Greetings from Peter Mayer

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

For-giveness


H2odevos p4p Lent 2013 “For-giveness”


"In the Word the walls will crumble down
And all are welcome to enter in
In the blood of Christ the great sacrifice
The withered branches bloom again
The withered branches bloom again

Pass it on
Break the bread, lift the cup
Pass it on
The broken will be lifted up"
Pass It On by Peter Mayer



We do First Communion with our third graders. As part of their time of preparation I often as the students and their parents to take a “post-it” note and write down on it a sin, something they do or something they know they should do, but don’t do (you know the things we do and the things we leave undone). I always joke that if they need more paper, I’ve brought it. I also tell them that if they don’t know how to spell it, they can draw a picture of it. Then I have this giant nail, or better yet a stake of sorts on which we put the “sins.” We then go out into our courtyard and nail this giant nail into the cross.

After a few moments of explanation, I then light the “sins” on fire. It’s totally amazing how they burn and get shaped into the form of a black rose which smokes because of the fire and then simply falls to the ground. The sins are forgiven. The kids and their parents are silent and amazed. Soon, there are cheers of “hallelujahs” and smiles all around.

14For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  Ephesians 2:14

Peter is so correct, “the broken will be lifted up.”

Pass it on,
rtg

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