A Super Church Service
Joseph Anderson Donetti looked out at all the people sitting in the pews. He was surprised that he was enjoying himself so much up here on the platform. Maybe when he grew up he would have a job doing something in front of people. Joseph grinned to himself. Maybe he could be a teacher. Suddenly a giant thought thudded into his brain. Maybe he could be a preacher!
Joseph barely heard Mac begin talking again.
“On the sixth day,” she said, “God created all the land animals. That must have been a really fun day! I wonder if He said, ‘Let there be huge gray animals with legs as big as tree trunks and tiny tails and big, floppy ears and long, long strong trunks with little finger-like ends that can pick up peanuts off the ground.’ And there were elephants!” Mac waved her arms up and down.
“Or,” she went on, “I wonder if God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit drew plans ahead of time like my Uncle Tim does when he builds a new house. He draws plans on pieces of paper, and he marks where all the doors, and the windows, and the sinks, and the showers, and everything are going to be. And sometimes he crumples up his papers and starts all over again. I wonder if God did that. I wonder if He said, ‘We need to make those elephant trunks just a little bit longer.’
“I think God really liked making the animals. I wonder if He said, ‘How many humps will camels need? Well, let’s make some camels with one hump and some camels with two humps—just for fun.’ And I think He really laughed when He made cheetahs. Did you know that cheetahs have two different kinds of hair, or fur, or whatever you call it? Their dark spots are like dog hair, and the yellowish background color is like cat hair. Or maybe it’s the other way around—I get mixed up on which is which. And cheetahs have claws like cats, but they can’t pull their claws in like cats do. The claws are always out like dog claws. And cheetahs make noises like birds!”
Mac stopped and took a deep breath. “When all the animals were made, God started to work on a man. He made a man out of mud. All of his insides—his bones and stomach and heart and lungs and everything. And God made his fingers and legs and face and hair. When He was all done, God leaned down and breathed the breath of life into the man. I can hardly wait to see that part on the creation video!” Mac exclaimed.
Someone in the audience said, “Amen!”
“And then God showed Adam his beautiful home and all the fantastic animals, but Adam couldn’t find anybody at all who was like him. So God made him go to sleep, and He did the very first operation! God took a rib out of Adam’s side, and then He built a woman around it.” Mac paused. “She must have been the most beautiful woman ever,” Mac said softly. “I can’t wait until I get to heaven and can talk to her. Because she is my great, great, great, great, great, thousands-of-greats grandmother, you know.”
Mac sighed. “Then God looked around at everything that He had made all week, and He said it was very good. And that was the end of the sixth day.”
“On the seventh day, God rested from all His work. He blessed the seventh day. That is why we rest from our work, too, on the seventh day. It helps us remember that God created our world—we didn’t just evolve out of some slimy stuff like some people try to make us believe. We remember that God created us, and He loves us even more than our moms and dads do.”
Mac stopped talking. She was finished. She turned around and sat down in her chair.
Everyone in the audience clapped their hands, and many people said, “Amen!”
Pastor Chuck walked to the microphone. “Well, folks, we have just had a chance to hear from four of the leaders God has chosen for the next generation. We should feel very honored that He has given our church these precious children to teach and love. I know that you will want to be present for the baptism next week. The details about the time and place are in the bulletin.”
Pastor Chuck prayed, and church was over.
Joseph and Mac and Hannah and Trevor got to stand at the door and shake hands with everyone.
“My hand feels squished!” Joseph whispered to Trevor who was standing beside him.
“I know just how you feel!” Trevor whispered back. He opened and shut his fist. “It’s too bad you can’t change and shake hands with your left hand sometimes,” he said as Mac and Hannah joined them.
“Well, of course you can’t just shake hands with either hand!” Mac exclaimed. “No one would know which hand to start with. It would look really silly. I wonder how shaking hands got started anyway,” she pondered.
“I know,” Hannah said. “I read about it in a book. A long, long time ago, shaking hands was a sign of friendship. It showed the person you were meeting that you didn’t have a knife or something hidden in your hand to hurt them with.”
“Really?” Joseph asked. “That makes sense.”
“Hey, guys,” he continued, “you know what Pastor Chuck said about us being leaders that God has chosen? Well, I had just been thinking about that. Maybe I’ll be a pastor when I grow up!”
“Not me!” Trevor said. He blew out a big breath. “I get too nervous up in front of people.”
Mac’s eyes shone. “Well, I think it’s really exciting figuring out God’s plans for our lives. We need to come back here someday when we’re old—maybe thirty—and see what each of us has become. What plans God had for us.”
“It’s a deal,” Joseph said. “We’ll meet here in this very church one day when we’re thirty.”
The four friends solemnly shook hands to seal the promise.
