Questions for Pastor Heather

As many of you know, the children at Holy Cross have TONS of questions!  The cardboard box outside the sanctuary labeled, “Questions for Pastor Heather” is rarely empty.  I have promised the kids to answer all their questions, as long as they are signed, and it has been a great experience for me.  Trying to answer their giant questions in terms they can understand can be challenging, but also fun!

People seemed to enjoy the questions I shared back in May, so here are a few of the more recent questions along with the answers with which I replied:

Q: How long has this church been here? - Adeline

A: Holy Cross started in 1963 and they had their first services in an elementary school!  They officially began worshiping HERE in this building in October of 1964.  So it is even older than me!

Q: Is/was God a human? - Charlie (several other kids asked similar questions)

A: God is not a human.  God is more like a spirit... BUT, the confusing part is that around 2,000 years ago, God chose to BECOME human.  God wanted to live on earth with us and experience what it is like to be human and God wanted to SHOW us how very much God loves us.  So, God was born as a human named Jesus who lived and taught and showed people God's love.  Jesus was a human AND Jesus was God.  Like I said...confusing!

It gets really confusing, because we talk about Jesus as God's SON, but also as God... The only way I can really explain that is to say that we are using human language (which is small) to talk about God who is beyond big.  So, we do the best we can, but it doesn't quite fit.

Q: If God did not create the bad things humans made, did God create the good things? - Violet

A: That is a great question, Violet.  So, when I talk about God creating everything, what I mean is everything that isn't made by humans.  The earth, animals, plants, water, planets, air... all of those things.  People then take the things that God creates and use them to make other things.  So, my desk was made by people, but people used the trees that God created and metals that God created to build a desk...and even the varnish on the desk was made out of materials that God created (I don't know enough about chemistry to tell you what those are).  People can use the resources that God creates to do wonderful things - they make beautiful art, medicine, helpful technology, delicious food, homes to keep us safe and warm etc.  However, people can also use the resources that God creates to do harmful things such as build bombs, wage wars, pollute the air and water, etc.  Sometimes we even use the resources God creates to do things with the intentions of being good and helpful, but unintentionally harm one another or the earth.  It can get very complicated. 

I hope that this answer helps.  Like I said, it is a great question - a big and complicated question!  Trying to understand why there are so many bad things in the world when we believe in a God that is good and loving is something that people have written huge books about.  My answer is just a start for something that I hope you continue to think about and wonder about.  Thanks for asking!

Q: What is the square root of 64? - Bobby

A: 8

Q: What started church? - Adeline

A: After Jesus ascended into heaven, his followers continued to get together to share a meal, pray together, and talk about what Jesus had taught them. That was the beginning of church!  Those first churches met in people's homes.  But, archaeologists have found church buildings from as early as the year 300!

Q: What did God do? - Tonya

A: That is a very big question!  God created the universe, God chose to enter into relationship with people and to teach them about God’s love for them, God sent Jesus to live with us and show us what that love looks like by feeding people, healing people, and welcoming/including people who were being mistreated.  And God continues to create and to love and to do all sorts of things.  Some of that work is hard to understand - miraculous things that we can’t really explain.  And some of that work is done through people like you and me - helping people, loving people, caring for people.

That is a very small answer to a very big question.  But you will continue to learn more and more about what God has done and what God is doing as you get older.  You will learn more in Sunday school, in worship, in reading your picture Bible, in talking to your parents and by continuing to ask questions!  I am so glad that you are thinking about these things and that you are asking questions.  Keep it up!

These are just a few of the amazing questions that kids have put in the question box.  What a wonderful thing to be part of a community that encourages our children to engage their faith and ask questions from a young age.  I hope that you are inspired by their curiosity to ask your own questions!