Worship has been much on my mind recently, not necessarily the liturgy or the music or whether to be online or in person for Christmas services, but mostly I’ve been pondering the innate human need to worship, and its various manifestations.
Through a Glass, Darkly
I smile as the 4-year-old shows me Butterscotch, her much-loved bunny; Butterscotch proceeds to die two days later, and I cannot help or hold the child in her grief.
Scratching in the Cat Box of My Mind
Howard Thurman writes, “In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair.”
Perception
“Grandma, where’s your mean picture?” asks my seven-year old grandson.“Mean” picture? Our house is full of family photos, paintings, icons – but I can’t think of any “mean” pictures.
The vast expanse of interstellar space
At the local library yesterday, my four-year-old granddaughter listened to stories about stars, and about how everything on earth – including the Earth itself — is made from the debris of exploding stars, known as supernovas.
Jesus with Gray Hair
Jesus with gray hair? That’s not an image I’d ever imagined, not until my six-year-old granddaughter created one.
Epiphany, Inclusivity, and Restroom Wisdom
Not long ago, as I waited to use the restroom at Friendly Toast in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I became intensely aware of the sign on the door
Trying – and sometimes failing – to commend the faith with grandkids at Christmastime.
Talking with unchurched grandchildren about matters of faith involves a dance whose steps I’m still learning.
The Bible and quantum physics teach us: our actions affect future generations.
What we do now will affect those born a century from now.
Preparing for Easter with grandchildren (who don’t know the story)
I’ve slowly come up with a few small things that might at least plant the seeds of understanding “life from death” for our secular grandchildren.