Use curious post-cards, such as of the Natural Bridge in Virginia, cave pictures, the gold-fields of Alaska. Tell them of the Natural Bridge as the work of God, and of the other bridge God made, a Bridge from Calvary to heaven, the Bridge of the Cross.
Select foreign post-cards. This will enable you to tell missionary stories about the people who live in those lands. Pictures of idols will help you to cause the children to want to tell the heathen children the story of the true God.
Select religious post-cards. Reproductions of the great works of art can be secured. Di Vinci's "Last Supper" is a good one to select. You can tell about the face of Judas and that of Christ being taken from the same living model. The face of Judas was the disfigured face of Jesus which had become repulsive because of the presence of sin. This is what sin will do for a face.
Select picture-cards of Bethlehem, and tell the story of the town as it now is, and as it was in David's time, and in the time of Jesus. It would be but small trouble to make a course of eight short sermons or more, using post-cards.
Urge the children to put the cards thus received in a little book, and put under each card the date you preached the sermon. If any child who attends regularly is absent mail a card to them the next day, with a short lesson written on the card. Children always like the postman to bring them something by mail. If they are out of town, find their address and send it to them. If they "just did not come," say to them that some Sunday morning if they will call to see you, you will give them the card they missed. It will give you a chance for a pleasant word with them. It often goes a long way with little folks. On the last Sunday of the course bring your full line of cards you have used, and have a short review and ask some questions about each card. This is only another, but a new, way of preaching to the wonder eyes of the wonderful folks we call our children.
32
MAKING JOY
OBJECTS: Large Cardboards Containing the Word "Joy"
This is a day of making things. The wise man could have said of things as he said of books, "Of the making of many things there is no end."