I will be teaching Sunday School at my church now until (at least) Easter.
*gulp*
This means I will be taking a dozen-or-so three to seven year olds on a whirlwind trip through some of the "greatest hits" of Jesus' life.
A couple Sundays ago, the lesson was about Jesus calling his disciples; calling them fishers of men.
Now, we've heard this story over & over (and over and over again, if you're like me), and so I searched everywhere for a lesson plan that sparked my interest.
In my searches, there was an idea that was so simple, and such a quick blurb...it wasn't really the meat of the lesson at all, it was the "connecting with kids" type portion...
The lesson suggested that you tell the class something like, "Have you ever been fishing? It's so fun, and relaxing, and just great! Now, I have my fishing pole, and my fisherman hat and vest, and even a pile of worms! I'm just gonna go to the yard out front and fish!"
Then, you let the children tell you that you can't fish in the front yard, because there won't be any fish there to catch - that you MUST go WHERE. THERE. ARE. FISH.
This hit me. Whoa. Why can't I just share my love of Christ while I'm at church? Isn't showing the church that I love Jesus enough?
Nope, it's sure not.
I suppose I could go through the motions of fishing in my front yard all day long, and then complain that my fish supply is dwindling. Then I could complain that I don't understand why, if I'm spending so much time fishing. But, if I'm not casting my line where fish can be found, the only thing I've done is use my energy and resources up, and for nothing.
What a ridiculous "DUH" moment.
I must admit, I find so much MEAT when I'm looking for ideas to share with these itty bitty people...What I love even more is how these SIMPLE stories provide applications in my own, grown up life, too...
:o)
Now, we've heard this story over & over (and over and over again, if you're like me), and so I searched everywhere for a lesson plan that sparked my interest.
In my searches, there was an idea that was so simple, and such a quick blurb...it wasn't really the meat of the lesson at all, it was the "connecting with kids" type portion...
The lesson suggested that you tell the class something like, "Have you ever been fishing? It's so fun, and relaxing, and just great! Now, I have my fishing pole, and my fisherman hat and vest, and even a pile of worms! I'm just gonna go to the yard out front and fish!"
Then, you let the children tell you that you can't fish in the front yard, because there won't be any fish there to catch - that you MUST go WHERE. THERE. ARE. FISH.
This hit me. Whoa. Why can't I just share my love of Christ while I'm at church? Isn't showing the church that I love Jesus enough?
Nope, it's sure not.
I suppose I could go through the motions of fishing in my front yard all day long, and then complain that my fish supply is dwindling. Then I could complain that I don't understand why, if I'm spending so much time fishing. But, if I'm not casting my line where fish can be found, the only thing I've done is use my energy and resources up, and for nothing.
What a ridiculous "DUH" moment.
I must admit, I find so much MEAT when I'm looking for ideas to share with these itty bitty people...What I love even more is how these SIMPLE stories provide applications in my own, grown up life, too...
:o)
ReplyDeleteThat was our sermon exactly last Sunday AM...those old Bible stories are ageless and every time you hear or read them seems like you find something new, I guess that's because the Bible is truly the living word of God. Love your post,keep up the good work.
Love you Aunt Kay! And thank you. :o)
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