Did You Hear About First Grade?

Something exciting happened in one of the awesome first grade classes!  "You wanna know?" you ask. OK then, I'll let you in on it!

Fortunately, it was the "get your eyes checked" day at North Campus, so for the morning I got to walk around with all of you.  I walked some of you upstairs and some of you back downstairs for some of the morning.

While I was walking up or down, I don't remember which, I looked in on one of the first grade classes.  Our teacher, Mrs. Seery, was waving at me to come on in.  I did.

I heard a wonderful story that goes like this.  It seems the kids were working on words that rhyme with "bell."  Mrs. Seery was writing the "rhymers" on the white board.  One word in particular got quite a bit of attention.  It starts with "h" and, of course, rhymes with bell.

Mrs. Seery told us later that she sensed God's Spirit speaking to her about talking to the first grade about Heaven and Hell and how God has made a way through Jesus for us to go to Heaven.  Well, first grade had some very good questions.  At the end of all the questions and answers was when I poked my shiny head into the door.

By then about ten of the students were quite sure that they would like to ask Jesus into their hearts.  I was so thrilled to get to pray with them right then about Jesus becoming their personal Savior!  I reminded them about Jesus saying that the angels in Heaven rejoice when just one boy or girl prays like they had just prayed.

And this gets me to thinkin' about where that verse is in God's Word, the Bible.  Do you know where to find it?  I had to look it up again.  It comes in when Jesus is telling stories about things that are lost.  Jesus had three great "lost stories" in the book of Luke chapter 15.  The stories were about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son.  After the stories about the sheep and the coin, Jesus says this very important sentence, "I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (15:10)."


Repent.  That word got me to thinkin' again, because our character trait for next month is "being repentant."  "What does that mean?" you ask.  OK, I'll tell you.  


It means changing our minds about sin and God.  Instead of loving the ways I disobey God, I change my mind and hate them.  And instead of ignoring God and acting like He doesn't exist, I love Him and want to obey Him and spend time with Him.  It all happens when I accept the forgiveness of God through what He has done through His Son, Jesus.


Isn't it amazing?  By His Holy Spirit, Jesus found some "repenters" in first grade that morning!  I wonder if the angels are still rejoicing in Heaven about what happened in first grade...?


It makes me want to pray.  Dear God, thank You for inviting us into a friendship with You.  Thank You for looking for us while we are lost.  And thank You for giving us a peek into Heaven by what Your Word says about the joy there when just one of us turns to You through repentance.  In Jesus' name, Amen.  


Proud of you,
Pastor John