Monster Sunday School is in session...Welcome Everyone!
Monster Sunday School is in session...
THE STORY OF MONSTER SUNDAY SCHOOL
Once upon a time, near the little town of Cottage Hamlet, a bunch of monster families found a bunch of monster caves near the babbling brook. They called it the Babbling Brook because the water seemed to talk all the time! It would say things like, "Oh, how cool I am on such a hot, summer's day! Wouldn't you like to take a swim?"
All the older monsters were afraid of the water. They didn't want to look like wet cats, all drippy and droppy. But one little monster boy named Topp decided the time was right! After all, he came from an island way down in the Caribbean and was used to the water, and playing on his surfboard. But he wanted a friend to swim with him, so he walked across the path to the cave of a little monster named Brine.
"Hey, der, little one!" Topp smiled. "Ye wanna be takin' a swim wit' me in de Babblin' Brook over der, see?"
Brine chuckled and couldn't say no, so off they went to the Babbling Brook.
"How come you called Brine, der?" Topp asked. "Because," said Brine, "My mommy monster named me Brine." Topp explained that Brine should do very well in the water because "a Brine is a kind of shrimp! And shrimps swim in de water, too!"
Brine didn't know what to make of her new friend, but she liked him an awful lot.
While they were swimming, a golden-colored monster girl with the prettiest fur walked to the water's edge. "Are you monsters OK?" the girl asked. "Sure ting," Topp smiled. "We be swimmin' all up 'n' down this here river, an' maybe we'll swim around de whole wide world, too!"
"What's your name?" Brine asked.
"My name is Gilda, and I was worried about you because monsters are usually afraid of the water so I thought you might be in trouble and maybe even drowning and can't swim and EVERYTHING!!!"
"What the heck is goin' on out here!" came the cry from a nearby cave. "A monster can't even watch his cartoons and eat his grasshopper sammiches without a bunch carryin'-on goin' on outside his big ol' cave!" And so, Topp, Gilda and sweet little Brine met their new friend Clyde.
"Hey, der, me orange friend! Me name's Topp... and dem two is Gilda, and little Brine. She like a shrimp!"
"Oh..." Clyde replied. "Uh... You monsters like cartoons? 'Cuz if ya do... I got'em!"
Everyone smiled, laughed, and nodded their noggins. "I love cartoons," said Brine. "Me too!" said Gilda. And just then, right at that very moment, a wonderful thing happened. The four new friends were about to meet two new friends! One of the two new friends they could already see, walking up the path along the Babbling Brook. It was a sweet little old lady named Mrs. Church, and she toddled along with a smile on her face and a song on her lips.
The mischievous Topp had an idea, and he quickly enlisted the help of his new playmates.
"Hey, everybody! Gather round and listen up!" Topp whispered. Clyde, preferring to stay away from the water's edge, told his pal that he'd have to come ashore if he wanted to tell him something. So Topp, with Brine in tow, snuck around a mulberry bush hanging from the shore and met Gilda and Clyde on a grassy patch surrounded by smooth, flat stones.
A few moments later: "BOO!!!" And the little old lady stopped and looked down toward her feet. "BOO, AGAIN!!!" a sweet, little voice exclaimed. "And a big Boo back at you!" the old lady chuckled.
"Aren't you a-scared of me?" Brine asked. "Nope," replied Mrs. Church. Then, from the mulberry bush, another voice was heard. "Weren't you even a little scared?" the bush seemed to ask, dejected. "Not one little bit," said Mrs. Church.
"Now I know mulberry bushes don't talk, so why don't you come out from behind that bush so I can see you," Mrs. Church smiled. "That's more like it!" and she couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as she saw Topp and Brine, as wet as cats, along with golden-haired Gilda, emerge from behind the bush.
"I told ye we shoulda not sent Brine to be de scary monster. She couldn't scare nobody!" Topp cried. "Yep," Clyde agreed, "It was useless from the start. I guess the problem is, none of us is very good at being mean ol' scary monsters."
Topp's head hung low. "We a buncha failure faces."
"Oh, now, I wouldn't say that," Mrs. Church said. "It's just that, well, you're right... You're all too cute to be scary. And besides, Jesus would protect me even if you were scary."
"Jesus, who's he?" Clyde wondered. "Does he live around here, too?"
"In a manner of speakin', He does," Mrs. Church smiled. "Jesus is wherever you happen to be!"
"'Dis Jesus fella really gets around, I'd say," Topp exclaimed. "But I ain't never seen de like o' him 'round here yet, have you, Brine?"
"Sorry, haven't seen him..." Brine cooed.
"Well, would you like to meet Him? He's a wonderful, wonderful person, and He loves all of us! And I know He would love to get to know you better, and become a part of your lives..."
Clyde thought it over. "I don't know... I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
"Oh, but He's no stranger!" Mrs. Church said gleefully. "He's our creator and our savior and He's known us longer than anyone!"
"OK," said Gilda. "Where do we meet this Jesus guy?"
"At my Sunday School Class! If you'll all come to church on Sunday, I'll introduce you to Him! Oh, we'll have a marvelous time!"
"But... a... what's your name, lady?" Topp asked. "I'm Mrs. Church... Mrs. Evelyn Church. And I would love it if you would attend my class!"
"Well, that's just it, Mrs. Church!" Clyde said. "Uh, the regular kids don't like us very much. See, in case you hadn't noticed, we're different than them. We're monsters."
"Not in God's eyes -- or MINE!" Mrs. Church smiled. "So I'll expect you in my class on Sunday, am I'm looking very forward to it." And with a quick and heartfelt wave, Mrs. Church continued down the path.
On t he following Sunday, four unruly but sweet-natured students walked into Monster Sunday School. The church walls didn't fall down, nobody stared, the other children accepted them as playmates, and the four little monsters each began their journey toward the Lord.
And He was waiting for them with open arms.