Before we get too far into the new year, we’re going to take some time to look back on the old one. Specifically, we’ll consider our legacy. If 2012 could speak, what would it say about us? Where did God move in big ways through us? How did we experience joy, despair, hope? Like Joshua set stones on the side of the Jordan River, we’ll set some stones in our hearts as a memorial of all that God has done in 2012. Key Scriptures: Deuteronomy 29:1-29; Joshua 4:1-24; Ephesians 5:6-14. In November eighth-grader McKenna Pope launched a campaign urging Hasbro to make an Easy-Bake Oven that could be marketed to boys. Her younger brother had asked for the popular toy, but Pope couldn’t find an Easy-Bake with boy-friendly packaging and design. Her campaign paid off. Hasbro brought Pope and her family to its Rhode Island headquarters and unveiled an Easy-Bake prototype designed to appeal to boys. The story raises all sorts of interesting questions about boys and girls and their tastes and interests. Through the years the church has made its share of assumptions about gender roles, some of which have been hurtful. Next week we’ll look at what the gospel tells us about gender roles and discuss what it means to live with integrity as the people God calls us to be.
