By The Reverend Christine V. Hides

Memorization is less common than it once was, making it all the more special that 15 Kenilworth Union Church third-graders will receive Bibles after a year of committing scripture to heart. Children’s Day Sunday, May 18 is a chance for the entire congregation to come out to support these young people, applaud them, and sing the “Books of the Bible” song together (I apologize in advance for any earworms). Join us at 10 a.m. Worship to bless and be blessed by the practice of writing God’s word on the heart. Your presence is a visible sign of this congregation’s commitment to nurturing children who love God and neighbor as Jesus teaches.

Participating in the recent New York Times challenge to memorize a poem in one week reminded me of how difficult and uncommon it is to commit something to memory. Perhaps you notice this too, in a world where we are bombarded by words, only a fraction of which are inspiring, poetic, or made by humans. And yet learning something by heart is a way of carrying something beautiful with you for a lifetime. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” might soothe our anxieties and fears. “Thy kingdom come, they will be done,” stands alone as a prayer. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” can faithfully guide our actions. “Blessed are the meek,” surprises us over and over again.

On Children’s Day we will worship God who gifts us with life-giving scriptures to nurture us today and always.