Explore and Express: Godly Play 101: Wondering

This is the latest installment in a series called "Godly Play 101", in which I share some of the basics of Godly Play. (For you non-Americans, "101" is the number for an introductory level course at university.) Our topic today is "Wondering". This is the part of a Godly Play lesson where we have the chance to respond to and go deeper with a biblical story through open-ended questions.

Storyteller from Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way graciously agreed to write this article for me some time ago and I have been saving it for just the right time. Since I am now drowning in the middle of beginning-of-the-school-year prep for my English classes, this seemed like a great time to post it! Take it away, Storyteller . . .

Godly Play storytellers signal the end of the lesson and the opening of a time of reflection by pausing for a moment and then raising their eyes to make contact with their listeners. They say, slowly, thoughtfully, I wonder...

Each genre of Godly Play story has a slightly different set or style of Wondering Questions. I call these questions, but they aren’t phrased as questions, and that’s deliberate. Everyone is encouraged to wonder, everyone is free to share their responses, but nobody is ever pressured to answer.

FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT WONDERING:

WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE VERBAL

Although I initially thought of the Wondering as “the Verbal Response Time”, it does not have to be verbal. Young children may simply point, for example to show you what they liked the best. (As the Storyteller you might choose to name what they point at, but you can also just echo their pointed gesture, or touch or even lift what they’ve indicated: This? Mm-hmm!) The "Faces of Easter" lessons encourage non-verbal responses in which children make connections between these lessons and other stories or materials in the room (although Sheila has also blogged here about some lovely verbal explanations given during this lesson).

WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ALL SERIOUS

Wondering can open us up to truly big questions, but it’s good to start off with ice-breaking questions, even if they sound silly. I wonder if these sheep have names. Nye says, “A facilitator who accepts whatever they say is … likely to encourage children to feel safe to say more, and to risk saying things that are really hard to express, which is often the nature of deep spiritual material.” (Children’s Spirituality, p.38)
So we do not ridicule, but accept any answer that is earnest or honest. Once, in setting up the Parable of the Good Shepherd, a child suggested that the square made of brown strips could be a television. After I had told the story and started the wondering, when I wondered what the sheepfold could really be, someone answered, “their home”. So I wondered aloud, I wonder what it is about this place that reminds you of home? The first child joyously shrieked, the TV!!

WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE UPBEAT OR ORTHODOX

As I’ve written in a post on my own blog, the question about leaving things out (in particular) makes room for expressing disagreement and discomfort with the story. Our scriptures contain stories of those who wrestle with God, or bargain with him, or sulk about his actions, or even deny him under pressure. Such doubts need not mean the end of our relationship with him - far from it!

WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE SCRIPT

Berryman’s advice is to end the Wondering before the circle has spent all its energy, while there is still wonder in the air. What that means is that you don’t always get to all of the questions recommended in his scripts, not even when there are only four of them. The Wondering is a bit like the wind (or the Holy Spirit!); it can eddy and swirl and suddenly take off in an unexpected direction and you might find yourself following up on some of what has been raised: I wonder why that is? Entering into the spirit of the activity is far more important than sticking to the script.

WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE AN AGENDA

Remember point 4. The Wondering is not an time for review - I wonder who remembers the name of the city Abraham came from? Nor is the Wondering a way to enforce a common interpretation - I wonder what the moral of this story is? Our wondering always has to be genuine.
Remember point 1 as well. After you ask a question, leave a little time hanging so that everyone has a chance to consider it. But if nobody seems inclined to respond, go ahead and ask the next question. Look around the circle with interest (sometimes people new to Godly Play are not sure whether they are allowed to speak), but without creating pressure. If you feel that your circle members are not engaging with these questions (even inwardly), it is probably time to put the materials away. But remember Mary - sometimes people just need to treasure these things, pondering them in their hearts. Godly Play honors that.