Yesterday was ANZAC day a remembrance of the combined Australian and New Zealand forces and the horror of World War 1 at Gallipoli, and Villers-Bretonneux. Forging national identities and tales of heroism and friendship in their wake.
As I watched the services I was reminded of the diversity in the crowds, both in age and in backgrounds.
Where else do I see such diversity?
Church. Yes, even when the faces may all have the same hew, I know that some speak a language other than english, I know that some have been refugees of modern wars.
Much noise is made these days about the importance of being intergenerational in worship. It is one of the rare opportunities we have of sharing in a non-segregated manner, not just for children, but for all of us.
Studies done in the Netherlands have shown that the aged benefit from having younger people living with them.http://www.toyproject.net see also https://news.stanford.edu/2016/09/08/older-people-offer-resource-children-need-stanford-report-says/ or http://theconversation.com/combining-daycare-for-children-and-elderly-people-benefits-all-generations-70724
In worship we should be one, regardless of age, background or heritage.
Here we can learn to be brothers and sisters. One young person under my care in an integrated service, pointed out that as an only child they didn’t know how to be a sibling. Over our years together, that child learnt to be a great big sister and how to enjoy being a little sister. While still going home an only child.
I watched our infirm smile at the antics of our youngest members.
I listened as people translated, shared their histories, and shared the thing we all had in common, our faith.
When we regularly attend church we don’t have to wait for “one day a Year” ANZAC day to see all this. We see it each week. We don’t see it when we take our children to sport instead, or staying home because we are worn out by the pressures of the week.
No matter your age we all benefit from this intergenerational experience called Church.
The Cross in My Backyard 