Young Christians

I asked a grandmother who brought her four-year-old grandson to the Ash Wednesay service what his reaction was, after the fact. She told me that he was "flying high," that evening, excited to be included. He wouldn't wash off his cross before bed, assuring his grandmother that he would sleep so that it wouldn't rub off. He was disappointed the next morning because it did smear. He wanted to show the cross to his teacher and others, so they did a little mascara touch-up. The comment which has kept me glowing is "David makes me feel special."

We can't underestimate the importance of symbols to our young people. One of our tweens asked her mother if Lent is the time when we get rid of our Hallelujahs, which it is. She remembers being perplexed by the "J" in hallelujah.

This past Sunday we began the series of covenant passages for this year in Lent and I asked the kids what a promise is. One hand shot up, but the little guy pondered long enough that I wondered if he was stuck. No, just framing his answer which was "it's when you say you will do something, and then you do it." Could you come up with a better definition on the spot and in front of a couple of hundred people?

In the prayer box there was a request from another young 'un for enough blankets for everybody.

What a remarkable group of young Christians.Sometimes the connections they make may seem a little fuzzy but they are learning their faith, step by step.

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