By Laura Stephens Reed
Advent and Christmas are seasons full of wonder to me. When I stop to think about Jesus born as a vulnerable baby into a world
where he would be hunted because of the threat he posed to power, I can’t help but be bowled over at the lengths to which God went – and still goes – to be in relationship with us. (Beautiful holiday lights dispelling the darkness of too-short days don’t hurt my sense of awe either.)
When we are kids, we are full of wonder much of the time. We have so many questions about how things work or why they are the way that they are. This marveling is beautiful! It leads to lots of “Wow!” moments. It helps us find our footing, our place in a small slice of a very big world. It is also the start of meaning-making: what is life is all about? I think this is one of the reasons that Jesus invites the children to come to him, wide-eyed and wide open, and tells the tired and jaded adults to be more like the kids.
I have witnessed this pairing of curiosity and astonishment many times in children’s ministry and particularly in the practice of Godly Play, in which a storyteller shares part of the biblical narrative and wonders aloud as they do so. Kids can then respond in many ways, like creating art or using the storytelling materials to express what they are hearing. What emerges is often profound.
Pastor and faith formation curriculum developer Meredith Miller says that wonder is key to helping young people develop a relationship with our trustworthy God, a strong yet elastic bond that can be challenged and grown through different developmental stages and life circumstances. In her book Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn’t Have to Heal From, Miller encourages adults to intentionally create spaces and practices that nurture children’s wonder through Bible exploration, Scripture-connected experiences, grounding traditions and intergenerational relationships with “faith cheerleaders.”
I can attest to the power of stoking wonder. As a child and middle schooler, my curiosity was stifled at church by my Sunday school teachers, who treated any faith-related questions as heresy. This unwillingness to entertain my questions in turn stunted my sense of awe. I wanted to worship a God who was up for a lively conversation. Once my family changed churches and I was allowed to voice my many “but what about…?” and “how does this work?” and “what does this mean?” queries – thank goodness for youth leaders who hung in there with me despite their discomfort – I was eager to profess my faith in the Jesus I’d known all along and the God who was delighted by my deep engagement with the Bible.
But wonder is not just for the young because the life of faith is one of wonder, in the sense of both awe and curiosity. Isn’t it remarkable what God can do in, around, and through us? Small things, immeasurable things and everything in between. Isn’t it unfathomable how deeply the God of both Christmas and Easter – two epic displays of love – cares for us? This amazement is closely tied to plenty of questions. How did God create the world? Why did God go about it this way? Is there any limit to God’s creativity? I wonder what might be possible for us as Church if we fully inhabited that sense of wonder.
Though wonder might be easier to access during this season of waiting on the Christ child in the gauzy glow of Christmas lights, it is always available to us. Here are some ways we might lean into it:
Incorporate a gratitude practice. There is no better inspiration to worship than to notice God glimmers, those almost imperceptible ways that He is showing up in our lives. Take time to notice and give thanks for them.
Consider what about the life of faith you wonder about. Maybe it has been a while since you have allowed yourself to ask questions of God. But I heartily believe that God is an eager conversation partner, waiting on us not just to ask for help but also for connection and understanding.
Invite wonder during worship. There are so many ways to do this. Build conversation or reflection prompts into the sermon time, nudging people to talk to one another or to record their honest thoughts on paper. Expand the concept of “busy bags” for kids to providing response materials (such as art supplies or little journals) in the sanctuary for any age. Plan an experience like people coming forward to dip hands in a bowl of water to remember their baptism.
Design more intergenerational interaction. The coming together of different generations with their unique perspectives is a natural generator of both curiosity and marvel. Give these different age cohorts a project to complete together and see what emerges.
Build experiences that deepen interaction with scripture. Make the Bible come to life through the senses – taste, sight, smell, hearing and touch. Help people of all ages step into the world they have only previously read about. This deep engagement will activate wonder in all who engage.
Wonder leads to trust, which in turn makes us love God and want to follow Jesus more. May the wonder we experience this holiday season be the impetus for even more awe and inquisitiveness in the new year.