March 4 – “What’s this for?”

Had some more fun yesterday with the Kids’ Sermon.  This time I held up some common household items – a measuring cup, a ladle and a screwdriver – and asked the kids what they were for.  They got every one head on correct.  Then I moved to some slides I had prepared.  The first was a fire fighter.  They knew he was the guy who “washed houses that were burning.”  Next came a Lego policeman.  He was the one who “puts handcuffs on criminals.”  The third one was an extreme closeup of my face bearing an evilish grin.  I asked what he was for.  Answers came out right away, although none of them mentioned the pastor role.  My favorite response was something along the lines of “that’s for terrifying little children.”  Really.  I did add a picture of John the Baptist to the mix.  He was standing in the Jordan and appeared to be preaching.  You know, the whole, “Repent, you brood of vipers” look.  One of the kids said he was there to help people get across the river.  I suppose in a sense he was right.  Figurative river.  The last item was a mirror, and as I held it up to each of them, I asked what that person was for.  Pretty good lead-in to the teaching on purpose in life.  The prayer was about how God doesn’t make junk, so we thank him for making us just the way we are.  I hope some of them “got it.”

There were quite a few visitors.  It’s quickly getting to be that time of year again.  Ah, the joys of living in a resort town.  We had folks from Pennsylvania and Minnesota and Kansas that I remember.  Long way to come just to worship at Seaside.  But, hey, it’s worth the trip. 

Some friends came over after the meeting we had after church to bring us some lunch.  The girls had sandwiches from McAlister’s Deli.  The guys had footlong hot dogs from Sonic.  Mine was your garden variety chili dog with cheese – Texas delight, right?  His had some very strange stuff on it.  I saw a pickle sitting there, and I thought maybe they accidentally dropped it on their way to the hamburger pile, but he said it came that way.  I didn’t particularly want to know what else was on it.  A large portion of conversation centered around how hotdogs are made up North with sauerkraut and other such nonsense.  Why would you want to ruin a perfectly good conglomeration of processed, rejected meat-like substance by covering it up with stuff that stinks up the whole vicinity for blocks and blocks?  Just slop some chili and cheese on there and get down to business.  Makes me hungry again just thinking about it.  Wonder what we have for breakfast around here …

Psalms 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Father, thank you for being so meticulous in your design of humanity.  Sorry we do our best to mess it up.  Amen.