Anna.  Then Jesus became filled with wisdom.

Parenting children is a challenging task, helping them grow can be difficult.  However, my wife and I have found that when our children are in God's house of worship, when they are surrounded by God's people of all ages, when they hear the stories of God and of Jesus, when they are prayed for and blessed, when their child-like faith is nourished, then they flourish. 

That is how children grow. That is how children become strong.  That is how they become filled with wisdom.  That is how they grow in their relationship with God.

Reflection | "Wit and Wisdom" | Time After Pentecost

There’s a saying where I come from – “knee high by the fourth of July.’  It means if a field of corn is knee high by Independence Day, the crop is off to a good start.

There are other seasonal bits of wisdom that have become part of our language.  “In like a lion, out like a lamb,” sometimes describes the month of March.  Or how about, “April showers bring May flowers.”  (What do May flowers bring?  Pilgrims, of course). 

This one’s new to me: “A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly.” 

The Old Testament books of Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs are the Bible’s books of wisdom.  The book of Proverbs contains a number of collections of short sayings that are often true about life.  Here are a few:

“Hatred stirs up disputes, but love covers all offenses” (10:2).

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by virtuous living” (16:31).

“Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (31:30).

The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters.  You could read one chapter each day during the month of July—read chapter 1 by July 1, chapter 2 by July 2, chapter 3 by July 3, and read chapter 4… “by the Fourth of July.” 

Reflection | "The Rest of the Story" | Season of Easter

Paul Harvey passed away on February 28, 2009.  From the young age of 14 until his death at age 90, Paul Harvey was involved in radio broadcasting.  Harvey was known for catch phrases he used at the beginning of his programs, such as “Hello, Americans, I’m Paul Harvey.  You know what the news is, in a minute, you’re going to hear… The Rest of the Story.”

Beginning as a part of his newscasts during World War II and then premiering as its own series in 1976, The Rest of the Story consists of factual stories on a variety of subjects with a surprise or “twist” saved until the end.  For instance, Paul Harvey might tell a story from the childhoods of Henry and his brother, Samuel, who was born in Florida.  In the end, The Rest of the Story is that Samuel is Samuel Clemens, born in Florida, Missouri, and is better known to most… as Mark Twain.

As I write, we are nearing the beginning of Holy Week.  On Palm Sunday, we will hear the story of Jesus’ Passion.  On Maundy Thursday, we hear the story of his Last Supper and how “the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).  We hear the story of Jesus’ betrayal, how “the devil had already put in the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him” (John 13:2).

On Good Friday, the story continues with Peter’s denial, the flogging of Jesus, and the crown of thorns.  We hear the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.  In the story of Jesus, we hear the words of Psalm 22 echo: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  But the story does not end there…

On Easter morning, we hear the story of Jesus’ Resurrection.  On Easter, we hear The Rest of the Story:  “As the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow.  For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.  But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.  Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’  This is my message to you.” 

And that, as Paul Harvey would say, is The Rest of the Story!