Hallelujah

It was a typically noisy afternoon in the crèche - the children had all awaken from their slumber and were once again renewed with the energy that only a 4 year old can exhibit unfailingly each and every day. As I was trying to play damage control, a small boy came up to me and asked if I could tie this piece of fabric around his neck, I asked “Like a super-hero?” and he said, “No, like a preacher.”

After fastening his preacher apparel I thought little of it and went back to attempting to maintain relative order elsewhere in the classroom.

Several minutes later I look over to the corner of the classroom and see about 10 little girls seated in two rows of chairs. Standing in front of them is the preacher boy, holding a wooden building block and shouting “HALLELUJAH!” while the church goers in the seats replied “AMEN!” The preacher repeats with extra vigor, “HALL-E-LU-JAH!” and the girls, “AMEN!”

This goes on for several minutes, until the next preacher is handed the ‘microphone’ and begins a new course of “HALLELUJAHs!” By this time the “Amens” from the girls in the church seats are growing increasingly less exuberant. How clever, the children have even managed to capture the differences in audience participation from the beginning to the end of a service 3 hour service.