children's church today
This morning Isaac and I were assigned to be the helpers for the 3/4 year old program at church. The kids and I are on rotations for different kids activities at church so we have to watch the announcements to know when it is our turn. After the worship and greeting time, Isaac and I left for "children in worship" which is the class Josiah does during morning church.
24 little kids came into the class and found spots on the carpet squares. The teacher (God bless her!) did the greeting, the prayer, the singing and the story......and the story was about Moses leading his people through the desert, the parting of the river and the Israelites passing through the parted waters to the promised land. the pre-schoolers listened and were really attentive. They each got a turn to move the people through the parted river to the other side.....and then they did snacks and free play time until their parents came to collect them.
Two things.
1. Josiah was so good! He listened respectfully. He raised his hand and asked to sing a certain song. He bowed his head for prayer time. He waited his turn. My heart nearly burst with pride for him....as I sat across the room helping other kids stay on task. Josiah......is a gift. He is a good kid. He is a blessing.
2. We start here, telling bible stories of God's faithfulness to His people....and we hope that 3/4 year old children understand that God keeps his promises and God takes care of us. Maybe there was blind assumption and maybe no one but me noticed that the story said that we should believe in a God and trust a God that will send His People moving toward a river running fast and deep with chariots growing closer that intend to kill the people....and God's people must trust Him and not run away....but rather stay the course.....and He will part the waters of the river so that His people can move through....and then cause the waters to crash down on the enemy.......
In life....this trust is really hard. The chariots that attack us can be many different things. The promise on the other side is....allusive. The parting of the waters is....risky. We tell these stories to our children and hopefully the point of it is blueprinted in their brains....and one day....a real life experience or two or twelve happens and we hope we can remember that God was on both sides of the river and He didn't just understand the desert. He authored it. Then and now He has authority and power to part the river so that we can walk through it....or not. Sovereign God decides.
I sat on a church basement floor when I was 3 and 4 and older and older and I listened to the stories from the bible. I learned the message of God's story of love and forgiveness and salvation and power and redemption. I know His stories. When I was a little girl I didn't think about how to interpret them as a grown up woman. Holy spirit is showing me....every day....but it is not easy. Pharoah on his charging chariot could be anything.....election opinions, a past-due dental bill.....busyness in our family....prom....financial hardship....being overweight and unhealthy.....feeling like your home is out of control......trying to get through the day with the most blessing and the least harm.....aching for the orphan.....
Powerful God, loving God, Omnipotent God.....He goes before us. He parts the waters and makes a way for us to pass through to the other side....not just in the book of Exidus but every, single day. We are living that bible story. You....and me.....we are. With every choice. With every longing. With every prayer for change and a move of the Holy Spirit......We are racing against the chariots, trying to get to the river......hoping and hopefully trusting that God will be ahead of us, ready to part the river waters so that we can move through to the other side.
Tonight, I can see the teacher of the class moving her hands over the sand......telling about the desert.....and then laying down the felt sheets that represented the water and as I tried to manage the 24 children on their carpet squares, and keep them listening I stared at that blue felt and watched her pull it apart to show the parting of the river......in the desert. With joy I watched these little kids take their turn to walk the paper people through the parted water and to the other side of the desert.....and I hoped that they would understand that God can and will do powerful and amazing things for His people that He loves.....
24 little kids came into the class and found spots on the carpet squares. The teacher (God bless her!) did the greeting, the prayer, the singing and the story......and the story was about Moses leading his people through the desert, the parting of the river and the Israelites passing through the parted waters to the promised land. the pre-schoolers listened and were really attentive. They each got a turn to move the people through the parted river to the other side.....and then they did snacks and free play time until their parents came to collect them.
Two things.
1. Josiah was so good! He listened respectfully. He raised his hand and asked to sing a certain song. He bowed his head for prayer time. He waited his turn. My heart nearly burst with pride for him....as I sat across the room helping other kids stay on task. Josiah......is a gift. He is a good kid. He is a blessing.
2. We start here, telling bible stories of God's faithfulness to His people....and we hope that 3/4 year old children understand that God keeps his promises and God takes care of us. Maybe there was blind assumption and maybe no one but me noticed that the story said that we should believe in a God and trust a God that will send His People moving toward a river running fast and deep with chariots growing closer that intend to kill the people....and God's people must trust Him and not run away....but rather stay the course.....and He will part the waters of the river so that His people can move through....and then cause the waters to crash down on the enemy.......
In life....this trust is really hard. The chariots that attack us can be many different things. The promise on the other side is....allusive. The parting of the waters is....risky. We tell these stories to our children and hopefully the point of it is blueprinted in their brains....and one day....a real life experience or two or twelve happens and we hope we can remember that God was on both sides of the river and He didn't just understand the desert. He authored it. Then and now He has authority and power to part the river so that we can walk through it....or not. Sovereign God decides.
I sat on a church basement floor when I was 3 and 4 and older and older and I listened to the stories from the bible. I learned the message of God's story of love and forgiveness and salvation and power and redemption. I know His stories. When I was a little girl I didn't think about how to interpret them as a grown up woman. Holy spirit is showing me....every day....but it is not easy. Pharoah on his charging chariot could be anything.....election opinions, a past-due dental bill.....busyness in our family....prom....financial hardship....being overweight and unhealthy.....feeling like your home is out of control......trying to get through the day with the most blessing and the least harm.....aching for the orphan.....
Powerful God, loving God, Omnipotent God.....He goes before us. He parts the waters and makes a way for us to pass through to the other side....not just in the book of Exidus but every, single day. We are living that bible story. You....and me.....we are. With every choice. With every longing. With every prayer for change and a move of the Holy Spirit......We are racing against the chariots, trying to get to the river......hoping and hopefully trusting that God will be ahead of us, ready to part the river waters so that we can move through to the other side.
Tonight, I can see the teacher of the class moving her hands over the sand......telling about the desert.....and then laying down the felt sheets that represented the water and as I tried to manage the 24 children on their carpet squares, and keep them listening I stared at that blue felt and watched her pull it apart to show the parting of the river......in the desert. With joy I watched these little kids take their turn to walk the paper people through the parted water and to the other side of the desert.....and I hoped that they would understand that God can and will do powerful and amazing things for His people that He loves.....
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