JUNE: HOPE WHEN WE'RE LONELY
GOD GAVE HOPE WHEN THE PEOPLE HAD TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND FAMILIES
Concept:
The world powers of the day, Babylon and Assyria, conquered Israel and Judah. Some people stayed at their homes - but were now ruled by foreign governments. Some were deported from their homes and forced to migrate to new places. And some found it so hard to live in occupied Judah and Israel that they made the hard decision to leave their homes and migrate to other countries. It wasn’t easy for anyone! It is really, really hard to leave the people and places we love. It is really hard to have our lives change in ways we can’t control. Sometimes people wondered if God had abandoned them. But God stuck with them, even living in new places and under occupation. Heroes like Esther, scholars like Daniel, and prophets like Isaiah reminded people of God’s love and God’s hope.
(Photo by Nimish Pastaria on Unsplash)
The world powers of the day, Babylon and Assyria, conquered Israel and Judah. Some people stayed at their homes - but were now ruled by foreign governments. Some were deported from their homes and forced to migrate to new places. And some found it so hard to live in occupied Judah and Israel that they made the hard decision to leave their homes and migrate to other countries. It wasn’t easy for anyone! It is really, really hard to leave the people and places we love. It is really hard to have our lives change in ways we can’t control. Sometimes people wondered if God had abandoned them. But God stuck with them, even living in new places and under occupation. Heroes like Esther, scholars like Daniel, and prophets like Isaiah reminded people of God’s love and God’s hope.
(Photo by Nimish Pastaria on Unsplash)
Read It: Isaiah 40: 28-31 (The Peace Table pp 114, Shine On pp 138)
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Pray It:
God, sometimes we feel far away from you. But you are so big.
You created this whole world, and you are always right here with us,
wherever we go. Amen.
God, sometimes we feel far away from you. But you are so big.
You created this whole world, and you are always right here with us,
wherever we go. Amen.
Do It:
- Read more of the story:
- From Shine On (pp 115-123) or The Peace Table (106-129): Read a story each evening to get a sense for the narrative of what we often call the time of exile.
- With older children: Read the book of Daniel, a chapter each day.
- Explore your story: Learn and tell your own family’s stories of migration. For some of us, this is our current story. And for others, it’s a story from several generations past. When has your family left its home to go to a new place? Why? What were some of the challenges? If you don’t have stories of those, you can imagine what they might have been.
- Get out a map and draw lines to show your family’s migration story. This can help young children start to understand your family’s story (and realize at a young age that we are all part of the immigrant story).
- If you have pictures or artifacts, use those to tell the story. (Photo by Benoit Vrins on Unsplash)
- Artistic Representation: Using drawing materials, playdough, or natural materials, create a scene or drawing of a time when you felt exhausted, lonely, homesick, or scared. Then imagine where God was when you were feeling that way. Add a symbol of God (sunshine, a rainbow, a bird…) to your picture and remember that God was there.
- Explore the “wings of an eagle” - go birding! Here’s a playful way to explore the metaphor of this month’s scripture. Note that young children don’t yet understand metaphor - but it’s okay to explore it now, knowing that in time it will take on new meaning. Check out the Audubon Society’s tips for starting kids on birding (https://www.audubon.org/news/easy-ways-get-kids-birding).
- God created, and it was good.
- God called a family to be a blessing to all the earth.
- God saved the people and they became a shalom community.
- God's steadfast love showed the people the way in a new land.
- God spoke through prophets when kings missed the mark.
- God gave hope when the people had to leave their homes and families.
Explore It: Notes from Tami
Children who experience migration or other times of uncertainty need our support to help them cope and feel secure. Even those whose lives seem more privileged and secure benefit from learning about the difficulties of others and can begin developing understanding and empathy from a young age. Photo by Zakaria Mohie on Unsplash
Following are a few resources:
Children who experience migration or other times of uncertainty need our support to help them cope and feel secure. Even those whose lives seem more privileged and secure benefit from learning about the difficulties of others and can begin developing understanding and empathy from a young age. Photo by Zakaria Mohie on Unsplash
Following are a few resources:
- Global Refuge Organization: How to talk to your kids about immigration
- Child Mind Institute: How to help children cope after a traumatic event This includes suggestions for various ages of children
- Family Immigration Project: Resources designed for working with groups of children elementary age or older (NOT free resources)
- Boston Children’s Hospital’s Trauma and Community Resilience Center: Resources for coping in times of uncertainty (includes resources a variety of ages, including adults)
