Combatting Fear and Hate with Fruit Salad

It’s officially summer and we’re in the midst of strawberry season where I live. Soon the other fresh local fruits will follow – cherries, plums, peaches, raspberries, blueberries and more. I love this time of year – the juicy goodness of ripened fruit refreshes us and gives us antioxidants and other health benefits. And of course, nothing beats a fresh fruit salad of your favourites on its own or with ice cream. 

This Sunday the lectionary includes Galatians 5 - the fruit of the Spirit - as well as a list of behaviours to avoid as we try to bear as much spiritual fruit as possible. We are reminded that our freedom in Christ does not equal freedom to do whatever we want and that we shouldn’t become enslaved to behaviours that hurt ourselves and others. We are not to live by the flesh, or our first carnal responses, but instead to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

It’s tough to counter a culture that tells us to do what feels good and right in the moment, from promiscuous behaviour to buying the latest thing and going into debt to launching our opinions and attacking others (often in the “safety” of being online) because we feel entitled. With the events of Orlando, the murder of a British Member of Parliament, violence at the Euro cup and other hate-filled events in the last few weeks, it’s time to look at how we can combat this.

How can we make a wholesome fruit salad for our kids, fortifying them with what they need to make better choices and grow spiritually? Here are some ideas to consider:

1. If you’re still looking for a summer Sunday school curriculum, consider All-in-One Bible Fun for Preschool Children: Fruit of the Spirit: 13 Lessons for Busy Teachers: Daphna Flegal: 9781426707858: Amazon.com: Books (I used this for an entire summer adjusting it for the ages of kids we had - it has a different actual fruit teamed with each fruit of the Spirit) or Kids Travel Guide - Fruit of the Spirit www.creativemin.com. There are plenty of other handouts and possible curricula out there to help teach the different fruit.

2. Bring in actual fruit and create a fruit salad to share. This might be a culminating project, reviewing the different fruit as you work, or it may be an introduction to the topic. Talk about making good choices in what we eat. What difference does it make whether we eat fruit or not? How is following Jesus like choosing good foods to eat?

3. Talk about the work of gardening, tending and nurturing and/or experience a garden. What are some things that your learners already help to protect and care for and grow? (i.e. pets, their belongings, friendships, values, relationships, their knowledge, skills, etc.) How do they know if they are doing a good job of their nurturing? What kind of fruit do they see? What kind of fruit should a follower of Jesus be producing?

4. If you have a musical group, check out the kids’ musical Music Machine that was performed by Candle and published by Sparrow Song in 1977. There is a different song for each fruit of the Spirit that gets the point across of what they mean and why they are important in how we live. There are also other songs that teach the fruit of the Spirit in creative and memorable ways.

5. Talk together about how it feels to experience the different fruits of the Spirit. Talk about what the opposite of each fruit is and how they look and feel. What happens when we choose an anti-fruit of the Spirit? What happens to our relationships with others, our friends, our families, our community? Why do people choose anti-fruit of the Spirit? How can we help those people, instead of just offering them more anti-fruit?

The issues of violence in the world and hatred are pretty huge and tough for young learners to grapple with on their own. Rest assured that they have encountered meanness and perhaps even evil and need help to process it through a lens of faith. This is particularly challenging when it is other churches choosing to act in ways that are hurtful and cruel. We have the opportunity to help them learn from early on how to combat ugly behaviour and to find safe places for asking questions and finding help.

Pray with your leaders as well as your learners that the fruit of the Spirit will be your way of being with each other so that everyone who comes will experience God’s love in safety.