It’s more than just covers. When holding a book we notice things like the number of pages, the feel of the paper, and the size of the font; factors that determine if we will ever open the book, and whether or not this book is for us.
The experience is no different when we are given a Bible. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the weight, the gossamer pages, tiny font, and tinier footnotes. When we give a Bible to a kid, it can be comical watching their eyes grow as they note these details, thinking this is a gift beyond their years.
However, you are giving them more than just a book. You are giving them a companion who is aged and wise and yet wants to grow with them. You are giving them an adventure, where pages breathe new truths and stories never read the same way twice.
When you give a kid a Bible, you are giving them something that isn’t easy to read and it’s ok to tell them that. While filled with beauty and mystery, large parts of the Bible can be confusing, frustrating, infuriating, and quite dull. Therefore, you are also giving them permission to be feel, to struggle, to ask, doubt, wonder and above all, be honest. As they encounter people who carried our bumped-around faith across miles and generations, you are telling them that they are supposed to be imperfect because that’s what it means to be human. If God can work through the debacles created by Moses, Jonah, and King David, God can work through whatever messes we find ourselves in.
When a kid is gifted a Bible of their own, they are being told them that this book, so thick, old, and mysterious, was written for them. And, while the stories are about people who lived thousands of years ago and thousands of miles away, they will find that their lives aren’t that different. In these pages they will encounter kids who fight with their siblings, who are terrorized by bullies, who have to live in places that aren’t safe, and with grownups who aren’t their parents. They will meet people who feel like they were born broken, who bear the burden of being unwanted or wanted too much. They will meet people who worry that things like security and love will never be available to them. They will meet people who encounter God’s grace through the coolness of water, who find hope looking up at the same stars we see today, and who answer God’s call to be different.
Every year, when churches plan a Sunday to present Bibles to students, it’s easy to wonder if it’s needed or if it would be better to wait a year or two. However, when you place a Bible in a kid’s hands, you are telling them that God intentionally created them to be unique. You are telling them that God loves them more than they can imagine. And while life will not always be easy, God will never, for one second, leave them. Those are words no one is ever too young to hear.
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Need a liturgy for presenting Bibles to kids? Sparkhouse has you covered with liturgies for celebrating Bibles stories, presenting Bibles to Third Graders (with accompanying Children’s Message on SHD), as well as a blessing for the Bibles you have in the pews.
In Sparkhouse Digital: Simply go to "Bible Liturgies" under the Leader Support tile in the Children’s Bonus Content.
Download now: A Celebration of Bible Stories liturgy, ACelebration of How We Use the Bible liturgy, Blessing of the Bibles: Third Grade Bible Presentation liturgy, Blessing the Bibles in the Pews liturgy.