When I was little, our pastor started what he called “Stump the Preacher.”

After the opening song, all the kids would go up front. The pastor would ask “who brought something to stump the preacher?” And our little hands would wave in the air, hoping he would call on us.

The child lucky enough to be chosen would hand over whatever trinket they had brought to church that week: a pebble, a stuffed animal, or — in one memorable instance — a box of nightcrawlers. The preacher took the item and, on the spot, came up with an object lesson about it that in some way illustrated a Bible truth.

I loved “Stump the Preacher.”

What began as a sort of game quickly evolved into an example of how anything can serve to highlight God’s grace and His love for us. An eroded pebble illustrates how even the roughest of our edges can be smoothed by the Living Water. A stuffed animal is cute, but it’s no substitute for the Real Thing. Even nightcrawlers can illustrate God’s love; working tirelessly below the surface, they prepare the soil so things can grow, just as the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

When Jesus walked the earth, the religious leaders tried everything they could think of to stump Him. He knew they hoped to trap Him. Yet, as patiently as if teaching a group of children, He never failed to answer their questions and point them to God.