by Jill Fandrich

The Bible is full of stories, and wonderful ones at that—Joseph and his coat of many colors, Baby Moses, David and Goliath, Queen Esther, Samuel, Soloman, Samson, Jonah, Daniel, and many more. We think of the Bible as one book, but it’s really a collection of many books which in themselves are collections of many stories. The ancient Israelites and the early Christians were skilled storytellers, who passed down stories in an oral tradition for many years before they were written down.
 
Biblical stories tell about God and God’s interaction with humankind. They are dramatic and varied, sometimes troubling and confusing, and sometimes contradicting each other. We don’t have to believe that all the stories in the Bible are factually accurate, but we can believe that they are true in the sense that they convey deeper meanings. 
 
This summer at my church (Westminster Presbyterian in Auburn), we are offering a “Summer Sabbath” program for young children during Sunday worship to introduce many of the foundational stories from the Old Testament to our children and youth. Caitlyn Clink, our newly appointed Youth and Family Program Coordinator, is teaching the lessons, using a curriculum called “Redeemed, Renewed, Reformed,” created by Amanda Demetros. During the 9:30am worship hour, Miss Cait and a second adult volunteer present the story, and then lead the children in an activity or craft to help them remember and understand it.
 
So far this summer, we’ve learned about Joseph, his dreams, and his jealous brothers, Baby Moses being saved from the Pharoah by his loving and ingenious sister Miriam, Ruth finding love and community in a new place, Queen Esther bravely standing up for the Jewish people, and Samuel being called by God as a young boy. Coming up we’ll hear how the boy David bravely fought the giant Goliath, how Joshua brought the walls of Jericho down, how Samson demonstrated great strength, how Daniel endured being thrown into a den of lions, and how Jonah ran away from God’s instructions to save the evil people of Nineveh.
 
These stories speak to all ages. Many of the Old Testament stories, when read by adults, have some dark and disturbing twists. For kids, they’re exciting and inspirational. But at all levels, there is a common theme. Even though the Old Testament is many different books written by an assortment of unknown authors and covering a very long span of time, the message that keeps occurring in story after story is that God loves us, that God keeps asking us to do his will, that we keep trying and failing, and that God continues to love us anyway.
 
When we teach these stories to young children, we hope they remember that God calls all sorts of people to follow him — old folks like Abraham and Sarah, boys like David and Samuel, girls like Miriam, women like Ruth, Naomi, and Esther, and lots of people who are flawed, stubborn, grumbling, willful, and prideful. We want them to know that God is calling them too. And we hope that they will eventually respond as young Samuel finally did, saying “Here I am, Lord.”
 
In the fall, we will return to offering our Children’s Worship Center, a “mini sanctuary” for children to worship in an age-appropriate setting, singing, offering prayers, sharing communion, and following the same order of worship which the adults follow in the sanctuary. In the Worship Center, we share Biblical stories with young children, using wooden figures and simple retellings of the Old and New Testament stories. We tell the stories and let the children absorb them on their level. We ask “wondering questions” and hope that we are raising children who will make these stories their own, internalizing them and sharing them their whole lives.
 
The overarching narrative of the Bible is the story of who God is and how God interacts with humankind. The story continues through our retelling. When we share these stories, we continue the tradition of witnessing how God is present in our lives. As children and as adults, we ponder anew how they speak to us in our lives.