Changing the Day
Story by Emma McCoy | 3 minute read
The class was rowdy, there was no denying it. The children had stampeded down the stairs after the scripture had been read, and once the snacks had been passed around and the drinks poured, they squirmed in their seats on the carpet.
The carpet had seen much. Church carpets typically do. Spilled juice, ground crackers, tears and snot and coffee and mud from careless shoes. In the Sunday School classroom, the children ate their crackers open-mouthed and did their best to poke the person sitting next to them without looking like they were doing that. And, of course, questions flew through the air thick and fast.
“When is my mom coming?”
“What did the pastor mean when he read about Jesus and the woman?”
“Can I have more crackers?”
“I have to pee?” (Editor’s note: If seeing this as a question confuses you, then you’ve not spent enough time around little kids yet.)
“What are we doing? What time is it?”
“What’s a prostitute?”
“I spilled my juice, can I have some more?”
“Teacher, I want to go back up with the grown-ups and sit with my mom.”
At this last question, the teacher looked at the little girl and raised an eyebrow. “Would your mother be alright with that?”
“Yes, she said I could,” the girl nodded. Another helper took the girl back upstairs and the teacher faced the rest of the classroom, doling out crackers, juice, napkins, and discipline.
“Now,” the teacher said, sitting back down, “who remembers what the scripture is today?” No one remembered, exactly, but several chimed it at once, talking about hair and perfume and Jesus. Close enough.
“What we’re learning about today,” the teacher said, “is how Jesus completely changes the way we love people. The scripture we read comes from the book of Luke, and it talks about how we can learn from others, through the love of Jesus, how to better love people.”
Silence. “What does that mean?” an adventurous child asked. The teacher only smiled, and said, “Let me tell you a story.”
“Once there was a woman named Marcy, and every day she was a little afraid. Not a lot afraid, not like of the dark or heights or monsters in the closet. Marcy was afraid of saying the wrong thing, or looking silly, or making a mistake. This meant that Marcy didn’t like making new friends or going new places or speaking to strangers on the street. A phone call to the doctor was a big deal, and though it could be a little lonely, she liked the way her life was.
“One day, after church, Marcy went to a restaurant with her good friend Oliver. Marcy liked this restaurant, and always got the same food and the same drink, and most Sundays when she went she saw the same servers and the same customers. On that particular Sunday, Marcy had just received her food when—”
“What did she get?” a child asked, and his friend shushed him loudly, pushing him over on the carpet. “Please don’t push our friends,” the teacher replied, and then looked at the child who had spoken. “Marcy got what she usually did: a turkey sandwich with a salad and a diet coke. May I continue?” The child nodded.
“Marcy and Oliver had just received their food when she noticed that the next table over was being a bit loud. She looked over, and there was a family there, and the husband and wife were being very rude to their server. They were snapping their fingers, complaining, and blaming the server for things that weren’t her fault. Then, when they left, the table was a very big mess, with ketchup and spilled soda everywhere. When the server came back to take Marcy and Oliver’s plates away, she was rude to them, and it made Marcy very nervous. The server was very beautiful, and she looked like the kind of girl who might have been mean to Marcy in high school. But when Marcy looked over at Oliver, he gave her a little nod. Marcy remembered that Jesus taught his disciples to love everyone, even if it was uncomfortable, and even if it was somebody you normally wouldn’t pay attention to.
“Marcy was filled with compassion for the server. What did she know about the server? Nothing, except that the family had been mean to her. So Marcy gave the server a smile and a kind word, and though she was nervous, she asked her how she was doing. The server went from irritated to surprised, and then she teared up. It turns out, the server had recently lost her dog, and was very stressed, and had been prone to forgetting things that week. When Marcy and Oliver left, Marcy tipped the server and gave her a hug.
“When the other people in the restaurant saw what Marcy and Oliver had done, they also were filled with compassion, and they were a little embarrassed they hadn’t done anything first. So they treated the server with kindness as well.”
The teacher finished. Immediately, children asking questions and the teacher tried to answer them all.
“What happened to the server?”
“The story doesn’t tell us,” the teacher replied.
“Why did Marcy hug the server?”
“Though she was nervous, the love of Jesus helped her to pay attention to what the server needed. Even though the server wasn’t someone Marcy would ordinarily talk to.”
“What did Oliver eat?”
“The story doesn’t tell us that either,” the teacher laughed. “But, Oliver encouraged Marcy, and through them, the rest of their community was able to lean into love as well. By remembering the teachings of Jesus, including our story from the book of Luke, Marcy was able to change a person’s day, and Marcy was able to be changed too.”
The teacher leaned forward. “Jesus loves us so much that it’s impossible for us to stay the same people we are. That love just has to spill out, and change both us and the people around us! Like Marcy being kind to the server, you can also be changed by Jesus and love the people around you in new and powerful ways.”
Parents began to cluster outside the classroom. Children shot to their feet and ran out, still clutching napkins and paper cups. As they went, they kept talking and asking questions.
“I’m going to eat at a restaurant!”
“I want a turkey sandwich.”
“Mom looks upset. Mom, are you ok?”
“I love you!”
“I love you, too!”
The teacher smiled.
Corresponding Videos
