I was just sitting here looking at Angel’s post which has a link to a really great on-line resource for “children of all ages” (like me!) As I clicked on some of the different links to various stories in the bible, my mind drifted back to days of long ago sitting in my small neighborhood church, St. Peter’s in London, England. Ours was a very small parish, we typically had only a handful of children in our solitary bible class. Our Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Chapman, was also the wife of our very talented organist/music director, as well as the lead soprano in our choir of about ten, and I’m sure fulfilled many other roles as well. We sat in a small area in one corner of the church where we had a small alter with a statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched in front of him. Underneath, it said “Suffer not little children, come unto me”. It was the “Children’s Corner”, adorned with books, pictures, a few simple toys and some cushy pillows. The church was built in the 1700’s, and is a typical “Church of England” – large, stone walls, tall steeple, old wooden pews (certainly no carpet!) – very plain and quite austere. It was always cold in the church (even in the summer) as the parish could not afford to keep it heated, except for this one small area, which always seemed warm and cozy. As we sat and listened to the stories of Joseph and his dream coat, David and Goliath, Adam and Eve … it felt like such a safe and secure place to be, looking into the arms of Jesus, it was like he was right there with us, protecting us. As I sat tonight and looked through some of these lessons again, it evoked those same feelings. The stories are all the same, it’s just a different generation of children now, and a slightly different format! How wonderful it always seems to see things through the eyes of children. So simple, so pure. With so many things in our lives constantly changing, it is comforting to read the same words that I remember from more than 40 years ago. Here we are in the next century (I hate to say!) with instant access to everything on line, which is great for the most part – I have certainly enjoyed it this evening re-connecting so easily to these great memories. But it is sad in some ways too, as I wonder how many people these days are missing out on the human connection, the actual foundation of memories for the years ahead. The joy in knowing a Mrs. Chapman. The reassurance and comfort of that special safe place we can journey back to in our minds where the actual seeds of our faith were firmly planted. I wish that every child could begin their life journey with this same blanket of protection. It is sad to think that so many children are not given this opportunity as the church has become less and less important in all too many busy lives. Children are our future and there is no more precious gift than the one of faith. It is a gift we can give to a child and also to God who works through us. The time spent with a child, planting seeds of faith through the stories of the Bible, is such a privilege and honor, an act of love. So thank you to all the teachers, story-tellers, parents, grand-parents and everyone who takes the time to share faith with a child. If only we could reach every single one… As for me, I’m brushing up on some of the old stories. You never know when opportunity will knock. :-)
