What's A Kid Supposed to Do?
HELP, I Need Somebody!
I wonder what was going through my head when this picture was taken? "Keep your finger on the line Don, don't screw up for the whole world to see you can't outline the letter 'H'." Perhaps I was thinking "Wow, this instructor is tall!" Or maybe I was thinking of words which began with the letter "H"; 'hell, hallelujah, Henry (Critchfield; a neighbor), hardball or HELP'. Kids need a lot of help, now more than ever (I know I did back then). You read these stories about some amazing kid doing some amazing thing to further humankind. Yet there are so few of these stories, so what do we tell our kids and how do we instruct the young and very young of our church to be more of this or that, and to do more of this or more of that..?
In our church we dedicate one Sunday in the year to our Christian Education classes and ask them to present material they have learned over the past year, and then we promote them to their next class. Invariably the parents are impressed with what their young children have learned and how well prepared they were when presenting their class program. (They also recognize how much they have forgotten.) I love being able to sit with the congregants and just take it all in. The children memorize bible stories of faith and how the characters of the stories overcame great odds and exhibited great faith. The children recite creeds and prayers, many of these at ages far younger than most. (I love it when the 4 and 5 year old's are reciting the Lord's Prayer with me during worship service.) Some of the 8-10 year old's do interpretive analysis of a bible story. (They put into their own words what the story meant to them.) Yet, when it is all said and done, what do I tell them and how do I encourage them to take the next step beyond memorization and bible stories. What's a kid supposed to do with developing a faith he or she can call their own?
At the end of the most recent worship service, after the kids had made their presentation, it was my turn. I needed to keep it short and I wanted to stay within the boundaries of the lectionary. My reading was Psalm 139, the first verse and the sixth verse ("Lord, you have examined me. You know me." (v.1) "That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it's so high above me that I can't fathom it." (v.6)-CEB Reading these verses was all I needed to stimulate the writing of a brief poem called "Child's Poem". Here it is:
Child’s Poem
by Pastor Don
I am but a child,
What difference can I make?
My size is not great, like a mom or a dad
My voice is not heard, except when I’m bad
Or maybe when I’m sad
I have no job, [but I do have chores]
No cash, like grandma or grandpa
Who seem to have everything
And I’m told; “you’ll have to wait until you’re older”
What is it Jesus, about being a child?
I come to you on Sunday’s
I say my prayers at night,
and I try to do what’s right.
What else should I do?
If Jesus were living today, I think he would say:
“Look into the eyes of your parents and see my love for you
Feel your parent’s love when they hug you and know I love you also.
Start with a hug and a word of kindness,
be caring to those around you.
Treat others with respect (like you want to be treated),
and help whenever you can.
Be the best you can be in everything you do.
Say the prayer I taught you, (you know, “Our Father”)
and know I am with you always.”
Although Jesus isn’t alive today, Jesus can still be alive in you!
Promotion Sunday, June 14, 2015
