APCE 2018: How we ought to present scripture

BY JESSIE PARTRIDGE

This week while attending APCE I attended a workshop entitled, “Sharing God’s Hospitality with Children.” In this mini-plenary, we talked about how we can encourage children to interact with the stories that the Bible tells us. One of the leaders, Carol Jones, demonstrated her storytelling method for us. She sat on the floor with a gold box and began to tell the story of The Great Feast (Matthew 22: 1-14). Even with a room full of adults, you could feel the anticipation for her to open the box and reveal its contents. As the story proceeded, the table, the rich man, and all of the guests began to pour out of the golden box.

She spoke calmly and allowed pauses for the listeners to consider the addition of new characters, the plot development, and to consider the parable as a whole. The questions that she posed throughout the story began with, “I wonder…:” “I wonder why the rich man was having this feast,” “I wonder why the lame, the blind, and the sick did come when they were invited.” She encouraged the listeners to be attuned to their own wonders and wonderment that surrounds the scripture.

I was inspired by this workshop because it showed how we ought to present scripture — not only to children but also to the church at large, as something that is exciting, builds anticipation, and that encourages inquiry.

Jessie Partridge is a M.A.C.E. student at Union Presbyterian Seminary.