Play! Listen! Talk!

Have you ever tried to explain what baptism means to a four- or five-year old? Today our Bible story was about the time when John baptized Jesus, and as I prepared to tell the story I wondered what to say about baptism. The curriculum suggested explaining baptism this way: “When someone is baptized, water is used to show that God washes away the wrong things they have done.” I thought that was pretty clear until a parent whose son had been in my class last year told me that after hearing the story of Jesus’ baptism, her son thought he was being baptized every time he took a bath! That made me laugh, and I knew I needed to think of something more.

But what could I say? Sometimes with little ones, the more you say the more confused they get! And this story not only had the symbolism of baptism, but a dove coming down from heaven, and God’s voice speaking about His Son. I was worried not only about keeping kids’ attention, but also about being able to find the right words.

As I started the story, however, I realized I couldn’t go wrong if I followed the simple facts of the Bible story in John 1. I know that these little ones wouldn’t fully understand what baptism means. But just as John introduced the listeners in the crowd to Jesus, I am introducing Jesus to my class, too. Each story about Jesus builds the children’s understanding of who Jesus is. I’m looking forward to this quarter of lessons about the words and actions of Jesus. Week by week, story by story, my kids will be getting to know Jesus more and more! My prayer is that I will get to know Him, too.