Before it does, thought, I have a few more days to share. And by share, I may mean cram in like dessert after you are already too full from your Christmas dinner. I hope not, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
So, where are we? Today is Sunday, a week ago Kat and I were back to our normal routine with the littles. We missed only one Sunday morning, (the day after the party), and then we saw them Christmas Eve, but not for our usual Wednesday night routine. You would think, what is one missed Sunday right? Oh no, it was like we had been gone a year. Half of our class was so happy to see us and ran and hugged us and told us they thought we were never coming back. The other half had no recollection of who we were or anything that had ever transpired in class previously. I mean, didn’t remember anyone’s names, couldn’t remember not to run in class, thought throwing blocks was allowed, didn’t know where the bathroom was, and refused to do crafts. Honestly the littles were looking at me like “Mister Judson, pull yourself together man, or Mrs Kathleen is going to put you in time out.”
The week we missed was the 4th Sunday of advent, or Love Sunday. I had left the banner pre-cut, with letters and angels and purple paint. It sort of happened. The letters and angels got glued to the banner. But the painting didn’t happen. I know with a children’s sermon in church, it’s hard to get everything done. I asked if I should hang the banner, and one little said, ‘it’s not finished yet’ and one of the older littles reminded me that ‘advent is purple, that one is just blue and white on green, we need the purple’. So yeah, someone has been paying attention.
It was a rowdy group, had I mentioned that? Such a rowdy group, and trying to get them back in routine was rough. When Kathleen finally got them to settle in for the lesson, she reviewed the previous weeks, as we do, talking about the events leading up to Christmas and repeating the “bible points”. No one was paying attention, no one could remember a single lesson in the last 3 weeks. Even when Kathleen showed them the poster of the nativity one of the littles pointed at Mary holding baby Jesus and asked “who is that?”.
I thought, any minute now I’m pulling the plug and we’ll just have snack and let them play, because this is too much. I’m pretty sure Kat was in agreement, but then one of the littles sitting next to Kat said, “oh Jesus Is the way.” Kat looked at her and said, inelegantly, “huh?”
“Jesus is the way to God”
It took a beat, but Kathleen rallied. “That is right! Jesus is the way to God is our bible point. Good Job!”
What is the point? That moment right there is the point. Why do we put up with rowdy littles with sticky hands and runny noses week after week? Because of moments like that, where you get to see that despite all the chaos in that room, they are paying attention.
I mean, I am in it for the glamor the cookies, but Kathleen does it for little moments like that.
Do me a favor? Celebrate the reasons you participate, (or opt out*) of church?
*because that is a valid option, and a rabbit hole I won’t be going down in this venue.
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