Hey folks! Our current unit in the kids curriculum is about the Church: what it is, what it does, and what it means to be a part of it.
This week we'll be talking specifically about listening to God in the Church's worship. Here's what we mean:
Last week, we taught the kids that prayer is talking to God. God always hears us when we pray – all the time, everywhere, no matter what. God loves it when we pray to Him.
But God doesn't simply hear us when we pray. He has spoken, and continues to speak, in two significant ways:
Nature
Scripture
The Old Theologians say that God has written two books: the Book of Nature, and the Book of Scripture. Full Christian living requires the exposition of both!
First, the Christian Scriptures in a real way define themselves as the Word of God to his people.
(See 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and Hebrews 4:12.)
But it isn’t just the Scriptures: The Scriptures themselves tell us that the world itself pours forth speech *without words* to us about God, day after day.
(See Psalm 19 and Romans 1:20)
The world proclaims to us that God is real and some of what he is like (he is beautiful and powerful, etc.). The Holy Scriptures teach us who God is, and what he has done (and is doing!) to make the wrong things in this world right.
Questions for your kids
How can we hear God speak to us? How is it different from talking with other people?
What can we learn about God by looking at the world around us? What is the world like?
Hint: the destructive power of the world is real (like storms, floods, etc.). That the human body suffers from this power is a consequence of sin and its curse as humanity and the earth are set in opposition to one another (see Genesis 3). So, the world can be both awe-inspiring and magnificent, as well as scary and dangerous.
What can we learn about God by listening to the Scriptures? What do they tell us about him?
Holy Imagination
Learning the faith isn't just about memorizing facts. It's about seeing the world as it really is: "charged with the grandeur of God."
God has "written" himself all over the world in which we find ourselves. This week, make some time to take your kids outside. Ask them what they see, and what that might tell them about God. There's a good chance they'll help you see the world with more clarity, too.
Peace,
Danny+