Hello all! Thanks for all jumping in and participating last Sunday even though you had no idea I was going to ask you to stand on wooden planks and turn towels over and play with playdough. I think it went well!
This week we'll be back to regular classes. I assume you've all had time to talk to your co-teachers and work out who will teach when. If you haven't, please do so and let me know if there are any weeks when neither of you can teach. Huge thanks to Simon who volunteered to jump in with the preschoolers! (By the way Simon, if you'd rather teach the junior high group with Tim, I'd be happy to switch with you!).
This week's stories/lessons are:
Godly Play (K & 1, 2 & 3) - The Mystery of Easter (yes! already!)
Living the Good News (that's all the other classes) - Mark 1: 29-39
In this story, Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law, and then spends a good deal of time healing everyone else in town. He just called Simon and Andrew, and James and John to be his disciples--this is one of the first things they do and one of the first times the disciples witness Jesus healing and casting out demons. One of my all-time favorite verses is in this story--"In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed." I think it is important to note that amid all the activity of teaching/healing/casting out demons...and when word of Jesus is spreading like wildfire and his fame is increasing...Jesus still takes time to be alone and quiet (or maybe he's just hiding). It is hard to be alone and quiet especially when we are so programmed to fill up all the spaces in our lives (fill our time, fill our houses, fill our stomachs, etc.) It is also scary to be alone and quiet because we might actually encounter the things inside of us that we try to avoid by moving so fast and by filling up our lives--things that we are afraid of or worried about or that cause us pain. I don't think we can be healed of any of these things (even by Jesus) if we cannot sit with them and accept them. This is all, of course, quite deep for 4th graders, however it might be a worthwhile exercise to see if they can sit quietly with themselves for 2 minutes...or 5 minutes. Deep breaths might help. Saying a prayer might help. If you try it...let me know how it goes!
Let me know if you have any questions about anything! See you Sunday!
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