I stare
at a class room full of wiggly, noisy, joyful bundles of energy.
"Say Cheeeese!" I tell the
ten 4-year-olds standing in front of me. They all smile back, eager to get
their picture taken. As soon as my camera snaps they all clamor around me with
noisy wishes of, "Can I see?? I wanna see it!"
* * *
We talked
about Pentecost this week--the celebration of God sending His Spirit to dwell
in the hearts of His people. In an effort to bring the story to life, we crafted
"fire" headbands replicating fire appeared over the heads of the
disciples when they first received the promised Spirit.
Despite
the cheery atmosphere, I wonder how much they actually learn. Surely a
preschooler's grasp of concepts like the Holy Spirit is rather limited? As a teacher,
I desire comprehension. I also recognize that the point of the lessons isn’t
for my students to gain complete theological understanding. I forget so often
that most young children have yet to make decisions to follow Christ. Ministry
to children is every bit of an evangelistic field as ministering to unsaved
adults.
I may not
remember all of what my Sunday School teachers taught me, but I do remember the
ones who went out of their way to love me, invest in me, and make me feel
special. I once had a professor who used to tell us to be "Jesus with skin
on," and that, I realized, is what I want to be to these children. At
Mountview Christian Preschool, our job as teachers is to make the gospel look attractive
by living it out.
* * *
In the
morning we recite our mini-catechism: "What is God?" I ask them--the
answer is "God is a Spirit"--but Jacob, my sweet four-year-old
friend replies with fervor, "God is a spearmint!"
Alright,
we may not display comprehensive knowledge of the Holy Spirit after this
week. But someday when these students make their own decisions about
Christ, I hope they can at least look back and say, "I had teachers in
preschool who were Christians--they really loved me and took the time to care
about me. Maybe Christ cares about me that way, too."
