The Gospel Doesn’t Need a Gimmick

I hesitate sharing my thoughts on this because I have been writing unit studies that connect the the Liturgical Church year. I think this is an area that can be relatively sensitive so I pray I’m speaking with grace.

Let’s talk about glitter glue and salvation.

(Stay with me, I promise this is going somewhere.)

We live in a world of Pinterest-perfect Bible crafts, object lessons that involve marshmallows and balloons, and Sunday School snacks that are somehow supposed to symbolize the resurrection. And listen, I get it. We want our kids to enjoy learning about the Bible. We want them to be engaged, to smile, to remember what we’re teaching. And sometimes, a hands-on moment can help illustrate a truth in a way that sticks.

But can I lovingly remind you of something?

The Gospel doesn’t need a gimmick.

The Word of God is living and active. It doesn’t need to be sugar-coated or covered in puff paint to make it meaningful. It already is.

And Charlotte Mason knew this.

She believed children are born persons, fully capable of taking in truth, beauty, and goodness without it being “dumbed down” or diluted. She urged us to give children the best of things. The richest ideas. The deepest truths. The most beautiful words.

So why, then, do we sometimes reach for the silly instead of the sacred?

Maybe because it feels safer? Simpler? More age-appropriate?

But here’s the truth: children don’t need Bible stories dressed up like cartoons or translated into watered-down morals. They need the real thing. The richness of Scripture. The heart-stopping wonder of the resurrection. The story of redemption that is both terrifying and breathtaking in its magnitude.

And you know what? They can handle it.

They were made for it.

You don’t need to turn the story of Noah’s ark into a rainbow-themed party to make it palatable. You can read it straight from Scripture and let your child sit with the weight of it: the justice, the mercy, the rescue.

You don’t need to invent a scavenger hunt to teach about the empty tomb. Just read the words: “He is not here; He has risen.” Let them echo.

You don’t need a snack that represents the armor of God (though if you do make one, I’m sure it’s adorable). You can simply read Ephesians 6, talk about it over lunch, and let your child try to put it into practice on the playground.

We’re not called to entertain our children into heaven.

We’re called to disciple them.

And discipleship sometimes looks like slow, sacred reading of the Word. It looks like deep conversations that don’t have an answer key. It looks like trusting that the Holy Spirit is working even when it looks like your kids are just picking their toes while you read aloud from the Gospel of Luke.

Let them wiggle. Let them ask questions. Let them wrestle. But don’t water it down.

The Gospel is already more than enough.

So yes, make your Bible time beautiful. Light a candle. Open your Bible with reverence. Let them draw if it helps them listen. But trust the Word to do the work.

No gimmicks necessary.

Just Jesus.