milk & honey mamas

Story contributed by Kristen

Click here for the theological background

Remember, repetition helps children internalize and make connections. It might be a good idea to read the same story every day for a week. You can add different activities every day.

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

My dear friends, my brothers and sisters in Jesus,

My name is Phebe, deacon and patron of the Roman community following Jesus our good shepherd. I bring you words from Paul, who continues his travels spreading the message of Jesus. I bring you his love and blessings, and add my own. 

Paul has been thinking about transformation. He says that sometimes we get stuck waiting for life to begin when it has already begun and is springing up around us! Jesus can fill us with life if we sink our roots into the Spirit of all that lives. Our bodies can be filled with life, and joy, and peace if we let Jesus help us get un-stuck. I think Paul means that our bodies and our lives can feel very tired sometimes, and it can be hard to see how God’s message makes much difference. But when we notice every breath, every tree, every song of a bird, our tired bodies sort of fill up on life, and our minds and hearts are transformed so that we can see clearly how good it is to be alive. 

Paul says he has been thinking about God’s big promises. He believes that God wants everyone to be invited to the big feast, even the people that haven’t been on God’s team before. So Paul says that when someone joins our community, even if they aren’t a Jew, they should be adopted in. That means that we should wrap our arms around them, make them our favorite foods, and lay out our finest tablecloths. It means that we are all connected to each other, a big blanket of love.  

Paul wrote us a poem about something he has been thinking about, something he believes with all his heart. Here it is: 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

Paul sends his love to you. He believes in you, and so do I. May we press forward in the love of Jesus! 

With love,

Phebe and Paul 

Ideas for Play 

Contributed by Kristen

• Print the letter out and put it in an envelope. Stick it in your mailbox as though it is being delivered, and then read it as though you are the community in Rome!

• Watch this video about our scripture theme this week 

• Talk about the words in our scripture theme. What do they each mean? Show pictures of the different things

• Learn a bit about Phebe here 

• Listen to this song about finding peace in Christ 

• Craft: draw or find pictures/words of things that make us feel separated from God’s love and pit them on a paper. Then make a heart with the scripture theme and place it in the middle of a paper. Discuss how God’s love is still at the center no matter what. 

• Play “what can separate us?” Build a tower and knock it down repeatedly emphasizing that not even the tallest tower can separate us from God’s love.

Poetry

Compiled by Caroline

As we think about Paul’s message that invites all to God’s feast, no matter who they are, we can remember this poem. This poem beautifully illustrates that though we are spread out throughout the world, we share the same earth and the same air. And we can listen. Sometimes when people come from a different place or a different background, listening is the best gift we can give to help them feel welcome in God’s great community. What helps you to listen? 

 Messages from Everywhere

by Naomi Shihab Nye

Messages from Everywhere

light up our backyard. 

A bird that flew five thousand miles

is trilling six bright notes

This bird flew over mountains and valleys

and tiny dolls and pencils

of children I will never see. 

Because this bird is singing to me, 

I belong to the wide wind,

the people far away who share

the air and the clouds. 

Together we are looking up 

into all we do not own

and we are listening. 

Art

Compiled by Caroline

In this letter, Paul points out that God’s love will always be reaching out to us and we can never be separated from it. To me, these two paintings illustrate this concept in different ways. How do they illustrate God’s love to you? Which painting resonates more with you and why? How has the artist imagined God? How do you imagine God?

Music

Compiled by Caroline

Here are three settings of our scripture for the week–Romans 8:38-39. In my opinion, this is one of the most powerful verses in scripture and I love hearing the different interpretations these artists bring. Which one is your favorite? 

Romans 8:38-39, The Corner Room

More Than Conquerors, Slugs and Bugs

A Sure Hope pt. 2 (8:31-39), Psallos