Voice and Hands

The clock shows that we're near the beginning of the
church year and about to enter the season of Lent

In the early 1980's I had to take over a Sunday School class for a couple of months. I dispensed with the scheduled lessons for the 8- and 9- year olds and in the fashion of the times tried to be more "relevant" by discussing current events. I brought out the flip charts and markers (PowerPoint was nearly a decade away) and bulled my way through, ignoring the fidgeting. Thankfully and to the best of my knowledge, no one experienced lasting damage.

Today's Episcopal lectionary is about Moses' trip up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. I'd heard the passages many times before, so I only half-paid attention.

However, I sat up when the kids came in and the teacher retold the story in the manner of Godly Play. She used simple props to illustrate the extreme heat and dryness of the desert. The listeners began to appreciate the faith the people had in Moses to venture into such a place for a journey of unknown duration to an uncertain destination.

A bad teacher armed with the latest tech can't hold a candle to a good teacher who uses nothing more than her voice and hands.