A rainy day in Spring sometimes stops outdoor exploration in home school. If the kids have been outside planting seeds in cups as an experiment or learning the history of jump rope and here comes the rain. Everyone runs inside and looks longingly at the outside. So what are the faith lessons that rain can bring?

How about Baptism as a good rain faith lesson in the rain. This might seem obvious, but if you are Christian, Baptism is the center of our life in community. Children can look out the window in silence and watch the raindrops. Have them look for ways that the single raindrops come together. Talk about how Baptism is God’s way of bringing individuals together.

Native American legends include the Old Man and the Horned Snake and Rain Song. Have children look at these stories from indigenous people and talk about how rain teaches a faith lesson.

Study Noah from the Jewish tradition. How is Noah important to the Jewish people? Put out a rain gauge and measure the time it takes to get an inch of rain. Use math to figure out how much rain came in 40 days at the rate it is raining today.

Spend time researching “rain making”. What is the history involved in those who try to make rain come in human control rather than God control. Have children draw a picture of what the world would look like if humans were in charge of everything.

And lastly, pray for the gift of rain. Write prayers that celebrate all the new growth that happens right after the rain. Like this picture, new growth wins out over decay when the rain comes.

I had the opportunity to play peekaboo with my youngest grandson recently. He’s a smiler like all the kids. Both of their parents are smiling all the time so alas those kids get the drift that smiling is a good thing.

Little Logan was not happy about something but as all 11 month year old infants, he is easily distracted. So even though I hadn’t seen him in 3 months, I pulled the peekaboo card out of the deck. I hid behind my hands just once, and Logan changed directions and was engaged in THE GAME. He’s such a cutie and pretty soon we were both laughing.

Faith is like playing peekaboo. It can change your direction. Look at these new strawberry leaves peeking out of the ground. It was
snowing like mad the day I found these. I was out of sorts-okay, just plain crabby about bad weather- and there they were peeking out of the snow, new strawberry leaves. They made me smile. This little message from God changed the direction of my faith.

So play peekaboo with God and look for messages from God that help our faith change into a positive direction. And while you are at it, play peekaboo with a grand child!

May your Easter be filled with the sweetness of life, which we call hope. Hope through new life. Hope of changed direction. And hope of being together.

Two dear friends have called in the past week to share an exciting new experience in their congregation. They were talking about and Easter Vigil. I have always loved this contemplative prayer practice. I share my friends excitement.

The thing about prayer is that when it is experienced both alone and within a community, it is like a hidden gift. Like the blooms inside this beautiful flower. You are waiting and praying together and yet alone.

The Easter vigil experience is sensory like so many pieces of the Easter story. It is about seeing, hearing, smelling and speaking in our hearts through prayer. The Easter vigil is powerful. I hope you have the opportunity to be part of an Easter Prayer vigil. We’ll be praying together.

One time that families often gather is at a funeral. This time of saying “Goodbye” often brings together those who have not seen each other in years. They share tears, laughs and a meal as the memories of a lifetime are embraced.

Think about Maundy Thursday. The Disciples and Jesus meet around food to talk about all that has been. But there is a new dimension to the gathering. Jesus tells the Disciples what will be happening in the future. They do not believe. And yet all that Jesus proclaims, comes true.

Families gather around carrying burdens, washing feet, cooking for each other. These are truly sacred times.
Today, think of family gatherings in terms of the Last Supper. How have you gathered with your family this week?

This is Holy Week in the Christian world. Holy Week calls us to feel the despair, the pain of loss and fear. These feelings are holy and part of our Christian identity.

But on this week we are also called to take a holy risk. Like the beautiful 2 year old here, we are called to step out into the Resurrection even if we are scared. We can learn much from a two year old. They are so fearless at times and we need that same fearlessness.

The Resurrection calls us to the next level. We need to recommit ourselves to live our life in Christ. Every year I hear that call to the love of Christ through the experiences of Holy Week. And every time I look at a 2 year, I am inspired. To believe that the risk of the next step on the next level is attainable. I might fall down. I might trip. But I am called to try again surrounded by the grace that Christ brings to my life.

If you can identify this picture, you probably like this stuff.

I can’t stand it. I have to put so much sugar into rhubarb that I might as well eat sugar raw. It’s a pretty color; red and green kinda like Christmas. But it is stringy and sour and I just don’t like it.

Rhubarb reminds me that sometimes we don’t like things that God places in our paths. Think for a minute about something you do not like. How can you turn it into something sacred?

Here’s what I do with rhubarb. I pick the flowers and put them in a vase for beauty. (Okay, they drop pollen, but when the flowers come the rhubarb is almost over!)

Then I cook it with apples one of most favorite fruits. (okay I have to add some sugar)

I then take out my frustrations by mashing it or blending it.

Then I close my eyes and think of the starving children around the world. That takes some time. There are starving children in my area I do not even know. There are people without a meal tonight in thousands of places.

Then I eat the rhubarb sauce. It tastes pretty good like this. I think God and I may come to an agreement that sometimes and in someways, rhubarb is sacred.

Spring is here!

It’s Palm Sunday in the Christian world. A time for the beauty of lilies, tulips and other bulbs to celebrate new life in Christ. If you are not Christian, just think of these “two lips” and give a kiss to someone you care about to celebrate love and life.

You may not recognize this picture. This is snow mold on the lawn after a tough winter. This white gauzy stuff can make me sneeze like one of the 7 dwarfs (Sneezy obviously)

I’m allergic to mold in all it’s forms. The stuff makes my eyes water. But I cannot avoid it when I do my spring walk in the yard. Soon the hot sun will kill the snow mold and the lawn will turn green and I’ll return to normal whatever that is!

Grand kids are kinda like snow mold. They change my reactions in a different way. Instead of sneezing, I smile more with grand kids. Rather than watering eyes, when grand kids are around I cannot feel any aches and pains. Of course, grandma back returns when the kids are gone.

Even moldy faith and grubby grand kids result in a change in my physical self. And the change is not bad. A change is faith isn’t bad either. It’s just change.

So when your faith feels moldy, think of those grubby kids you love and know that beauty can be found beneath the snow mold and beneath the runny noses.

When we moved to our present home, the yard had few flowers. I looked at the sandy soil and headed to the nursery. The only thing is, I forgot to check the surrounding fields.

I bought 6 different colors of yarrow. I love the stuff. It’s drought resistant and you can cut the flowers and you can’t kill it. The only problem is that yarrow was already present in several colors in the native prairie surrounding the yard. It was an everyday plant already in my yard.

Nine years later, do I have yarrow. It’s everywhere. This persistent plant found it’s safe harbor in my yard. It drives me nuts. It just keeps growing and growing. Even in a no rain summer, it grows. In a rainy summer, it grows. Here it is coming up after 14 inches of snow. It’s GROWING.

I almost pulled some out once and then I remembered. I planted it. The persistence of the yarrow everyday is what my faith should be like. Something that won’t go away with bad weather. Something that never gives up.

And when all the colors are blooming or in dried arrangements in the winter. Anytime and everywhere, the yarrow and my faith are beautiful.