Sunday's lectionary readings included a familiar verse from Psalm 107:1, God's "steadfast love endures forever." How do you communicate the meaning of "steadfast love" in a children's message? I thought it'd be a good idea to find three pictures that might represent "steadfast love" and then put them into a PowerPoint to project on the screen during the message.
My three thoughts: 1)a mother goose at a nest of eggs 2) a bird tending to its injured mate and 3) a grandparent with a grandchild. I went to Google images and searched for each of these, and quickly found appropriate pictures. I uploaded them into a PowerPoint, and had a three-slide children's message all set up.
On Sunday morning I had the children gather in the first pew so they could see the pictures, as could the congregation. I noted the "steadfast love" passage in the Psalm, and then showed the pictures one at a time to ask if they showed "steadfast love" and why. The answers were obvious and the children knew it. I added a few more sentences of how these examples are like God's steadfast love for us, and the message was complete.
The next day, one of our active worship attenders commented on how effective the children's message was, and how meaningful----and memorable---it was to her.
Three simple pictures, showing a complex concept, accomplished quickly. This is the power of visuals in worship, linked to a biblical message, tastefully presented, and memorable!
Monday, August 5, 2013
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