let the children come

let the children come

“So you’re writing the curriculum each week as well?”  the man asked me in disbelief.  “How do you do all that?”

“well…i drink a lot of coffee…”

Which is true, but the deeper truth is we will always find the time for the things we are most passionate about.  I am passionate about people knowing about Jesus, and kids are no exception.  On the contrary, kids knowing Jesus is what gets me out of bed most mornings.  (Especially once it gets cold outside.)

There are all kinds of numbers out there,  but suffice it to say that an overwhelming majority of people who end up following Jesus decide to do so before they graduate from high school.

Also worth noting is that many walk away from the church in college.
There are all sorts of ideas on why this happens, but here is my thought: kids walk away from God, because we rarely show them who God really is.

I’ve seen my fair share of children’s Bibles and Sunday School curriculum – and was brought up under some of them myself.  By and large, they disgust me.

The story of Noah escaping God’s wrath?  Clearly, it’s about how to care for your pets.  Come on!  All those cute, little animals that came two by two?   Animal care is obviously in the hermeneutic.

The Prophets? Other than maybe some selections from Elijah’s and Elisha’s day, not important.  Until you’re in middle and high school anyway, then we will pull Jeremiah out of context to help you remember that God has a wonderful plan for your life.

And the New Testament?  Ends after Jesus ascends, duh.  Maybe we can talk about Pentacost, and maybe we can talk about the fruit of the Spirit (because kids like fruit).  But that’s all.  Paul is too confusing.
I think kids walk away from the church when they get out into the real world because we have failed to show them a real God.

In the name of protecting their innocence, we have sanitized the Scripture and shamed the children who dare to ask deeper questions.

We have raped the Gospel for the purpose of teaching our children to be good Americans, voiding its power and all but extinguishing its flame.

We have made God into a friendly, comforting Papa whom children can pray to about monsters under their bed, but have failed to show them God’s mystery and magnitude.

 

And when they are confronted with other beliefs, with the harsh realities of this world, with a society that scoffs at the God we have created for them, they leave.

“I want the kids to know and see Jesus for who He is with as little of an American lens as I can give them.  I want the to see just God, and nothing else.”

I want them to see the ugly. The God stories that I don’t even like.  Harsh judgements and warfare in the Old Testament.

Because it’s part of God’s story.

I want them to see the weird and the hard to understand.  Like Ezekiel dancing with dry bones or Hosea marrying a woman who would cheat on him repeatedly.

Because it’s part of God’s story.

I want them to understand that when Jesus said to sell all you have and give it to the poor, that He meant it.  He didn’t just want the peoples extra cans of green beans.

I want them to love God far more…

Love others far more…

Sacrifice far more for the Kingdom than I can even begin to imagine.

Because they are part of God’s continuing story.

 

it is an insult to the Spirit when we dumb down and sanitize the Gospel “for the sake of the kids.”

Children are born with hearts that believe passionately, that are fervent and wild.  And what do we do?  In the name of Jesus, we tame them.  We quiet their questions instead of helping them learn to wrestle.  We hand them a storybook, rather than a Bible.  We leave it to a lesson plan or a bunch of animated vegetables to show them who God is, and fail to show them with our lives.

We make God small, so that God is on “their level” rather than trusting that the Holy Spirit could be at work even in the heart of a child.

And in my experience, perhaps even especially so.

5 Comments

  1. lifewithnonna on November 9, 2012 at 8:09 pm

    Megan, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and stories. They inspire me continuously. And I know how much energy it takes to keep up with a blog (**cue tumbleweeds drifting down the road of Life with Nonna…..**). Love you friend, and am grateful for you and your heart.

  2. Kristen on November 10, 2012 at 5:30 am

    Wow! The thoughts from your heart never cease to amaze me! You articulate them so poignantly and never cease to rock my world! I truly appreciate your passion and point of view! SPEAK ON!!!

  3. looking back… « crazy little thing called love on December 31, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    […] I got a little angry about the way that most evangelical churches seem to think we should be teaching our kids about Jesus. […]

  4. Julie Wenzel on January 14, 2013 at 9:30 am

    I agree with why you think they leave. I want to be on the lookout for good “curriculum”, yet I have this nagging feeling that it may just not exist. Wouldn’t the best curriculum come from how we as parents search after God daily and yearn for Him? When the Holy Spirit teaches us something we explain it too the kids? This would show something – Jesus is real and he cares for you and is with you for your daily life. The question is not really “where is the time” for a parent to do this, but how real and important is Jesus to the parent themselves. It would be awesome to have some supplementary resources from other Jesus loving parents tho …

    • megan on January 14, 2013 at 1:07 pm

      “The question is not really “where is the time” for a parent to do this, but how real and important is Jesus to the parent themselves.”

      I absolutely agree! very well said.

      For kids, I love “The Jesus Storybook Bible” and read it *almost* nightly with my daughter – even if she is only 11months old.

      As far as for-parent tools go, I haven’t really gotten in to a lot of parenting books yet, “Simplicity Parenting” is on my 2013 reading list though. I think one of the best things we can do as parents is be excellent disciples of Christ ourselves. Our children will learn to love and value many of the things we do, so loving Christ first and above all else should be the highest priority of a parent.
      I love Richard Foster’s “Celebration of Disciplines” for discipleship basics, though there are numerous wonderful resources in this department. We just need to start thinking outside of the typical “parenting” box.

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