Time is a thief

Time is a thief.

As Annabelle gets older, it gets harder for me to look at old photos of her. I miss that little baby, that energetic toddler, that inquisitive 7 year old and I am so grateful I have been able to meet this wonderfully kind, empathetic, creative and loving (almost) 10 year old. I keep finding myself saying “time is a thief.”

I was listening to a podcast my friend shared with me and the guest said something to the effect that

“time is a thief, and our Holy Days [like Palm Sunday and in some ways, youth Sunday] is like making that thief come back and return what he has taken.”

None of us were there when Christ entered Jerusalem before beginning Holy Week. We didn’t see the baby donkey. We didn’t see the people shouting and praising Jesus. We didn’t see the expression on the face of Christ as he got ready to face the pain of the week ahead. Time has stolen that from us.

But this Sunday? This Sunday we make that thief come back and give us what was stolen.

And then there is Youth Sunday. All of us at Shepherds will be able to see out students in this brief moment when they are still figuring out who they are and why they are here. Their curiosity, their courage to be on stage, their sense of safety in our church to share their gifts… all of that will be on full display.

Now I will be honest with you-- I haven’t written my sermon yet. I don’t really know what I am going to say this Sunday. I think it will draw heavily from Field Notes. I know I will talk about at least one of the Palm Sunday passages. But I know that I will be thinking about the students and kids that are growing up (far too fast) all around us and lucky we are as a church to grab time by the neck and make him give us back some of these moments.

In just a few short moments, my kid will be a part of our youth ministry (if she wants to be) and I will look back on this Sunday as moment time stole something from me. In a few short days, all of our Spring fests will be over and all of our Easter visitors will be gone (probably not though, we have a tendency to make people stick around) and we will have to wait until we can make time come back and give us what was taken.

But that is what I will be thinking about this Sunday. How can I make sure that this Sunday is my chance to remember and connect with the times that have made my faith mean something and the times in the life our kids that make their faith meaningful?

I can’t wait to see how and I can’t wait to see you this weekend.

It will be so much better with you there.