Well Done Faithful Servant!
I was a Sunday School teacher for several years back home, and that has come in handy, considering the large number of kids I’ve encountered since leaving home.
My team has been doing kids ministry in schools and on the beach this month, and it’s been a lot of fun. We have acted out the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25, the story of David and Goliath, the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
When my team asked me to prepare a memory verse from the Parable of the Talents, I was initially unsure. The verses in the story are kind of long, and most of the kids only speak very basic English. But eventually I decided on Matthew 25:21, which contains the Master’s response to the servant who pleased him. I paraphrased to avoid some big words and to give the kids an actual shot at remembering it. And oh yeah, there’s motions too. Ready to learn them? Great!
Repeat after me:
Well done (double thumbs up)
Faithful Servant (wipe sweat from your brow with one hand, then the other)
You have been faithful (Flex your biceps bodybuilder-style)
With a little. (Hold your palms really close together in front of you. Also, you have to say “little” in a tiny, squeaky voice.)
So I will trust you (hold your arms out in front of you, palms up)
WITH A LOT!!! (From the previous position, quickly move your arms above your head. The more you flail, the better. Also, you have to yell this entire line at the top of your lungs. No exceptions.)
It was a hit. We repeated it really fast, and repeated it slowly. We repeated it loud, and repeated it quietly (except the last line. That one is always shouted). Altogether we probably repeated it fifteen times in that one day, and probably over a hundred over the course of this month. Now this verse follows me all over. When I run into kids around the neighborhood or on the beach, they usually greet me with two thumbs up and the words “Well done.”
On occasion, I’m tempted to get tired of that verse, and hearing it repeated over and over. But then I remember that they’re actually remembering what we taught them. And maybe, this little seed that’s been planted inside them will grow into a lot of faith in God, and have a lot of impact on their own lives and the lives of those around them. I pray it will.
