Paul and the Underground Church KidZone Lock In

God's love is always with us.

If you lived in ancient Rome, the oldest living male in the family held the title of paterfamilias. The paterfamilias, which means father of the family, had the final say in pretty much everything--a privilege called patria potestas, or paternal power. If a father didn't want a child, patria potestas gave him the right to have the child killed by exposure (simply setting the baby out in the street). A father could sell his children into slavery, stop his child from marrying, or make his child marry. As you can imagine, the image of a loving, compassionate father may have been a little vague back then.

Consider the power in Paul's words in Romans 8:38: "...nothing can ever separate us from God's love." Paul describes a tender, compassionate Heavenly Father who wraps his children in a strong and never-ending love. To Romans, who may have lived in fear of authority figures, this was a revolutionary idea.

Unconditional love is still a concept people struggle with. It seems illogical that God would love us so completely, so perfectly, even when we're imperfect. But Paul passionately proclaims that even death can't separate us from God's powerful love.

Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, God's love truly is always with us! This is what the children attending the KidZone lock in on January 23-24 learned. They were guided in celebrating God's powerful love for his people by traveling through ancient Rome. They visited the Apostle Paul, who was under house arrest and chained to his guard Brutus. Paul showed them many of the letter's he had written. Letters inspired by God. Paul sent the children through the streets of Rome (the KidZone hallways) to the Underground Church, where they met Marcus and Lucia, two members of the church who were hiding in a cave, afraid of discovery by the Roman guard.

By the end of the night, the children learned of the great sacrifice the early church made so that we can worship today. They discovered that there are still people in the world who have to hide to worship God, and they learned to pray for the oppressed. And before they went to bed, Brutus, Paul's Roman guard, accepted Jesus as his personal Savior! With God all things are possible :)

What a God sighting, to watch the children learn and understand that God's love is a gift, and that His love is, indeed, always with us!

Blessings,
Kelli Kirk