This is Sam’s house.  Elizabeth and Barabas and Sam were out sledding but now they have come inside to warm up.

“Let’s draw.” said Sam.  “Here’s paper and pencils.” 

“What should we draw?” asked Barabas. 

“Let’s each draw something . . . impossible!” answered Sam.

“What’s impossible to draw?” asked Barabas, thinking that he can draw just about anything.    

Elizabeth spoke up and said “God.  God would be impossible to draw.”

“How can we draw God?” said Sam.  “Nobody knows what God looks like.  Nobody ever saw God. God is invisible.”                                  

Barabas added “And impossible to draw.”

Elizabeth remembered that one time The SCS Teacher said that Moses talked with God.  And after Moses talked with God Moses’ face was shinning so bright that it frightened his friends.  So Moses had to put a veil on his face to hide it so the people were not afraid of his bright face. 

So Elizabeth said “I guess if you talk with God it changes you some how.  It must make you shine or something.”

And you know, in today’s Gospel lesson it talks about a strange thing that happened when three of the disciples, saw Jesus on top of a mountain talking to Elijah and Moses who must have come down from the sky or something.  The disciples saw a kind of Glory around Jesus and Moses and Elijah.  So indeed, I think Elizabeth is right when she says that there is something about you that changes, that shines, that puts some kind of Glory about you when you are with God. The disciples saw it happen to Jesus with their own eyes. 

“So.” said Elizabeth.  “I guess if you COULD draw a picture of God, he would have to be very . . . . bright?”

“Yeah . . .” said Barabas, unconvinced on how to start his drawing.

“My dad is a wood carver.” said Sam.  “And he carved a piece of wood to be Jesus.  Do you want to come down to his workshop and see it?”

“Yeah!” said both Barabas and Elizabeth.

So the three of them went down to the basement where Mr. Konde was in his woodworking shop.  Mr. Konde loves to work with wood.

“Hi Dad! Can you show Barabas and Elizabeth that Jesus carving that you made?” 

You could see that Mr. Konde is very pleased to show his art to the children.  He went to the other room and came back with a big bundle wrapped in a blanket.  He laid it on the table and carefully unwrapped his art.  The children watched with  interest.  When it was all unwrapped, Mr. Konde carefully stood Jesus up in the stand he made for it.

“Ahhhh!” said Barabas with admiration.

“How did you DO THAT!” asked Elizabeth.  “It is beautiful!”

“You know,” confessed Mr. Konde, “It kind of changed me when I carved this.  It kind of made me feel . . .closer to God.”  In a way Mr. Konde felt a little embarrassed to say such things to children.  But he could see that they genuinely admired his carving.

I don’t think that Sam and Barabas and Elizabeth will be able to actually draw a picture of God.  I suppose that WOULD be impossible.  But I also suppose that God, seeing them, and us, trying to imagine him,  . . . that God pours his Love down upon us and it is God’s Love that does indeed change us and make us shine!!!.  

THE END

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