Promotion and Prize-giving

Along with many other churches across Scotland this Sunday, my congregation will celebrate in worship the attendance of children at Sunday School with prizes and promote those of appropriate age to the next group. It is always an interesting Sunday, as it would appear that only the diehards will be in attendance for this welcoming of young people into the church.

It is a Sunday I find difficult to understand, as I have come from a background where children were encouraged to be part of the main diet of worship, and only the very young were offered an alternative. Yet my own children fit into the pattern of what happens here, and often based on behaviour I thank God for that.

However I know before I prepare prayers that attendance will be down this Sunday and not just amongst the adults who seem to struggle with an annual award ceremony, but also amongst children who by this stage in late June want to be outdoors making the best of the weather. So who or what is this Sunday for?

A more popular combining of adults and children happens at a service later in the year, where the whole church family shares in a worship service that also includes Sunday School type activities. The group gathers for a uniting act of worship and then, in what would be the sermon slot, the congregation splits to take part in art, music, dance, prayer and for those who can't live without a sermon there is a corner of the church dedicated to a sermon. It has only happened on a few occasions but I've been surprised by those who have been willing to embrace an alternative way of worship that includes children as equal participants in the story of God.

There are of course good reasons for some of our folk to be missing this year. A good number will be taking part in a variety of sponsored events this weekend, and I know that as a congregation we offer them all our encouragement in taking part.

However, the storms of the waters felt by the disciples will be lived out for me as once again:

• I feel the frustration that we as God's people claim to welcome children and yet do not support them being there;
• I recognise that what we do as Sunday School is not communicating the thrill and vigour of what it means to be a follower of Christ;
• we turn love of God into a sit down lesson rather than an active movement;
• those calling out the children refuse to use microphones because of course everyone will hear their whisper.

In the midst of all that happens there is the assurance of Jesus's voice calling "Peace, be still!" In that stillness may we be challenged to trust that God will steer the course in seeking new ways of communicating His message with all people.

Seeds

It's 1am on a Saturday morning and really I should be asleep, or at least reading my book. However I'm also conscious that I'm only at the very early stages of sermon preparation for Sunday. It's been like this a lot recently. Life has overtaken me, or the manse has just been too noisy to study. This week I've taken the opportunity to catch up on some visits.

So here I am thinking about how I'm going to get anything down on paper by Sunday. Tomorrow I have a coffee morning and then lunch with some friends - so hopefully by mid-afternoon/early evening I might return to my desk to put together something. Although it might be nice to spend some time with the family as well.

The Lectionary suggests horticultural themes, and at the very least the planting of seeds and ignoring them.

I'm always relieved in reality what a great gardener the Creator is, because I'm useless. I have no ideas about where things should really be planted in the garden - whether in light or shade. I can't quite get the spacing right, and at the moment various areas of our garden look like a rambling mix of greenery and flowers, rather than the lush oasis of calm I was hoping for. Yet magically throughout the year fruit appears on various, plants, bushes and trees and we eat our fill and marvel at the fresh tasting delight. Flowers appear, and when we visit friends small posies of garden flowers are welcome gifts from children. The grass grows, and an area for play and rest appears below our feet to offer comfort.

Every so often I pretend to make an effort of genuine care for the garden. Weeds get pulled. Bushes pruned. Someone else cuts the grass. I wander about with a hose looking purposeful. Our kitchen waste is carefully recycled to produce bins full of compost. But I know in my heart of hearts that I do very little for the wonders that appear for ear, eye, hand and tongue.

Is that the simplicity of what the parable tells us this week? (Mark 4: 26 - 34) Don't worry about how the seeds of faith are scattered. Don't panic if you don't spend every minute tending those seeds until they come to fruit. All these things are in the hands of the Gardener. We're just the hired hands - the passing birds - the seed cases. We scatter widely. But God tends, waters, prunes, and brings to being the full blown plant.

Mmmm...perhaps a little too simple?

But some notes to get me thinking before the task of writing tomorrow.

The Amazing Opt Out

I'm not very good at confrontation, and quite often when I feel that people have over stepped the mark I just let things go. Unfortunately this is not always a good tactic, as those that I fail to speak to think that they can continue to follow the patterns they have followed from before. On the occasions that I do speak to people, I end up apologising for saying anything at all. Then having spoken, I face the inner turmoil of maybe having upset someone - no matter that they perhaps upset me.

So I opt out of confrontation.

My opt out personality has even arisen for preaching this week. We face the mystery of the Trinity, and instead my folk will be having a Summer Sing. This is something the worship team asked if we could return to, and this Sunday seemed as good an opportunity as any. Some of the folk have picked their favourite hymn and will come out during worship to explain why they like it. From my perspective it is an easy Sunday.

And yet given that this was a request from them, I still feel I have opted out. However perhaps the understanding of the relation of the Trinity will be found in the singing of diverse hymns. Each hymn very different, speaks of something new about God and perhaps we will be encouraged to grasp the breadth of purpose to be found in God's love. A love that speaks to all who hear, and is expressed in a multitude of words and songs, that others might meet it.

Quiet conversations

It's the small conversations that happen in a week that often have the most impact on my preaching, or my journeying through an issue. Over the last few weeks, I've been thankful for small, quick, gentle conversations that have marked my day and reminded me of the strength of call within to serve as a parish minister. Given the numerous words that can be found elsewhere about recent events in the Church of Scotland, it is wonderful to find people who can say so much in so little. So I am thankful for the man who caught me in the corridor after coffee one Sunday and reminded me that all people matter no matter race, gender, age or sexuality. And I'm thankful for the sometime grumpy elder who stunned me by reminding me that we are all afraid of the things we are uncertain of.

Tonight at a meeting I opened with Luke 13: 18 - 21, encountering the little pictures of what God's kingdom is like. And in the small conversations I find that those little pictures are added to, that my (our) understanding of the kingdom might grow.