We’ve been involved for over a decade with building
relationships with people in a community in rural El Salvador. The relationship
has helped us learn about our own country and about people living in another
country, and it has provided witness for us of the hope of God’s love in times
of war, torture and death. The community has taught us about resurrection as we
have witnessed their passion for justice and kindness growing out of the
cruelties of war and displacement.
Sunday, yet another good reason to go to church
occurred to me. It’s so obvious that I’m surprised I’ve never thought of it
before: vocabulary.
During the children’s sermon, Deborah talked with a
floor full of kids aged one to ten. She talked about “epiphany,” and asked,
“Does anyone know what that means?” When no kid answered, she opened the
question to the adults, and Sue, who sits in front of us every week, gave James
Joyce’s secular definition, “A moment of profound insight.”
Deborah nodded and provided a more Christian
definition, as if she memorized it from the free online dictionary: “A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the
divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.”
Then Deborah went on with her Children’s
sermon/vocabulary lesson: “We’re not sure who the magi were. Maybe they were
astronomers. Maybe they were kings. We do know that they brought gold, frankincense
and myrrh.
“We know what gold was. That’s like
money. Frankincense was something that smelled good, like a stick-up.”
Ann whispered to me from our grown-up
pew that this was new vocabulary for her, too. “I thought a stick-up was what
happened when a person with a gun went into a bank.”
I helped her out, “This stick-up is an
air freshener.”
“Ohhh.”
Deborah continued her lesson: “Does
anybody know what myrrh is?" Nobody did, so she answered her own question, "They got it out of trees, kind of like maple syrup,
and it smelled good. It was used as a balm. Does anybody know what balm is?...”
Then they prayed, and the kids returned
to their parents or out with a guy named Oz (for real), and Karla started her
sermon for the grown-ups. She started by talking about reprobates.
“Reprobates,” I thought. “Good word. I
wonder if any of the teenagers who have to take their SATs are paying attention
today.”
The unstated lesson: Go to church. You’ll
improve your vocabulary. Indubitably.
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