A few months back as I taught the children the song “Silent Night,” I helped them imagine the scene of Jesus’ birth. “do you think it really was silent?” I asked the kids. Later, we reenacted the Christmas story, complete with a choir of angels, children dressed as woolly sheep, and wise men draped in silk impatiently waiting their turn in the skit. As the angels sang a slightly less-than-tuneful chorus, the wise man nearest me whispered, “It was not a silent night.”
Hiding a smile, I whispered back, “No, but it was a reverent night.” That child walked away with a new understanding of reverence, and I walked away toward my next club with a renewed excitement.
The children in the next class I got to teach licked candy canes while I read Ruth Belle Graham’s book, “One Wintry Night.” As I read the tale of Adam and Eve’s betrayal, my class commented, “We can’t imagine why they would do that.” That brought on a very good discussion on the temptation of sin.
This class has also been writing a journal of thanksgivings. It’s so exciting to see them learning to talk to God. They are right: there is so much to be thankful for. A child prayed to receive forgiveness for his sins. A family experienced Christ’s love through the local church providing coats and transportation. God has saved the lives and souls of children, kept His servants safe while we teach, and provided for all of our needs. This year God has reached so many people with His love, and I take a silent moment to give thanks.
“Thank You, God, for children’s salvation and safety. Thank You for guiding and providing for Your teachers”.
