True Colors Revealed

Autumn is my favorite time of the year in Indiana. The trees seem to be painted overnight with reds, yellows, rusts, and browns. As instantaneous as it may seem, the colors have been there all along. The daily work of growing, seeding, and shading generated the greens that made summer lush and bright. However, the shorter days, the cooler weather, and those rainy summer days which we bemoaned have fed the colors that lay just underneath the leaves’ skin. The leaves turn, and colors emerge. It is a vibrant festival to the glory of creation where the tree’s true colors are revealed.

These shorter days with brighter colors turn the church school calendar to stewardship. In the Children’s Ministry Program area, the children wonder about how they can help, share, and care for the people and places around them. Every day that they remember whose they are and the promise they have within them, they are being stewards of God’s creation—themselves. They do not learn a new skill or memorize a new call; they listen to the beat of God’s grace and love in their hearts and respond with a promise. The children complete promise cards to find one or two ways that they will share that promise within themselves. These promises help the children to turn their hearts toward God, revealing the glorious colors that were put there by the grace of God.

The colors of fall cannot hold a candle to the colors of God’s love when it shines through the eyes and smiles of the children of Second Church. They help us to remember that our first thoughts are how can we nurture our Second Family and share the good news with the world. It really is my favorite time of year when the true colors of gratitude and grace are revealed.

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