There are so many things I appreciate about the work of Rev. Steve Samuelson, Holy Communion’s interim pastor until the beginning of the summer- but towards the very top of that list is his way with children’s sermons.
I think a lot of pastors struggle with children’s sermons because they aren’t particularly good at talking to young children. (They don’t know how complicated their ideas can and should be or how those ideas can be most effectively conveyed to young children. And by the way, I would have the very same problem.) Others might have very good instincts for talking to children but make the mistake of not really aiming the sermon at the children who have come forward to hear it . . . but are much more intent on conveying some important message to the adults back in the pews, treating the children almost like props or window dressing rather than the intended recipients of the sermon – and needless to say leaving the kids bewildered and/or bored. Other pastors go a little too heavy on the comedy or on gags or special effects at the expense of conveying something meaningful and significant. And sometimes the children’s sermon is thrown together at the last minute, little more than an afterthought, especially compared to the time and care showered on the “real” sermon of the day. For any and all of these reasons, I think good children’s sermons are exceedingly uncommon- and when you hear a good one, it’s such a delight!
Pastor Samuelson has been our interim pastor for three Sundays – and all three Sundays he has delivered cracker- jack children’s sermons. The first Sunday he showed the children a couple of hidden switches up in the front of the sanctuary which, when flipped, would turn on special lights on the altar, illuminating the cross and a relief carving of the last supper. He did that as he talked about what it was like to be new on the job and enlisting their aid, in case they ever walked into the sanctuary and saw those lights off. (He wants them to have more of a sense of ownership.) He also explained to them that because Holy Communion already has two Pastor Steve’s on its staff, it might be easier if people called him by his nickname: Pastor Sam. I think that was a cool moment for those kids to feel like they were being welcomed into the new pastor’s inner circle. Last Sunday he shared the legend of Saint Valentine, and even had valentine’s to hand out for them to share.
Then today, he explained to the children about the ashes which get applied to people’s foreheads on Ash Wednesday (and explained where those ashes come from) – and it was astonishing to see how they were hanging on his every word… as though he were telling them the most amazing secret or describing something incredibly exciting. (Truth be told, there’s nothing too exciting about ashes- at least not on the surface, which is what made the success of this sermon so surprising and impressive.) I think part of what made it work so well was that it was like he was sharing a rather mature message with them- not some dumbed down, kiddie time, message- and he did it while speaking on their level, in words they could understand and follow. (No small feat, in and of itself.) And then, he took the children with him from the front steps of the chancel to the first three pews – in order to show them the kneelers which get used extensively in Lent during the confession of sins and to explain a little about that tradition.
The bonus in all this was that while today’s children’s sermon was very much envisioned for the children, I know there were plenty of adults in that sanctuary who learned something about Ashes. . . and about Kneelers. . . that they didn’t know before.
I know, because I’m one of them.
pictured above: I am so happy with how this photo turned out. I snuck out through a side door and crouched right behind the pulpit in order to catch this angle which shows us the faces of those children who were listening so intently to “Pastor Sam.” He’s holding some dried palms (from the last Palm Sunday) in his hands, which are burned to create the ashes – and the little girl off to the left is holding one of the ash holders used last Wednesday night.