The kids love my hair. I usually keep it up in a ponytail but they are always pulling on it and asking if they can braid it and see it. Today while we were sitting outside after rest time I took it out so they could braid away. As soon as I let it down they started talking about Jesus hair. Aunty your hair is like Jesus…you have Jesus hair. I tried with my small, small Krio to explain to them that Jesus didn't have hair like mine…he wasn't Scandinavian! "Aunty Jesus is a white man!" "We have seen his picture!"
I remember the first time I saw a painting of a black Jesus in Haiti, I was 16 and hadn't really spent anytime thinking about what Jesus looked like. I assumed he looked just like the pictures I saw in Sunday School and the one on the wall at home. A nice, white man with light brown hair and a friendly smile—we have some of the same pictures of Jesus at the center for our kids to look at. They love picture books about Jesus and I love using these books to teach them the stories of him. Today I could not convince the kids that Jesus was not a white man and with their fascination and elevation of white people and American culture it's even harder for them to grasp.
I'm not really sure where I am going with this, except to say my head and heart are stirring about it. Makes me wonder about culture and spirituality; how our perception of the image of God affects how we live out our faith.
They also find all the pieces that fall out and return them to me. Sometimes they try to stick it back to my head which I find hilarious!
I read a book once, maybe by Don Richardson, and the natives thought that Jesus was was from their culture/ethnic group. I thought that it was good they could relate to Jesus in that way. I sometimes wondered if portraying Jesus as a white man is wrong, but then we can relate to him better. I think he transcends culture and appears to people in the way they need white, black, or other.
ReplyDeletep.s. Our Wednesday night kids are raising money by bringing their Bibles to send money to help buy backpacks for your kids. They get 10 cents on the chart every time they bring one.
We miss you and pray for you often.
Love,
Kevin