The things kids say....

My favorite VBS story involved the story of crossing the Jordan River. My job at Chaddar Theater was to build on the lesson given by the teachers. So each night I quizzed the kids about what they had learned.

With the arrival of the 1st graders, I circled them up after the video and asked what they had learned...

What did they do...

"The people crossed the river..."

Did they use a boat....

"They walked across on dry land..."

What were they carrying?

"They had the arc...."

Who can tell me what an arc is?

Pointing to a Noah's Ark picture on the wall one child said.... "That's was it right there!"

I couldn't help but laugh... my imagination took off and I had a mental picture of loads of people trying to carry Noah's Ark across the Jordan River's dry bed...animal heads sticking out the windows and Noah shouting encouragement!!! No... I know that the teachers explained that the arc carried across was the Arc of the Covenant.... I asked them. Yet, as soon as the 1st graders heard the word 'arc' they saw Noah's ark in their mind's eye. They didn't really listen to the full story, they thought they already knew the answer....

Kind of like we adults isn't it? As we sit through a sermon we don't always listen to what is being said. We hear the topic, we check out the scripture, and we feel that we already know what is ahead. And like these children, we often miss out on what the true story is... we miss out on the message that God has in store for us.

So the next time you think you have a sermon or lesson summed up in a nutshell, think about the Ark and try and stay focused. You might just learn more than your bargained for!