Re-Forming with Play-Doh

We are handing out little containers of Play-Doh for Halloween this year in honor of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.  We also have M&Ms and Twizzlers for the purists, but I had a creative moment in Costco and thought, “Re-forming with Play-Doh! Brilliant!”

It’s really not brilliant but who needs five pounds of candy?  We once lived across the street from dental students who gave toothpaste to their Trick or Treaters and nobody egged their house, so I’m hopeful about the Play-Doh.

We find ourselves constantly reforming who we are as the Church – not because God’s message changes but because we are changing, now more than ever.  What used to be true (the earth was flat) shifted (the earth was round) and it’s still shifting (the earth is egg-shaped and threatens to be scrambled by nuclear war.)  Lord have mercy.  Christ have mercy.  Lord have mercy.

On my best days, I find deep joy in neon-colored Play-Doh, in the color combinations and the smell and the feel.  I love the little container with the snap on lid.  If only things were this simple.

We pray this weekend for children whose monsters are real, in the words of Ina J. Hughes.

We pray for parents who are looking for clean water while the rest of us buy Halloween candy.

We pray for all  who do not feel safe in their own congregations.  Let’s continue to reform the Church for the love of God and for the sake of the world God made.  It’s a world in trouble, but we have the power to change it.