Relationships

Apparently we're on quite the childhood theology kick these last couple weeks because today I noticed something about Ali, our little 3-year-old, that made me think about our relationships with each other and God.

Ali's favorite toys are her Fisher-Price Little People.  They're small figures that fit in the palm of her hand.  They're cute, kind of chubby, like a baby-faced version of adults.  She absolutely loves the Disney Princesses.  She has several:  Belle, Ariel, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and so on.  She also has a few male characters like Beast and (from another set) Superman.  But her favorite guy is Prince Eric.

Now Price Eric came in a box with Ariel.  They're the couple from The Little Mermaid movie.  (Ali hasn't actually seen most of these Disney movies, by the way.  She loves these characters sight unseen.)  Ariel and Eric have a fantastic carriage, pulled by a horse, which they're supposed to ride around in.

But you see, in Ali's world, Prince Eric has a problem with, well...constancy.  Long after Beast has retired to his chambers and Superman is busy saving the bottom of the toy box, Prince Eric will be riding around in that carriage with anyone and everyone who comes by.  Already today Eric has been on rides with Rapunzel, Snow White, and Cinderella.  That guy just doesn't care!  He's a fool for carriage riding with pretty princesses.

Now obviously we have some Sixth Commandment issues going on here, but I want to put those aside.  Ali is three.  Adultery doesn't exist.  She's not dating until she turns 40 either, so she has a long time to figure out that kind of relationship.  It doesn't factor into this discussion.

Again:  Nothing I am about to say is meant to paint Eric as husband and Ariel as wife.  We're talking about broader relationships/friendships here.  Just being clear.

With that established, I have noticed two things about Prince Eric that resonate theologically.

First, in the simplest sense, how nice to live in a world where you don't have to distinguish between people so much.  For Eric a carriage ride with Belle is just as fun as riding with Ariel.  Life should be more like that.  We spend too much time picking and choosing friends and B.F.F.'s and people inside circles and outside of them.  One of the values of participating in church is having those circles widened.  Connected by God, we can leap over the divisions that usually keep us apart.  One of the neat things about church is that you can be raking leaves or serving tea with a person you didn't know well and, starting only with that "God and service" connection, you suddenly end up friends.  Though certain people get along better than others naturally, in theory you should be able to strike up a conversation with anybody in church and end up better for it on the other end.  That's what we do for each other.  That's how God connects us.  I'm not sure we take full advantage of the potential friends God is providing us like Prince Eric does.

Second, it strikes me that I haven't seen Ariel in quite a while.  I suspect she's exploring under the couch or something.  Whatever the case, it would behoove her to remember that connection and reassurance are an integral part of any friendship.  Sometimes we let our daily duties overwhelm us and forget to touch base with the important people in our lives.  This is true of our relationships with family, friends, even God himself.  If you don't maintain a relationship it's hard to grow into that relationship.  This is another value of church, our Sunday carriage ride.  It connects us intentionally with God and with each other.  Missing out on that connection will inevitably lead to a deterioration of the relationship.  We value what we put time and energy into.  So maybe it's time for Ariel to come out from under that couch and go on a carriage ride or two if she's so inclined!  I suspect Prince Eric misses her.  Their wardrobes do match, after all.

Maybe this week we should all think about connecting with an unexpected friend and spending some time and energy intentionally building relationships.  Who are you going to take a carriage ride with today?

--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)