Tuesday Morning, January 31, 2012

 Beloved:

     I was awake at 4:30 this morning, thinking about Jesus as a pre-school teacher.  A sleepy toddler on his hip, Jesus wades through the rest of them, giving out snack, re-directing one kid, smoothing another’s hair, all the while keeping up a serious conversation on the differences between a stegosaurus and spinosaurus.*
     My default image is President of the Universe Jesus, busy with peace and justice, truth and reconciliation.  He directs his cabinet, disciplines as he deems necessary, holds back one disaster while releasing another. 
      The joke is on me of course, for imagining the two are somehow different; that working with presidents is more complicated that working with pre-schoolers, that their problems are more serious, that in the eyes of the Divine a president and a pre-schooler are even distinguishable? Put the presidents in the preschool classroom, in little suits and ties of course, and what does Jesus do?  Tends the children according to each one’s needs; food, comfort, conversation . . . . . . 
     Of course I have no idea what Jesus does all day. What I know for sure is in the wee hours, when my heart is so sad for another family’s great grief, this picture of Jesus with the toddler on his hip and juice boxes in his hand is an exquisite gift.  

peace & prayers, ~ pastor annette 

*Spinosaurus are armoured, with plates and horns.  Stegasaurus are not.  In case you didn’t know.