Mid-Week Break

The afternoon blazed with beautiful sunshine; the grass radiated healthy-greenness; the wind was warm for those of us who were outside for school recess. Children's voices, loud and jubilant, floated on the same warm breeze. With yellow vest wrapped around my shoulders, I tilted my face to the sun and not for the first time wondered if all of this difficulty was just a bad dream.

My lunchtime guard duty was in the dusty patch of space called Deborah Grove. Meeting me at the gate were a dozen children all wanting to erupt into their play space, but one of them, Millie, met me with a joyful smile. She held out her hand to me, as always, and wanted to take my hand. Frustratingly, I had to tell her that we aren't allowed to have our hands connect - no high fives (or in her case, a low five). Millie shrugged, smiled her big gappy smile, one tooth missing and another ready to eject from her mouth, and said, 'Okay. But watch me. I'm going to do a handstand.' Then, with nimble ease, she transitioned from the disappointment of disconnection to using her hands for stands.

She, along with all the children at the school, are the purest of all creation. And, I think that God has always, always, always had a special place in his heart for the little ones. Maybe that's why he came to us as a child and not immediately as an adult.

One of the most amazing things about Jesus, the king of all creation who has power over wind, sea, storms, sickness and even death, seems to be powerless against the innocence of children.

"People were bringing little children to Jesus in order that he might bless them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, 'Let the little children come to me. Don't stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' After taking them in his arms, he blessed them."

What does it mean that 'whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it?' When do we stop being a little child? How do we recapture that?

Instead of entering into a dialogue about the struggles of life, the fear and the threats that chip away at the 'outer child' turning us into an inner child, Jesus instructs and leads us to experience the world in a way that seeks him and seeks others. This kingdom of God experienced by a child is one of wonder and learning, a deconstruction of difficulty and one of faith, guided by questions.

How are you, as a little child, feeling today? Are you, like the small, little boy who encountered me on the playground at lunch, excited about a beautiful day? He looked up at me, pushed his glasses further up onto his nose and exclaimed, 'Pastor Reid, I love life.' Or maybe you are in the same place as the ten-year-old boy who said five minutes later, 'Pastor Reid, it feels like we've lost everything. This covid-19 is really messing up my life.'

Ten. He's ten.

How are we, adults, bringing people into the blessing of Jesus so that they can experience the present kingdom of God right here and now without fear, but with a simultaneous sense of awe and respect? Can you talk with kids about their fears and about their hopes for the future? Can we help little children hear just as much about the love of God as the fear of the virus?

God give you wisdom and joy as we keep moving.