Chapel
Twice a week, I lead chapel for the nursery school pupils at our church. On Tuesday, the three-year-olds come to the sanctuary for a short service, followed by the two-year-olds for a song or reading. My favorite group, however, is the four-year-old class on Friday morning. They are old enough to have interesting ideas about the stained-glass windows, which are the topic of our services.In the middle ages, churches in Europe employed stained glass to teach Bible stories to the masses, who were illiterate. Today, the largest group of non-readers in our society is preschool students. Their lack of reliance on written words heightens their observance of images. I am often struck by their observations, which sometimes go beyond my own.
Today, we looked at a window about Jesus' role as shepherd. The image included a colorful green pasture of grass for a sheep to enjoy. I asked the class a leading question: "What do sheep eat?" Expecting "grass" as the answer, it was gratifying to hear them say instead the word "hay" and point to another window we discussed weeks ago: the Christmas image of a manger.
posted by Stahlkes @ 10:24 AM
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