Pieces of the puzzle

We're all puzzle pieces.

That's what Barbara J. Newman, a consultant who helps churches become more welcoming to people with disabilities, told us at a Hope Centre inclusion conference this spring.

Our puzzle pieces each have a pink side and a green side. The green side is the things we're good at. The pink side is the things we're not good at.

Barbara gave us each a paper puzzle piece and asked us to write down our strengths and weaknesses on the respective sides. She read us hers, and then asked us to share with someone sitting next to us.

I was preaching about Jesus accepting "tax collector and sinners" (Mark 2:13-17) at my church today, and I tried this activity during the children's story time. (I was nervous about how visitors would feel about being approached to share; I hope our regulars made them comfortable and gave them space.)

I went first, posting some of my own strengths and weaknesses on the PowerPoint for everyone to see. A couple people came up to me after the service and confessed that they aren't good at math or conflict either.



I told the children that some of us have weaknesses everyone sees; maybe we walk with a limp or wear glasses. Some of us have weaknesses no one knows about. But we all have them.

The important thing we learn from the puzzle piece is that none of us is all pink, and none of us is all green.

The problem with name calling (like the Pharisees in the Bible story) is that it's saying "you're all pink." For example, no one is "stupid." There are so many different ways to be smart: I can't remember numbers or names, but I'm great at recalling facts.

The person who is the best at drawing might have trouble kicking a ball. The person who lives on the street might have a very kind heart or a beautiful voice. And the person who gets on your nerves in the next house or the next pew might be just the person God is going to use to help you.

Like a puzzle, the community needs each of us to make a complete picture. I'm thankful to God for giving us each strengths. And for our weaknesses too - because they remind us that we need each other.

My sermon will follow in the next posts.