Marathon Sunday 2010

Be strong and let your heart take courage. Psalm 27:14

Sunday, January 17 was Marathon Sunday. In proud Palmer tradition, runners were greeted along Main Street with bagpipes, Holy Water, and the cheers of our congregation. Behind the scenes, the Palmer children gathered in Holy Cross Chapel during Sunday school and prayed, naming each friend, family member, and teacher while asking God to see them safely across the finish line. Our prayers were answered. Congratulations to all who ran.

God is there.

At a meeting yesterday, I was asked to participate in a guided meditation around prayer. We were told to think about a time that we were in prayer and felt the presence of God. They challenged us to go back to that place in our minds and try to feel what we felt at the time. All I felt was like I had developed a multiple-personality disorder. Three different images were battling for space in my meditative attempts.

First, I thought about the Church of the Sacred Heart in Paris, France. I remember walking in there after a wonderful day of sight-seeing. I was tired and excited, thankful and slightly overwhelmed. David and I had stopped in to pray and there, above my head, was the mosaic of the sacred heart of Christ. I have never felt so instantly peaceful. Surely God was in this place, at this exact moment, because holding my hand was the man I was spending the rest of my life with. God was there in my happiness.

The second picture wrestling for a place was the hay field on my grandparent's farm. It was my childhood "praying spot". I went there after my parents told me they were getting divorced. I remember the way the hay smelled, the sound of the birds, and the feel of sun shining down on me. God was there in my fear and uncertainty.

Finally, I pictured myself in the front seat of a car with the windows down and the radio cranked to an unhealthy volume. The make and model of the car change with the years and the song playing can be anything from U2 to Andrew Lloyd Weber, from Amy Grant to the Palmer choir. It's where I go when I am mad: about fighting the school system for the rights of my special needs child, or my husband's job, or the cat that just threw up on my sofa. This week, my music choice is Nicole C. Mullins and while she sings, I am made more aware of His presence. God is there in my anger.

Now go and read Psalm 139 and join me in thinking about all the times and all the ways God has shown you that he is there. Share some of them with your children and help them to be more aware of God's presence in all their own moments.

Peace and Love, Robyn

Bringing in the New Year

Sunday was our first gathering of the new year. It was wonderful to see the kids who braved the cold weather to join us for Sunday school.

God is Good on PhotoPeach

Playing Catch Up

Better late than never, right....

On Saturday morning, December 19, a few Palmer families came in pajamas and raided our collection of costumes. There was great food, fun crafts, and a re-telling of the Christmas story. We call it "Breakfast in Bethlehem" and hope more families are inspired to join us next year.

Breakfast in Bethlehem on PhotoPeach

The Feast of the Epiphany

Today we celebrate Epiphany, the day the wisemen arrived bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. Father Nutter honored Epiphany by fasting and spending the day in the Nave praying with anyone who stopped in. I took time this afternoon to join him there.

Why "blog" about it? I wanted you each to know that the children of this church; your children, our children, are gifts to me. Today, I prayed for them all, by name, in honor and recognition of their gift in my life. I prayed for each of us as parents, that we continue to see how blessed we are to have them in our care.

There are wonderful prayers on page 829 of the Book of Common Prayer that will give you the words if you struggle to find your own.

Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ.

God our Father, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

AMEN

Merry Christmas Eve

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

This morning started out a little ugly in my house. The kids were arguing before the sun came up and I was facing a long day of frantic cleaning and baking before heading to the church for 10 hours of back to back services. I am not finding "Peace on Earth" this Christmas Eve. And so I stopped and read, not Luke's account of the birth, but John's explanation of the "Why". There are 2 very important things I get from this piece of scripture.

First, Christ is in the world, now, today. It is up to me to look around enough to recognize him. I can't do that if my focus is on getting the brownies in the oven and mopping the bathroom. I can't do that if I am joining the argument with my children instead of seeing how my stress is spilling over into their world.

Second, my children ARE my Christmas gift. Every day (even the ugly ones) they are a gift from God. They were born not out of my own choice or desire, but out of God's. So today, I will stop a bit of the madness and talk to them about Mary and Joseph and the excitement and fear of having a baby on the way. I have told each of them about the day they were born. Today, we will talk about how I felt and what was happening the day before. I can make the time for myself, my kids, and for God.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Fearfully and Wonderfully made

This week during the education hour, Palmer kids participated in a hands-on experience honoring those with differing abilities and gifts. They were reminded that we are each a special part of God's creation and each play a role in the body of Christ. In the words of Psalm 139, "we are fearfully and wonderfully made".

If you or your child have questions or want more information about Palmer's "Community of Respect" initiative, please contact the Christian Formation offer. Many resources are available.

Disability Awareness Sunday on PhotoPeach