To people who question why I’ve spent so many years in Sunday School with preschoolers, I say, quite honestly, “It’s ‘way more fun.”

And quite interesting, in different ways, of course, from an adult Sunday School class. But interesting.

One Sunday last summer, the Bible story was Paul’s trip to Rome, which was interrupted by a storm that caused a shipwreck. Paul’s group and the sailors made it to Malta, where they stayed a while before going on to Rome, in a nice, new, sturdy ship.

I told the children the story, ending with, “And then Paul went on to Rome.”

One boy, a six year old who would be going into first grade in a couple of weeks, said, with aplomb, “I’ve been to Rome.”

And I knew he had.

Then, one of the youngest kids in the group, a four-year-old, said, as though everyone might have done the same thing, “I’ve been to Rome.”

And I knew that he, also, had been to Rome.

They both had done that traveling just a month or so before.

Because I live in a town with a Baptist-affiliated university and a Baptist-affiliated seminary, and I attend a Baptist church, I know folks who go really interesting places and do and learn really interesting things. The six-year-old’s mother is a professor of Old Testament, and she goes on digs, looking for bones and shards. The four-year-old’s parents teach in the language departments, and they spend a summer semester in Italy, teaching there.

I said to the boys, who’d been to Rome, “Some of the old buildings you saw in Rome are the same buildings that Paul saw, when he was there.”  And, yes, they smiled and nodded, agreeing with me, without having assurance, or, frankly, strong memories of what they’d seen. Their memories were mostly of what they’d eaten there.

And how can a four- and six-year-old really understand: “You’ve seen buildings that Paul saw.”

Those families will most likely keep on with these summer travels and experiences. As the kids grow, they’ll know and understand more of the uniqueness of their experiences. I hope there are lots of photographs.

I did a little bit of research and learned that the buildings that existed in Rome in Paul’s time* were the mausoleum of Augustus, and the Temples of Saturn and Castor and Pollux . None of the other ancient buildings that we see in travelogues and brochures, existed in Paul’s time. The Biblical World article mentions the Pantheon, which was a building in Paul’s time, but it later had significant damage from two large fires, and was rebuilt, completed by Hadrian around 125 C.E.

Paul, a loving and loyal servant of the Anointed One, Jesus. He called me to be his apostle and set me apart with a mission to reveal God’s wonderful gospel.  I write this letter to all his beloved chosen ones in Rome, for you have been divinely summoned to be holy in his eyes. May his joyous grace and total well-being, flowing from our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, rest upon you.

My commission is to preach the good news. Yet it is not entirely new, but the fulfillment of the hope promised to us through the many prophecies found in the sacred Scriptures.  For the gospel is all about God’s Son. As a man he descended from David’s royal lineage,  but as the mighty Son of God he was raised from the dead and miraculously set apart with a display of triumphant power supplied by the Spirit of Holiness. And now Jesus is our Lord and our Messiah.  Through him a joy-producing grace cascaded into us, empowering us with the gift of apostleship, so that we can win people from every nation into a faithful commitment to Jesus, to bring honor to his name.  And you are among the chosen ones who received the call to belong to Jesus, the Anointed One.  I write this letter to all his beloved chosen ones in Rome, for you have been divinely summoned to be holy in his eyes. May his joyous grace and total well-being, flowing from our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, rest upon you.

Romans 1:1-7 (The Passion Translation)

Jesus then took the barley loaves and the fish and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to the disciples to distribute to the people. Miraculously, the food multiplied, with everyone eating as much as they wanted!

John 6:11 (The Passion Translation)

Several years ago, a guy at church, a high-school history teacher, planned a summer field trip to Europe. He was really interested in World War II, and the students who went visited places like Dunkirk and Paris. They even went to Haarlem, in the Netherlands, to see Corrie Ten Boom’s Hiding Place. His wife and 5-year-old daughter went, too.

One Sunday morning, lots of kids in Sunday School were talking about summer trips they made. One went to “a big, big mall; with a roller coaster!” Another went to a beach. Another went to Six Flags. The European traveler was listening to her friends, but not chiming in. I finally asked, “Did you take a trip with Mom and Dad?” She looked at me confused. “Did you fly on a plane with Mom and Dad and Dad’s students?” She nodded. “Did you see anything interesting?” Hmmmmmmm. “Did you have anything interesting to eat?” She brightened. “One day,” she said, “I ate all my meat and all my salad and all my vegetables.” Wonderful.

At the end of worship service that day, I went to find her parents and described what she remembered most about her wonderful trip to Europe. “She told me,” I said, “how she ate all her meat and all her salad and all her vegetables.” They looked at each other and rolled their eyes. “That,” they said, “was on the plane on the trip home.”

That was many, many years ago. This summer, that same girl, who is a lovely young woman now, is doing an internship at an agency in Africa. I can’t wait to chat with her when she returns. I’d love to know what sort of things she ate.

In so many different ways, we feed, and are fed.

* The Biblical World, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Feb., 1894), pp. 87-96 (10 pages); Published by: The University of Chicago Press: Henry F. Burto