Canteloupe

If you attend church regularly, you have probably witnessed numerous "Childrens' Sermons." But, for those of who are not familiar with this term, here's a little tutorial.
In many Protestant congregations (I have seen them in Lutheran, United Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches), the pastor or a designated church member calls and gathers the youngest members of the congregation down in front, by the altar, for a little pre-Adult Sermon message. It's always fairly simple and often has several common elements:

1. Kids know that most questions, asked by the speaker during the short sermon, can be answered by saying God or Jesus.
2. They often involve a give away......candy, a toy, or something seasonally relevant, like a candy cane or an Easter Egg.
3. They almost always end in a prayer.
4. When they are over, it means that someone is going to lead the kiddos out of the boring service to a playground of some sort.

Sermons for children are pretty predictable. We once had a pastor who stopped giving sermons for the kids, because a couple of the kids knew more about The Bible than he did. All he wanted was a "Jesus" anwer to his questions and those kids kept giving him, and the whole congregation, a lesson in Christian Theology. You could almost hear him groan, when the two of them would come tromping down the aisle to sit with him at the front of the church.

Today, as all the kids were gathered around the pastor, she held up a big globe. "What is this?" she asked. A little voice yelled out, "A canteloupe!"
Well, God, you have our attention now!

Dear Lord: We love the surprising way that you teach us to love you and to love each other. Every day is a learning experience. Whether we are old or young, open our hearts and our minds to witness your glory.