Dear Ones of St. Columba's,

I have been contemplating this week what it really means to pay attention to children. In our nation we have two diverging realities: what we say about children and their value to us, and what the evidence of our society suggests about children and their value to us. This tension comes into sharp relief for me every time there is a shooting that takes place in a school setting, of which there have been at least two in the past two weeks. 

What we say about our children is that they are the most important thing to us. We say that there is nothing and no one more worthy of safety, protection, care, and love than our children. We are aware, at least on an intellectual level, that children are most vulnerable human beings on our planet - the only people group that across the board cannot care for themselves and is vulnerable to the whims and wills of other people, adults, in very real and powerful ways. 

Yet, as we have seen again twice recently, as a nation we are not willing to take action to prevent our children from being vulnerable to gun violence in schools. And when we look at how our society actually behaves, we see that all too often we prioritize the rights of adults over the health and well being of children. We talk a big game about loving and protecting children, but there are still children who are hungry, abused, and vulnerable to unspeakable violence right in our cities and neighborhoods and country. 

Jesus had a few things to say about children, and all of these things worked against societal narratives that devalue who children are and what they have to contribute to us.  "Let the little children come to me," he said, when his disciples wanted to shoo them away. (Matthew 19:13-14) Jesus also told his followers to receive the kingdom of God like a child (Mark 9:36-37), and that by receiving children we receive Jesus (Luke 9:47-48). 

One of the heartbeats of our faith community at St. C's is our community of children. We strive to take seriously Jesus' instructions in ways that allow all of us, no matter our age, to benefit from the very real spiritual experiences and wonderings of our children. We work to be a community where everyone can be who they are - including our members who are young. Many of us, young and old, know what it is like to move through a world that for whatever reason - age, size, income, race, health - doesn't welcome us. We want our children's first experiences of Christian community to be one where they are loved, valued, seen, and known. 

This Sunday we shift our children to the center of our 10am worship. They have been invited to participate and to lead in ways that appeal to them. We will sing songs that our kids know and love, and they will be invited to experience Eucharist as close to the table as they want to get. Most Sundays we invite children to go and experience the Word in ways that are developmentally appropriate for them in Godly Play and in Youth Group, while adults experience the Word in ways that work for (most of) us. Then we come back together for Holy Communion, where all are welcome. Sometimes our children stay in the service and experience the Word with adults, learning in their own way and attending to what is happening in the ways that children do. This Sunday they will be at the center of the circle. It is just one way that we try to open our hearts and minds to the most vulnerable, the littlest among us. 

Anytime we love, receive, notice, and cherish our children, and anytime we learn from them, we will also receive and learn from Jesus, just as he promised.

With care and gratitude,

Alissa