March 5, 2024
Be free, miss school, and teach kids about God
I hope you are doing well and enjoyed the beautiful weather these last couple of days. I am writing today not only as a pastor but as a dad. As parents, we strive to find ways to form our kids. When it comes to faith development, especially in moments like our upcoming Holy Week celebration, such formation isn't the easiest to achieve.
Societal traditions concerning Holy Week have changed a bit since we were young. I remember getting not only Thursday and Friday off for Holy Week, but also Easter Monday. As a kid, this was great because we had time to go to Grandma's house to celebrate (and her Easter baskets always had more candy than the Easter Bunny delivered to my home). For those in the Dublin school system this year, we do not have any days off. (For those in other school districts, Holy Week this year lands on Spring break.) So we as parents are left to figure out how to navigate our Good Friday traditions like Prince of Peace’s “Thank Goodness It’s Good Friday!” when our kids have school for the first time this year.
The good news is that we have options. In terms of school, our kids are allowed to miss a day of school for an observed religious holiday. Asking your child to make this “sacrifice” (in quotations because what kid doesn’t love a good miss day?) communicates to our kids the importance of our faith, even above other areas of our lives. In addition, it may sound strange, but it can also help them practice being a good neighbor. Having your kid miss school on Good Friday actually benefits kids of other religions. Since Christianity is the largest religion, having Christian kids miss school for religious reasons helps out children of other religions who will be taking off days for their observances by normalizing the process.
Missing school on Good Friday isn’t the only way to think about encouraging our kids in faith traditions this Lent and Easter. The themes of holidays like Holy Week (death, resurrection, and forgiveness of sins) are harder to communicate to kids than something like Christmas (God loves us and came down as a sweet baby). Over the last couple of years, Rachel and I have been trying out different ideas to emphasize Easter. Last year we made Easter Day a "Yes Day" but called it a Grace Day as Christ has graciously freed us from the consequences of sin, death, and the devil. It was really fun as a parent to get to say "yes, because Christ freed us, we can ___." If you have ideas or ways that you have celebrated in your home, I would love to hear them!
As a church, we have some great ways to do faith formation together:
On Palm Sunday we will have the Sunday school kids lead the procession of the congregation as we enter the sanctuary.
Join us Wednesday Evenings for Soup, Study, and worship service! This is a great intergenerational opportunity for us as a church family to be together. A bonus is that kids get to ring chimes at the service, a highlight for them and those who watch their excitement.
TGIGF (Thank God it's Good Friday): Way cooler than an Easter egg hunt, this is a chance for us to play dance sing and get to know the story of God's love and redemption. Sign up Here.
Holy Communion Workshop: Open to any kid in 1st grade or higher. We will bake bread, learn about God's forgiveness, and even get a chance to taste the elements. Sign up Here.
I hope you will join us for the events that fit your family. Let me know if you need a work or school note, and I would be happy to provide one.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Tim