A Radical Gift

Today at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ we noted Children’s Sabbath by giving Bibles to our middle school kids and by reflecting on the needs of children both in our community and in the world. During part of the service some of our members shared family Bibles and their first Bibles with the children. This picture is from a copy of the New Testament given to me as a child. One family brought a Bible that was published in the early 1700s. A visitor to the congregation – a man who identified himself as homeless –showed the kids a Bible that he keeps wrapped in plastic so that it stays dry. He said he carries it because it is the word of the Lord and he knows through it that he is loved. The Bible is radical. The Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament offer a vision of what the world could be – a world free from war and poverty, a world filled with compassion and justice. What a great joy it was to share that vision with our kids this morning.