You’re likely smiling already as you serve the Lord in a variety of ways. Just in case, though, maybe these stories will cause a smile to break out on your face. I hope you’ll find opportunities to share these or other smile-makers as you go about your service this week! Celebrate God’s gift of joy today … and every day!
A Child’s Question about God’s Children
An astute young boy stopped his pastor after church. “Pastor, I’m confused about something.”
“How can I help?” the pastor responded kindly.
“Well, according to the Bible, the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea.” The pastor nodded in agreement. “And the children of Israel fought off their enemies in the Promised Land, right?” Again, the pastor agreed. “And the children of Israel built the temple and, well, the children of Israel seem to have done a lot of important things in the Bible.”
“You’re right,” the pastor told him. “So what are you confused about?”
The boy responded, “While the children of Israel were doing all this stuff, what were the grown-ups doing?”
Show and Tell
A teacher gave her students a special show-and-tell assignment. Each child was to bring to class something that represented his or her religion or faith.
The big day came, and Benjamin brought a star from one of the walls in his family’s home. Benjamin announced proudly, “I am Jewish, and this is a Star of David.”
Mary was next. She brought a wall cross from her home. She said, “I am Catholic, and this is a crucifix.”
Andrew was next. He stood in front of class with a large dish covered with foil. Removing the foil he said, “I am Baptist, and this is a casserole.”
A Creative Lesson about Creation
A theology professor told his students about a group of scientists who met, talked, and concluded they didn’t need God. They chose one from their group to confront God with this news.
He called on God to say, “We’ve decided your ways are out of date. We don’t need you any longer. We can clone people and craft DNA to meet people’s needs. We can do plenty of things on our own. He paused, waiting for a reply. Surprisingly, a voice from heaven responded, “You sound quite proud of what you can do. Why don’t we have a man-making contest?”
The scientist thought it was a good idea. Then God spoke again. “Let’s create in the same way I did it in the Garden of Eden.”
The scientist agreed. He bent down and grabbed a handful of dirt. He suddenly heard the voice from heaven again: “No, no, no! Get your own dirt!”
Go Green!
“Going green” has spread to the Amish community in Pennsylvania. One family painted a sign and attached it to the back of their carriage. It read: Energy-efficient vehicle. Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust.
