Meeting the Mayor & Giving the Gospel

“All right, Class,” Mrs. Bentley said to her students. “Tomorrow we will be going on our field trip to city hall.”

“My mom works there,” said Patrick.

“Yes, Patrick. She will be showing us around,” Mrs. Bentley replied. “Who can remember why we are going to city hall?”

“So we can learn how the town began,” said Justin.

“And learn how the government works,” added Jessie.

“Very good.” Mrs. Bentley smiled.

When the bell rang, the children grabbed their backpacks and headed out the door.

Justin nodded. “I guess so. But I’m a little scared, too.”

“Scared? How come?”

“Because that’s where the mayor’s office is. I’m a little afraid of him ’cause he’s the leader of our town. I wouldn’t know what to say to someone like that.”

“Oh, I see,” said Jessie. “But he might not even be there.”

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

The next day, Justin and Jessie’s school group climbed up the steps of city hall and entered through the big front doors. A woman came bustling in, her high-heeled shoes clickity-clacking on the tile floor.

“Good morning!” she said with a big smile.

“Hi, Mom!” said Patrick proudly.

Patrick’s mom introduced herself as Mrs. O’Connor, and then she began the tour. “First, I want you all to look straight up.”

The students all craned their necks to look way up above them. “Oh! Neat!” they exclaimed as they looked straight through the glass ceiling to the blue sky outside.

“Isn’t that beautiful?” asked Mrs. O’Connor. “Because the ceiling in this room is made of glass, we get plenty of light so we don’t need to turn the lights on during the day. That helps us save electricity.”

The group followed Mrs. O’Connor down a long hall. They listened as she told stories of the people who started their town. Justin peered at an old photo of a man standing beside a cabin in the woods. “Who’s this?” he asked.

“That was Colby Peterson,” she said. “He was the founder of Colbyville, a small town not far from here.”

“Hey! That’s my dad’s great uncle,” Justin said proudly. “And this cabin is ours now.”

“How interesting,” said Mrs. Bentley. “We’ll have to find out more about him.”

The class moved down the hall until Mrs. O’Connor stopped in front of a large door. “Does anyone know whose office this is?” she asked.

Several kids’ hands shot up. Mrs. O’Connor pointed to Olivia. “The sign says ‘Mayor,’” Olivia answered.

“That’s right. This is the mayor’s office. He is the leader of the town.”

Suddenly, the big door opened—swoosh! The kids were startled to see the mayor standing in front of them. “Ah ha!” he said. “I thought I heard voices out here.”

Justin’s hands got sweaty as he stared at the man. Then the mayor’s face turned into a huge grin. “Welcome, students,” he said.

“Mr. Mayor,” said Mrs. O’Connor, “I’d like you to meet Mrs. Bentley and her class from the Christian school.”

“Well, how do you do?” said the mayor. “Does anyone have any questions for me?”

“May we go into your office?” asked Benjamin.

“Of course, you may.” The mayor stepped aside while the children shuffled through the doorway.

“Ooh! Ahh! Hey, that’s neat!” they said, gazing around the office. There was a large desk and four chairs. Bookshelves lined one wall, and a piano sat in one corner.

“Who plays the piano?” asked Michael.

“I do,” the mayor replied. Some of the kids giggled, thinking he was teasing.

“It’s true,” said Mrs. O’Connor. “The mayor is a great piano player.”

“I like to play my favorite jazz tunes after a hard day,” the mayor explained. “Do any of you play the piano?” he asked the class.

“I just started lessons this year,” said Sarah.

“And Benjamin plays in church sometimes,” said Jessie.

“Yeah, he’s really good at it,” Justin added. “He plays praise songs that we can sing to.”

“What are praise songs?” the mayor asked Justin.

“Uh . . .” Justin suddenly felt nervous again as he tried to explain. “They’re songs that praise Jesus.”

“Why do you praise Jesus?” asked the mayor.

“Because he paid for our sins when he died on the cross.”

“Hmm.” The mayor rubbed his chin and peered at Justin. “But if he died, how can he hear you singing?”

“Oh, but he rose again!” Jessie said, stepping up beside Justin.

“Yeah,” Justin continued. “He’s alive in heaven and will come back for his children someday.”

“His children?”

“Yes,” Jessie explained, “anyone who turns from sin and believes in Jesus becomes his child.”

“And that’s why we praise him,” Justin finished. He looked over at his teacher, who smiled and gave him a ‘thumbs-up.’

“This is very interesting. I’ll have to find out more.” The mayor shook the students’ hands and gave each of them a sticker to wear. “Thank you all for coming,” he said. Then he shook Justin’s hand. “And thanks for telling me about Jesus,” he said, smiling.

“You’re welcome, Sir,” Justin replied. He smiled and waved as he followed the other students out of the mayor’s office.

“That was great!” said Jessie. “You didn’t seem scared at all. And now even the mayor has heard the gospel.”

Mrs. O’Connor turned to the group. “Now who’s ready to climb to the top of the tower?”

“We are!”

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