St.Andrew'sUmc          

Season of Play Series

For true life, play is not a reward after the “real work.” It’s part of God’s design.  Expect laughter, low stakes, and high grace. Expect God to meet us in delight. 

May 31: “Play and the Gift of God’s Delight”

Play is not simply recreation, or rest, or even Sabbath. It's God’s gift to us that helps us to recognize and respond to God’s delight in us. When we play, we learn to hear the song God is already singing over us, allowing hope and joy to rise in us rather than relying solely on our effort.

June 7: “Out of Survival Mode”

Play heals and moves us out of survival mode. God uses delight to unstick weary people and reopen imagination. When we play, our brains and our spirits move out of survival mode and into creativity, openness, and trust. It’s not escape from what ails us; it’s medicine.

June 14: “Masterclass for a Stuck Church”

Play turns stuckness into movement and imagination. Play is the lab where the Spirit teaches us new moves. Playing together as a Church trains us to live with wonder and curiosity in the face of mystery. In uncertain times, we don’t tighten control but we stay open instead. Play strengthens our shared capacity to follow God’s surprising movements together. When the community plays, we remember that faith is not certainty but it’s the joyful courage to move together into what God is doing next.

June 21: “Joy in the Wild”

Joy is good news that people can see. When a community plays well—laughing, creating, and celebrating together—it shows the delight of God in ways that words cannot. The gift of play becomes public when our joy turns into visible good news. Every feast, festival, and shared laugh is a small rehearsal for the great party of God’s Kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven. Playful people show the world that grace is not only spoken but celebrated.