Making Connections: The Fettuccia

On Sunday in the True Vine Atrium we went downstairs to unroll the Fettuccia. We gather for this presentation every year, and much of our work in the atrium for the first through third grade child connects to this impressionistic lesson. You can read about this presentation in the blog post The Fettuccia. With this work we offer the child a glimpse into the vastness of the History of the Kingdom of God, and an awareness of its three great moments: creation, redemption, and parousia.

After seeing the presentation this morning, we returned to our atrium and everyone began to work. A little later in the morning, I presented the Liturgical Calendar to one of our first graders. This bubbly boy is a joy to talk with, and we were moving through the calendar together quite companionably. Suddenly, he surprised me by saying "If Jesus died again the light would go out of the world forever." He proceeded to tell me all that he imagined would happen - the sun would go out, and the animals and plants would die. It would be dark and all the people would be cold. He said much more, but I was so surprised by this turn in conversation that I honestly can't recall it!

After he finished telling me about this scenario, I agreed that this would be a very bad thing. Then I asked him if he remembered the three great moments of the History of the Kingdom of God and we talked about them together. He remembered "parousia" and we talked about God's promise that Christ would come again and at that time God would be all in all. There would be no more tears, or pain, or death and the whole earth would be filled with the love and joy of God. This seemed to satisfy him and he began talk again about the Liturgical Calendar material.

At the end of atrium as we were gathered at the prayer table, I prepared the group to make silence together and invited the children's prayers. My young friend from the Liturgical Calendar work indicated that he would like to pray and he waited in silence until it was time. Then he astounded me, praying, "Thank you God for all hope."

As so often happens, I was reminded that in the atrium God and the children themselves offer so much more than I can ever give. Thank you God for all hope.

History of the Kingdom of God

On Sunday in the True Vine Atrium we will be opening this box once again to contemplate the History of the Kingdom of God. You can read more about this presentation in a post from last year called The Fettuccia. We began this work last Sunday when I narrated the history for small groups of children to ponder. This week we will take over the first floor with our very long ribbon and meditate once again on the unity and vastness of the Kingdom.

If you have a child in the True Vine Atrium please do what you can to bring him or her this Sunday, and be on time! We will keep working with the History of the Kingdom of God throughout the atrium year, but this is an impressionistic lesson and there is no substitute for being there when the ribbon is unrolled!

The Fettuccia

How can we begin to grasp the History of the Kingdom of God? In November in the True Vine Atrium we gathered together for a work called the Fettuccia which tells us about three great moments in God's Kingdom - creation, redemption, and parousia. The work represents billions of years with a long thin grosgrain ribbon. Each ridge on the ribbon represents about 1000 years.

As we unroll the ribbon we ponder creation - the great and loving act of God preparing the earth, plants, animals, and people. We remember redemption - God sending Jesus to live among us, and his life of compassion, his death and his resurrection. And finally we consider parousia - that great moment still to come when Christ will return and God will be all in all.

In our Church, this ribbon stretches from one end of the building to the other - travelling from the Good Shepherd Room, through the center staircase and front hall, down the length of the center aisle of the Church and ending at the altar. This is an impressionistic lesson which allows us to "see" all those years - we peer from one end of the ribbon to the other and walk its length time and time again to identify moments in the History of the Kingdom of God.

This material is very satisfying to the children, and it creates a frame of reference for so many of the works we have done and will do in the future in the atrium. It brings together science and theology, and integrates them into a seamless reality for the children.

I love the way that this work gently draws us into moral questions. The final portion of the ribbon is the history yet to be written, which will end in parousia. Who is writing these pages of the History of the Kingdom of God? We are! So how can our lives help to increase the light of Christ in the world? This is a great question to ponder!

This lesson helps us to contemplate the vast history of the Kingdom with wonder and humility and hold it in tension with the fact that we matter! We are part of this great history and with our choices we can help to bring our world closer to the Kingdom that God desires.

The Kingdom of God and the Mustard Seed

Jesus said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
                                       Mark 4:30-32

A few years ago, when I was guiding a group of 3-6 year olds in the Good Shepherd Atrium an interesting phenomenon developed. First, one of the children would walk over to the kingdom parable shelves and pull out the tiny container filled with mustard seeds. Almost immediately another child would notice, and would drop whatever work he or she was doing to go and take a look at the seeds. Before long, the entire group would be gathered! Now this is not something we encourage in the atrium - our desire is for each child to work without interruption. But for a very long time, the draw of the mustard seeds was irresistible and awe inspiring. The children just loved looking at those tiny seeds! And I loved hearing their comments:  "They are so small!  How can they grow into that huge tree?  There is a great power in those seeds." and even "God has given the power to them."

The Mustard Seed is the first parable the children learn in the atrium, and it speaks so deeply to them that they return to it again and again. There is a profound movement in the children's understanding of this parable that illustrates the parable itself! It is a movement from something small to something great! At age three, children marvel at the small seed that can grow into such a great shrub.  Over time they realize that it is a power within the seed itself that allows it to grow, and they perceive God as the giver of this great gift. As they revisit this parable, they perceive this power, not only in the mustard seed, but in countless seeds, flowers, trees and bushes all around them. Before long they discover that this great power from God is at work throughout the world - and even in their own bodies! With each realization we ponder together what Jesus said - the kingdom of God is like this!

In the True Vine Atrium, with the 6-9 year olds, I often hear, "It's just like the mustard seed!" This movement to the "more" is very real for them and they easily connect it to other parts of the Bible, the spiritual life, their daily lives, and the life of the world. I've said it before, but I just love sharing parables with the children! So few words and such great discoveries!

Check out my last post to learn more about parables in the atrium!

Parables in the Atrium

Growing Time is parable time in the atrium! A parable is a short story which illustrates a lesson or a truth, and Jesus shared a lot of them with his followers! In the Good Shepherd Atrium, we hear parables about the Kingdom of God and learn what life with God is like. In the True Vine Atrium, we begin to synthesize the kingdom parables and we discover the moral parables, which teach us how to live.

I love pondering parables with the children. With parables, Jesus uses ordinary things to open up the mysteries of God. Parables naturally respect the capacity of each person because with their many layers of meaning, each person is free to hear and respond to exactly those meanings that he or she is ready to receive.

When we present parables to the children, we resist the urge to "explain" the meaning, because simple explanations take away the power of the parable and limit the child's ability to interpret for him or herself. Instead of restricting the parable we want to open it up for the children to ponder. Jesus' parables seem to lead to mediation quite naturally, and children often respond with a sense of wonder, and a feeling of deep peace.

Check back soon for more about the parables we share with the children in the atrium, and a little insight into the tiny seed you see in the photo above!