I have heard some lamenting over the past year when it comes to workers in the church. This cartoon I drew about volunteers and donuts in 2013 reminds me that volunteering has changed dramatically since the pandemic.
While some teenagers may still be as enthusiastic as the guy in the cartoon, it has been a challenge to recruit volunteers. This article from Christianity Today illustrates the challenges many churches are facing.
Alas, if you get slapped with a restraining order, you probably aren’t loving your neighbors the right way! What does it look like to help those around us when society has become very suspicious of anyone offering help?
This morning, I am going to be teaching kids what it means to love your neighbor. As I’m thinking about this, I naturally tend to think about Mr. Rogers. He had a nice way of making difficult concepts simple. Here is one of his quotes.
“When we look for what’s best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does, so in appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred.”
Fred Rogers
We teach our kids to immediately be suspicious of others. We tell our kids to be aware of “stranger danger.” And it is good to help our kids have awareness of potential hazards. Unfortunately, there are evil people out there.
But there are also good people out there. There are ways to nurture giving in our children. And really, loving our neighbor is all about being generous. We can love because we are thankful for what we have and can give to those around us who are in need.
But what if our neighbors have no material needs? We all need to be recognized and affirmed. It may look different for each person. Some may want to be left alone. If so, what are ways we can show love by being considerate and generous?
In a world that teaches us to be scared of our neighbors, I am thinking today about how to treat my neighbor like I would want to be treated. How do we become good neighbors?
The other day, my seven-year-old niece and her mom were decorating the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music. Santa Baby came on the smart speaker. As my niece listened to the lyrics, she remarked, “That lady doesn’t sound very content!” It was music to my ears because the Sunday school lesson that day was on contentment. Thank you Sunday school teachers!
Four years ago, I remarked how Santa Baby wasn’t my favorite song. It’s a bit strong on the avarice and innuendo. It ranks down there for me with Baby it’s Cold Outside. Come one, people! We don’t want to explain these away to elementary kids. And they definitely should not be in the queue for Sunday morning worship.
I went ahead and redrew the cartoon I did in 2017. I wanted a steadier line and a color version. Thanks to my niece, I was reminded, once again, why I’m not a fan of this little ditty.
Even if it is cold outside, I recommend sticking to a classic such as, Let it Snow.
There’s nothing like a good Bible story to inspire preschoolers. And there’s no other story like David and Goliath to get the kids going.
It is the story of the underdog going at the champion by faith. David has no armor, his brothers aren’t supportive. The king has the attitude of “good luck, because you’re going to need it!”
And yet, the kid conquers the giant. David doesn’t just barely make it. He kills him, collects the spoils and causes the enemy army to run in disarray. The unthinkable suddenly becomes reality because a boy had faith and determination.
So I can understand if a preschooler gets excited and wants to try out her own slingshot skills. Just be careful when that happens. You may want to bring some safety glasses to Sunday school this morning, just in case.
