SETTING THE CONTEXT

Godly Play is an approach to the spiritual formation of children that we use here at PUMC. It was developed by an Episcopal priest, Rev. Dr. Jerome Berryman, who was a student of Maria Montessori. Montessori had a religious component to her educational approach that Berryman used as a springboard for his own work. Godly Play seeks to nurture the spirituality of children through story, wondering, and creative play. Godly Play teaches children the art of using Christian language—parable, sacred story, and liturgical action—helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives. Today I would like to share this story as it is told in Godly Play.

Tell the Godly Play story of the Good Samaritanⁱ (Luke 10:25-37)

THE SERMON

Davida Dalton’s home was a busy place; with ten children and one on the way every day was hectic. On this particular day, Davida was having trouble doing even routine chores because of one little boy. Her son, Len, who was three at the time, was on her heels no matter where she went. Whenever she stopped to do something and turned around, she would trip over him. Several times, she tried to suggest fun activities to keep him occupied and out from underfoot. “Wouldn’t you like to play on the swing set?” But he’d simply smile an innocent smile and said, “That’s all right, Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he’d continue to bounce happily along behind her. After stepping on his little toes for the fifth time, she began to lose her patience and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. When she asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at her with sweet green eyes and said, “Well, Mommy, in school my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, but I can’t see him, so I’m walking in yours.”ⁱⁱ

Every time we baptize anyone, baby, child, youth or adult we acknowledge that “it is easy in the midst of life to forget who we are and whose we are, so we, the church, are here to remind them and each other that someone greater than we are has named us, claimed us, seeks us and loves us, now and throughout eternity.” We promise to “nurture one another in this Christian faith and include the baptized person in this circle of Christian love.” At each baptism you promise to “proclaim the Good News and live according to the example of Christ with God’s help.” You promise to “surround the baptized and his or her family with a community of love and forgiveness that they might grow in their trust of God and be found faithful in their service to others.” You promise to “pray for them that they might be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to abundant life.” We are not only responsible for living out these promises in the lives of those who are baptized here at Prescott UMC, but those who make those promises speak for the entire body of Christ so we are bound by these promises to any baptized person. The quality of our children’s and youth ministry is important because we made covenant, we promised, to help them walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

Jesus showed his love for children. Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe Jesus teaching about true greatness by taking a small child and bringing him or her to his side and telling his disciples, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (Matthew 18: 2-5, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:46-48) They also describe later in their gospels an incident where people were bringing their young children to Jesus for him to touch them. The disciples tried to shoo them away, but Jesus called to his disciples and told them “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” (Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17) Mark says, “And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.” Two gospels describe Jesus healing the young daughter of a distraught father. She died as they were making their way to the house, but Jesus resurrected her. (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43) The Gospel of John also describes incidents when Jesus healed children (John 4:46-53). Jesus, the incarnation of God, who was himself, an infant and a child, touched, blessed and healed children. Somehow I don’t think he would have minded at all if a child wanted to walk in his footsteps.

We seek to nurture our children in their faith and discipleship, to help them walk in the footsteps of Jesus, from the nursery to the end of their lives. Our nursery staff, Rose Ann Chapman and Sarah Cushman, provides an atmosphere of safety and love for our youngest children. Babies are cuddled and cooed at with words of love. Toddlers can play in a safe and supportive environment. They learn that church is a safe place where their needs will be met and love surrounds them. When a child turns three, they can participate in the Godly Play class on Saturday night or at 9:00 Sunday morning or in the One Room Sunday School class at 10:30 on Sunday morning. I would like to share with you a typical day at one of our Godly Play classes. Phil Elliott described the Sunday morning young children’s class which he says varies slightly depending on the ages and needs of the children present. They go downstairs and enter their Godly Play room where they are surrounded by Bible stories and have a focal center covered in the liturgical color of the season and with a cross, the Holy Family and a Bible arranged on top of the center. New children are welcomed, asked their names and the teachers find out a little about them. After all the children are welcomed, the teacher asks if they have any prayer requests, they pray and then the storyteller teacher brings out the story of the day. He or she tells the story, and then together the group wonders about it. Following the story they share a snack which Berryman calls the Feast time and then if there is time they go and play outside on the playground. Sometimes after the story the children will retell or create their own stories with the story figures. All this is to allow the stories to get deep inside them and to help them think about the stories in relation to their lives. Godly Play teaches even very young children to think theologically. “I wonder; what is the most important part of this story? I wonder; where you are in this story?” Both of my daughters grew up in Godly Play. When Rachel had just turned 8, our golden retriever, Bo, died of cancer. He died at home during the night so early in the morning we said our goodbyes and loaded his body in the car and went to our veterinary clinic a couple of blocks away. We explained to the girls that his body would be cremated, said our good byes again and left. We immediately had to take the girls to the bus stop for school. As our neighbor walked up with her son, Rachel greeted her with “our dog died this morning and we are burning him as a sacrifice to God.” I quickly told our shocked neighbor that Rachel had been learning about sacrifices in the Old Testament in church and we were cremating our dog. But you know Rachel had something right, that morning we did release our dog, giving over our beloved pet into God’s eternal care. She learned that in Godly Play. Our dedicated teachers are giving our children the language of faith to help them make sense of this world and to help them name God’s presence and movement in their lives. This is why George and I are so committed to offering this method of spiritual formation to our children.

At 10:30 on Sunday mornings, we offer One Room Sunday School. This is a traditional Sunday School curriculum for a mix of age groups. We have some children who come to both classes for a very well rounded Christian education. We also have Kids Care to help our children grow in their discipleship by helping their neighbor. Kids Care helps them live the lesson of the parable we heard today. They also develop in community and leadership through our bell choir and other special activities. We take our Christian Education and nurture into the streets with Sidewalk Sunday School sharing the gospel with children in the Dexter neighborhood.

When our children move into Middle School they join our Junior High Sunday School class and youth group. When there is a core group ready for confirmation, George and I teach confirmation classes which we will offer again this spring. These ministries allow them to continue growing in faith through learning and acting. Our Senior High students have a Sunday School class of their own. They have Senior High youth group, service projects locally, and mission trips to different parts of our country or abroad. George and I are committed to having youth assume appropriate leadership roles alongside the adults in our church such as liturgists, ushers, music leaders. They are invited to sing in our Celebration and Chancel choirs and can perform in our bell choirs. They lead youth services and serve the church and others in many other ways. Many of our young adults continue to contribute and inspire us by walking in Jesus’ footsteps. This summer we heard from two of them – Beth Rambikur who grew up in this church preached to us in June just before she moved to her first appointment as a United Methodist minister and Robyn Poynter, a college student, who spent a month this summer in villages in Uganda shared with us a couple of weeks ago about serving her neighbors in Uganda in Christ’s name. Our children are learning to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

But we must remain vigilant and determined to nurture our children --and every child or youth who comes to this church is “ours”. And we all have a part in this nurturing starting with how we interact with them when we see them. Believe me children and especially youth pick up on dirty looks and they usually have excellent hearing to overhear unkind comments. We must be vigilant for the quality of all of our relationships with them is essential to helping them grow in their discipleship. David Siegler spoke eloquently last Wednesday on the power of an adult mentor in the life of a child. While Godly Play is the name of three of our classes, in truth, Godly Play describes all we do with our children. Through imagination, relationships, storytelling, and the myriad of creative ways the Holy Spirit speaks to and through children not only do they learn to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, but they push us to do the same. Amen.

Sermon delived by Rev. Nancy Cushman on August 30, 2009.