Where two or more are playing

“Who was the second-oldest person in the Bible whose age is recorded at death?” 

It was our final question after an extended game of Bible trivia. We’d combined the Trailblazers and Earliteens classes, and for fifteen loud minutes—where my watch alerted me to the volume—kids called out answers as fast as they could. 

Seconds later someone shouted out the correct answer. 

We moved on to the lesson, dragging our chairs into a circle on the lawn outside church. 

I asked the kids what “church” meant for them. They gave a bunch of answers, all great, and all parts of the whole. 

Church has meant many things to me over the years. As a kid, I loved Kindergarten classes with friends—and the children’s story was always fun. As a teen, I enjoyed youth classes, especially when they included Bible trivia. Later, I appreciated Sabbath School discussions and the space to wrestle with difficult topics. 

I’ve also wrestled with church itself, wondering why I should get involved with something full of broken, flawed people? Then I realized—I’m one of them. That realization changed me. Jesus calls us into community—not because it’s perfect, but because we need each other. Church is flawed because I’m there. And that’s the whole point. 

So what is church? For the kids, it’s music, the service, lessons, family, friends—and of course, Breakfast Connection and the occasional donuts. It’s also the small moments where we worship our Creator and remember—we’re children of a loving God who gave everything for us. This reminder each week—those shared moments—are special. They’ve defined my life. And now, it brings me so much joy to see the next generation growing up with a love for community and a desire to grow together. 

With the lesson over, and a dozen energetic kids ready to start moving, we launched into a game of never-ending tag. The rules are supposed to be simple: tag someone and they’re frozen. But if you tag each other at the same time, a quick sub-game of rock-paper-scissors decides the outcome. Once you’re down, you can rejoin if you tag someone from the ground—or if your tagger gets tagged. You can also form alliances.  Yeah, actually the rules aren’t that simple. Also, my apologies for any grass stains you may see as kids come back into the sanctuary. 

I can still keep up with the kids—for now—but I’ve noticed my recovery time isn’t what it used to be. Tag. Bible trivia. Sabbath school. Church service. Food. All these—and a thousand little moments—make up church. Every week—and every day in between—we get to encourage each other through joy, walk together through struggles, and hold each other in grief. 

Church is messy. But Jesus didn’t call the perfect—he called us. And every Sabbath, we’re reminded just how much he loves us, and how we’re invited to love others the same. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 asks us to encourage one another in love and good deeds—and to meet together. Our faith is meant to be lived alongside others. 

Oh—and that second-oldest man in the Bible? Jared. He lived 962 years (Genesis 5:20).