Little hands, big hearts

Little hands, big hearts. They could hardly wait to get started making these blankets amidst questions and concerns about how the blankets get distributed? Do you have to order one? What if the hospital runs out?

First, the story, I say.

There's always a story! my questioning friend exclaims and proceeds to jump into the story about the woman who was sick for twelve years and got healed by just touching Jesus' clothes (the story for the day). And then about the blind man and the spit and. . . (next week's story).

Slow down, there my friend! You are way ahead of us! I tell her.

I told you, I've read the Bible!

I love that, I respond, let's share the story with everyone.

We imagined the story together.

The isolation that illness plus being a woman brought with it in Jesus' day.
The bravery of that woman to defy cultural norms to get close to Jesus.
Her physical strength to work though the throngs to touch Jesus' cloak.
The determination of Jesus to find her, to see her, to name for her her own faith and strength, himself defying cultural norms (not to mention the cried of his disciples saying there's no way we can figure out who touched you).
What it must have meant to her to be restored to her community, to be of part birthdays and holidays, to be surrounded again by those she loved.
About the power of community
And about love being the strongest thing in the world.

What?! The strongest thing?! What does that even mean? my inquisitive friend asked.

Imagine, I invited, a world in which people acted out of love, not fear, not greed, not want of power. A world where if you needed a house, you got a house; if you needed food, you got food. A world where there wasn't war because decisions were made out of love for all people.

And this was second and third graders.

The lesson ended with a scramble to take all the rest of the fleece home and make blankets on their long car rides or with their grandparents over school vacation to add to our growing collection.

And then this prayer, each taking a turn reading. Out of the mouths and hearts of babes.

God of comfort

and God of pain,
Bless the work of our hands today.
We pray that these blankets
Will feel like the warmth of your love
Wrapped around the shoulders of a child
Who is suffering.
Bless those children,
comfort them,
Make them feel whole
The way you see them,
And give them peace.

amen