I'll never forget the Sunday. I'd been teaching the 4 & 5 year old Sunday pre-school for a few months. I'd only been a "returned Catholic" for a few months more than that. I forget what our planned topic of discussion was (although with that age group it's really all about the snack and the craft). Come to think of it, I do. It was a basic … God loves us. But then this one little boy told me that his Dad didn't believe in God. Wow! What was I supposed to do with that? But before I could deal with that one, another little boy told me that his dad believed in Aliens. The class was heavy on the boys, and so conversation took a GIANT detour into the realm of the space alien, whether they existed, and if so if God loved them too. Heavy science fiction theology for the age group. I was struggling with trying to figure out how to get us back to planet earth and human beings - since I knew for sure both of those existed. It was tough going. As they say, resistance is futile. And of course, this is just when my pastor walked into the room. He looked at me, smirked and raised an eyebrow, and headed out the back door. He was just using our room as a shortcut.
Why did I think of this story? Well, apparently you can send your blog into space.
Thanks to Reverend Mommy for pointing that one out!
5 comments:
I've taught that age group. You just never know what will happen! (And the pastor knows that, too.)
You can send your remains into space too! There's evidently a company in Houston that does it. Gene Rodenberry and Timothy Leary had it done, and evidently that's what they're doing with James Doohan as well!
If you listened to Coast to Coast AM you could have told the kids that the bible says we are in fact descended from giant space aliens who came to earth and, er, mixed with human females eons ago. On second thought, much better to stick to the parallels between free will and Star Trek's prime directive!
That reminds me of the novel/movie 'Contact' by Carl Sagan. (Actually, it's a physics textbook masquerading as a novel. The film is a lot more accessible.) In it, the television signals that have been beamed out into space since the 1930s have been received and read by a life force 'out there.'
Sylvia, isn't that what Scientology is about?
I love this age group. They are so honest and real. This ministry is one of the things I've dropped to make room for my discernment. I'm going to miss it.
One Sunday the older kids were having 1st Communion and the 4&5 year olds really wanted to go watch. So I told them we could, but they'd have to practice sitting really still and we'd not have enough time for snack. They all wanted to go. So at the right time we filed into the church and sat on the side. True to their word they were still as statues and mesmerized as they watched the older kids take first communion.
But when we got back to the room, you thought the world would end. No snack? No way?
My friend's little girl Meghan told her mother for WEEKS that Susan forgot to give them snack.
I guess they have their own little rituals.
Does breaking of the gold fish crackers prepare them for breaking of the bread I wonder? Juice in sippy cups for wine?
And great conversation about aliens.
Thanks everyone
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