Sunday School

I have been privileged with the opportunity to co-teach Sunday School at Redeemer this year for 4-5 year olds with my good friend Neecia. How humbling to plunge the depths of the Word and try to put the gospel into "simple" terms for these kids, only to find that often they get the message far more quickly and substantially than I ever could.

I was struggling one Sunday to explain salvation and being spiritually reborn when one of the girls raised her hand and said, "You mean, when Jesus makes our hearts new and helps us not sin anymore?" It was perfect.

This age group provides much humor as well, here are just a few special moments:

One darling little girl is frequently lost in an imaginative world during our Bible lesson and the only response I can get from her are horse whinnies.

One Sunday, one of our boys came to church barefoot...his mom usually keeps his church shoes in the car ready to put on on the way to church...oops.

I cannot recall the specific lesson that Sunday, but in a conversation about beauty...one boy said, "My mom is the most beautiful, just like a princess."

Every craft session requires reminders to the kids that crayons are not for eating or shoving up your nose, glue sticks are not for smelling or wiping on friends, and markers are not supposed to be jammed on the table, your neighbor, yourself, your clothes, the wall, the chair, the floor, OR EVEN YOU PAPER!

This past Sunday was one of my favorites so far. The lesson was on the prodigal son from Luke. What a beautiful picture of God's love, faithfulness, and grace!


We were attempting to highlight to the kids that we need to ask God for forgiveness and that He promises to always be forgiving...these are some of the answers to the questions we asked them after the lesson:

1. How do you feel when you are not nice to someone?
"Happy!"

1. What does it mean to feel guilty?
"You feel all yucky everywhere ..in your head, in your tummy, bleh"
(demonstrated by wild gesturing all over her little self)

2. Me:"I sin everyday, sometimes I am selfish or I am not nice to my mom."
"WHAT? you have a mom? I thought you were married?!?!"
Me: "I am married, but I still have a mom"
Kids: "Wow"
Me: "Do we all sin everyday?"
"NO!"
"Maybe?"
"Um...what if you were so nice all day and didnt do or say anything mean?"

3.Does God ALWAYS promise to forgive us?
"Yes!"
"Excuse me, ummm...why did God make us from dust?"