Thursday, April 20, 2006

Instinctive holiness

Little Fishes this morning was just lovely :-)

I'd not been with them last week (sad clash with Chrism service...which will always mean that I miss washing toddler toes) so this was my opportunity to share the events of Easter, as for the huge majority this is their church, and their only encounter with the festivals will be on the nearest Thursday morning. So we did a kind of omnibus version of events from Good Friday through to the evening of Easter day, feeling the nails that the Youth Group had hammered into the cross, lighting one symbolic candle for the whole group from the Paschal candle that burns just beside our space in church, and then going to the Easter garden to see what had happened to the Great Big Stone that had blocked the door to the tomb.
At least, that was the way I'd planned it....but in the event, only S wanted to move from the rug to see what had happened....and he came galloping back..."The stone's gone. See inside. Nobody there!"
Then, in their own instinctive gospel parallel, the other mobile children went to see for themselves while S repeated excitedly "The stone's gone...the stone's gone".
We all had a look, and we couldn't see Jesus hiding there, so I went on with the story as we walked back to our places, explaining about those travellers to Emmaus and their surprise companion. Then I produced bread, and reminded them of what Jesus had said at the Last Supper...
"When you share bread, think of me and I'll be with you"
So we did.
And He was.
Wonderful, just wonderful!

5 comments:

Jane Ellen+ said...

Learning with little people has got to be one of the best things about ministry.

Thank you for sharing this.

Chelley said...

That brings to mind my Easter morning (all age) talk/sermon where I was also going through the events from Thursday to Sunday - with helpers! And E who was holding the bread while I told everyone about remembering Jesus when we eat the bread together, started to munch happily through the lot - but did share it out with my other little volunteers - much to the delight of the rest of the congregation!

Rainbow dreams said...

This is lovely - on my level too :-) Thanks for sharing - am thinking I really fit so much better with the children than the adults!
Have a wonderful day, Katie

see-through faith said...

awesome!

Theresa Coleman said...

What a great day!
{{hugs}}