sustain:if:able kiwi

childrens talk: with explosives

Needing a children’s talk for Sunday, I asked Presbyterian Archives if they had anything on the church I was preaching at (Knox Presbyterian, Dunedin). They produced a catalogue, which at 35 pages, indicated a rich history. Scanning through, an entry on page 34 caught my eye.

Explosives. I asked for more and they produced a family album and information regarding a Professor Black, who in the 1880’s, gave a lecture on explosives, with numerous experiments. Here is the children’s talk that resulted:

My name is Steve. I have two children. I want to talk about family heritage. I want to talk about family albums. Here is our family album. It’s a photo album. Who has got one like this? What’s inside your family album?

Response: All hands go up.

It was my daughters 19th birthday this week. We suggested to her over birthday dinner that we get out our family album. She said no. Any idea why she would not want to look at the family album.

Response: Cos there are ugly baby photos.

Family albums remind us of our past. Sometimes we’re a bit embarrassed about how we used to look. Sometimes we realise we’re a bit funny. Bit of a laugh at old fashioned haircuts. Sometimes we get inspired.

In preparing to be with you this morning, I went looking for this church’s family album. The Knox Family Album.
Which I got from Presbyterian Research Centre. If I was very careful. If we played look with our eyes, not our hands, I could show you.

This is the minister of Knox Church in 1895. How does he compare to your current minister?

Response: Chuckles of recognition.

Here’s a notice about Sunday School Picnic – Sawyers Bay. By train. A special train from Train Station out to Sawyers Bay.

But this is what really intrigued me

Response: Wow. That’s cool.

Your heritage. You are part of a church. That had explosives. With experiments.

That’s my children talk. This is your family album. Your heritage. Don’t need to be embarrassed. Be inspired. You’re part of a church that had explosives. With experiments.

Let’s pray
Thanks for our family albums. Thanks for our past. Thanks for our heritage.
Help us to today to live today in ways that look both backward and forward, back to respect the past, forward to leave a future for next generation. We see the future in these children. May we act to treasure and nurture that future. Amen.