Convo: short for conversation.

I got a text a few days ago from my Church’s Children’s Minister. He needed someone to do the upper primary Sunday School this week. So there was an unplanned addition to my weekend activities, ie. prepare the lesson content.

Fortunately we use an online curriculum. So, once I remembered what the login was, there wasn’t too much more to fit into my Saturday on top of grocery shopping and playing Netball (for the record we won; almost finals time!)

Today’s lesson for Years 4-6 is on prayer.

I discovered the first time I did a “fill-in” job at the local Sunday School, that this age group is quite happy to do a skit as part of the lesson. Fortunately, the wonderful online curriculum frequently has one in the lesson material – no really, thank-you.

Half the lesson is on praying and not giving up. They’ll be leading the charge on that bit (It’s great working with an age range where they can read). Then we’ll be looking at The Lord’s Prayer, which is fairly well known by many, regardless of whether you’ve been in a Church or not.

I can suddenly hear Daniel Day-Lewis reciting it at the end of The Crucible in my mind.

It’s really quite powerful in that scene. Yes, they are about to be hanged and you can hear the wood planks dropping from underneath people’s feet as those, literally, still standing continue reciting. And sure, it’s a morbid example of its usage, and yet, it seems to bring out the meaning and the strength of those words.

Contrast that with the last time I recited it collectively at Church (I think we did last Sunday). It’s so easy to say those words in such a bland and thoughtless manner, that doesn’t go anywhere near doing them justice. They are supposed to be powerful words. I don’t think Jesus would have told people to say them if they were weak and meaningless. Here they are, if you want a refresher:

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.

 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one,

Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

I’m going to get the Sunday Schoolers to write it out again with me in their own words. Hopefully it’ll help make it more meaningful. Why not give it a go yourself?

Yours in joint rewriting,

Alison

Image Credit: Wordle from Singing Hills CFO