This blog in it's original form was posted at www.Renovare.org I’m not sure who learned the most. Really I’m sure, but let me have my dignity for just a moment.
It was the first day of deer hunting season so I knew the church would be nearly vacant. I was right. As I was gathering my wits for the Preschool Sunday School class, Jeffery meandered in, head hung low, frown draped across his face.
I mustered up a jolly, “Hello.”
And Jeffery shot back, “Guess it’s just me and you.”
This room is familiar to him and so am I. I see him every week.
“Well Jeffery, should we start by talking with God?”
“No,” he said, “I don’t know how.”
“Talking to God is just like talking to me. You can do it anytime or anywhere…. Bla, bla, bla…”
Jeffery had long since tuned me out and began playing with the glue and the glitter. Frankly I had tuned me out. Talking about prayer is like talking about eating ice cream or riding a roller coaster, words pale in comparison to the real thing.
Finally, I quit talking and watched Jeffery. He had opened the Beginners Bible to the story of Noah. “Read this to me he said.”
So I did.
“Let’s make some art.” He said.
So we did.
We found every color of glitter and paint we could imagine. We made the most sparkly rainbow ever. The best detail was the angel beside the rainbow, a big beautiful brown angel with yellow wings and just behind the brown I could see kind eyes and a huge red smile.
I said, “Your angel, he’s smiling.”
“The angel is wearing God’s smile.” He said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“He told me.” Jeffery said while adding a last splash of gold glitter.
I suppressed the urge for one more teaching lecture how listening to God is prayer, and how art can also be prayer.
Instead I picked up the green glitter and prayed.
This weekend break out the art supplies with your littlest people, maybe read a Bible story, or how about Psalm 150… then pray. Don’t use words…