I volunteered for several hospitality tasks at church this Sunday, and enlisted the kids to help me. This included buying communion bread and treats, communion prep and cleanup. A chief task was to bring the bread, and wine from the sacristy to the sanctuary entrance were we handed them to the acolyte. Timothy participated fully in this even though I had to keep both hands on every item to make sure he didn't spill or drop the gorgeous hand made pottery vessels. Next he helped me distribute the bread. He said "Body of Christ" to every single person. Afterward, during clean-up time, Liam stepped up to rinse all the little cups and Hokey the floor.
We were all delighted that the kids get to particpate in worship behind the scenes, and we talked on the way home about how it made us realize how much effort it takes each week to make this happen, and how everyone in our community is sharing the work. I also love that my four-year-old's vocabulary now includes "sacristy" and "flagon" and "acolyte" and that both kids are developing a strong sense of belonging, both to our congregation and the religious tradition. It is good to have a place where you have friends from many generations, and where you begin to know all the mysterious words, even if you don't understand the mysteries.
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