Hen and chicks
Children's Activity
Object:
Teachers or Parents: We live in a time when children are
unlikely to have seen a protective mother hen. This might be a
time for sharing personal stories of adults who have seen how
protective a mother hen can be.
When I was a child I had some bantam chickens. They are small, brightly colored, and particularly pugnacious. When the mother hen has young chicks she doesn't have a shred of cowardice. The little bantam hen will fight a foe much greater in size and strength than most other animals. Anyone who has seen a mother hen provide protection for her chicks -- particularly the little bantam hens -- can sense the love Jesus had for the people of Jerusalem who are now vulnerable to "that fox" (v. 32) Herod.
Children feel (and are, in fact) vulnerable. They can relate to Jesus' love as being like a hen's protective cover from foes. The family and the church seek protection and nurturing for the children. They are valuable -- priceless. If children can feel safe in church and Sunday school, then that church and that Sunday school has gone a long way in proclaiming God's love in Christ by their words and actions -- some of them quite subtle.
When I was a child I had some bantam chickens. They are small, brightly colored, and particularly pugnacious. When the mother hen has young chicks she doesn't have a shred of cowardice. The little bantam hen will fight a foe much greater in size and strength than most other animals. Anyone who has seen a mother hen provide protection for her chicks -- particularly the little bantam hens -- can sense the love Jesus had for the people of Jerusalem who are now vulnerable to "that fox" (v. 32) Herod.
Children feel (and are, in fact) vulnerable. They can relate to Jesus' love as being like a hen's protective cover from foes. The family and the church seek protection and nurturing for the children. They are valuable -- priceless. If children can feel safe in church and Sunday school, then that church and that Sunday school has gone a long way in proclaiming God's love in Christ by their words and actions -- some of them quite subtle.
