Object: A toy spider.

Lesson: Hope; compassion.

The spider I have brought for the children's sermon is actually a cat toy -- eight bright red pipe cleaner legs, a black "body" of fake fur, and two little plastic eyes. As spiders go, it is very nonthreatening. Kneeling in front of the assembled children, I plop the spider down on the floor between us and ask, "What is this thing?"

"A spider!" most of them answer.

"What kind of a spider might it be?" I continue.

"A tarantula!" two of the boys assure me.

Certainly it is about the size of a tarantula. "It could be a tarantula," I agree. "But what other kind of spider could it be?"

"A wolf spider," Rebecca suggests.

"A garden spider," says Tommy.

"A black spider," Joe offers.

"Those are all good possibilities," I tell them. "But I'd l…