Once again, the Lord proved Himself to be faithful to our family in the hosting of this year's Reformation party, just as He has the previous twelve years. I only experienced a slightly elevated stress level a couple of times this year, as compared to the full-on panic attacks I've experienced in years past. The Lord is growing my faith--in Himself and in my husband.
We have used Doorpost's
A Night of Reformation resource for many years for our parties. The point of these parties is to celebrate God's work in the Church and to teach the kids (and even the adults) about that work. We've done all the parties suggested in the Doorposts book (John Calvin, Martin Luther, the Scottish Covenanters, etc).
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Polycarp and King Charles I
**you can click on any picture to enlarge it** |
We've also done what I've termed, "off-grid" parties. These are the ones that give me the most angst. Matt chooses a theme that's not in the book. That means starting from scratch on everything--the worship, the games and the activities. Past years' "off-grid" party themes have included, "The Five Solas" (Moses, Isaiah, King Josiah, Tyndale, Wycliffe, Luther) "The Creeds" (The First Creed, The Apostle's Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Athanasian Creed) and "The Saints" (Dorcas, Knox, Maxwell and Alfred the Great)
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All Glory, Laud and Honor (ca 820)
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This year, Matt chose another theme that's not in the book--"The Pre-Reformation Church." He chose to focus on this time in history because he wanted the kids to learn about the events that lead up to the Reformation, which began when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the church door in Wittenberg.
Since the kids that attend our party are all getting older, Matt decided that this year, instead of having the kids play games that illustrated the Biblical truths and historical facts he wanted them to learn, he would try a different approach. He decided to write a play, or rather, have our kids write it, and have all the kids perform it the night of the party.
Matt assigned Paul the task of researching the years from the time of the Early Church to the time just before the Reformation. Then Paul and Grace collaborated to write a play. Reformation Sunday found Grace and Matt putting the final polishes on the script. Reformation Day was a flurry of activity in the readying of costumes, sets and final details. We were down to the wire, as usual.
Grace was coaching Joel on his lines about one that afternoon. Joel asked, "Why didn't we start on this before now?" I turned on my heels and went back to my house cleaning, which is my coping mechanism.
When the guests arrived, all decked out in Medieval garb, we gathered everyone in the kitchen and Grandpa Bob said a pre-meal prayer. We then ate. While the adults finished their meals and talked, Matt, Grace, Paul and Elizabeth took all the kids to the basement to run through the play one time before the actual performance. Since it's rude to clean while one has guests, I refrained. I'm so happy all our little guests were game for impromptu costume changes and improv acting.
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| Jude as Polycarp before the proconsul |
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| Isaac as King Charles I receives a visiting envoy. |
Once the kids had finished their practice, everyone gathered in the living room for a time of hymn singing and Bible reading. Then, down to the basement for the big performance. From the discussion in the early Church about how to assimilate Gentile believers, to the martyr Polycarp, to Augustine, Charlemagne, the division of the Roman and Greek Orthodox churches, to Wycliffe and finally Hus, a great span of years was covered in about thirty minutes.
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| Bishops demand a defense from Wycliffe |
All the adults agreed the kids did a great job. We sang another hymn, (Lord Jesus, Think on Me (ca430)) and then headed back upstairs to eat a snow covered chocolate castle cake (sorry, forgot to get a picture) and caramel corn to end the evening.
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| "Today you roast a goose [Hus], but there will come a swan you cannot cook." |
Kudos go to Matt and the big kids. Paul was instrumental in not only the research, but also in the set building, which included a stake at which to burn John Hus. Grace wrote most of the play and directed it. She also figured out all the costumes, sets and props. Lydia was able to fashion beards and crowns to add to the costumes on the day of the party. Every single thing the kids used for the performance was found in our house, which displayed their creativity and resourcefulness, in my own humble mama opinion. I was also very proud of my little guys for getting over their embarrassment and acting their hearts out (and our little guests, too).
None of this would have been possible without the Lord's help. That may sound trite, but seriously, these parties are so much work, it's just a miracle they come together the way they do. Yay, God!
"For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:37
