Jesus, God’s Greatest Gift

Week 2 went very nicely last evening. Here are some of the highlights:

• We met in church for an opening prayer service with the pastor. The kids were well-behaved and participated nicely. The pastor did a very nice job of encouraging the kids to put Jesus first in their lives. That took about a half-hour of the 75-minute class time.
• Two of the boys in my group asked if they could call me “Dr. Pepper” (since I had alluded to the fact that I had completed my doctorate). I told them they could since they asked and as long as they did so with respect. I had to laugh at that.
• Our focus in class was on: Jesus, God’s Greatest Gift. I began by inviting them to come forward in groups to “play” Where’s Waldo? I have a giant Where’s Waldo? book that they came forward to peruse, seeing if they could find Waldo in 60 seconds. It took four groups to finally locate him. I told them that people sometimes spend lots of time wondering “Where’s God?” while all along we can find him in Jesus Christ.
• We then listened to Joan Osborne’s song, “One of Us,” in which she repeatedly (and sarcastically) sings, “What if God was one of us?” I told them that we Christians know the answer to that question because we know that God became one of us through the Incarnation of Jesus.
• We then read from the textbook about how Jesus is God’s greatest gift to us.
• I invited the young people to pick up their mini votive candle and to go to their sacred space (one of the girls referred to it as their sanctuaries).
• I dimmed the lights and led them in a meditation on the Lord’s Prayer. All told it was about 15 minutes and they did well for the most part, although I will need to move a couple of them who seem to have moved their sacred spaces closer to one another! There is some antsy-ness that they will need to learn to overcome and I know they will get better in time. Also, a couple of them took to tossing their little vigil candle up and down as they listened to me leading the reflection; I’ll have to put an end to that.
• They seem to be a very good-natured group. Lots of natural giddyness but a sheepish attitude; in other words, when they notice that I’ve noticed some mischief, they very sheepishly cease and desist (for the time-being!).

I’m excited about next week when I once again have them for the full 75 minutes and our topic is the Holy Spirit. Oh, the possibilities!

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