Ponderings
May 21, 2012
Luke 18:15-17
The Little Children and Jesus
15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
Each of us is familiar with the varied scenarios in the Gospel accounts where Jesus speaks about letting the children come as they embody that which is needed for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Jesus makes it clear that there is much we need to learn from and receive from children.
We can, of course, learn that belief need not always make sense. Don't dare tell a child he or she cannot believe in someone or something which is real to them. They see; they hear; they understand in a way which in our march toward adulthood we tend to forget. If we rely just on our rational adult senses, we miss so much of the wonder and mystery of God's world and God's divine activity.
We can also catch anew the absolute joy and giddiness of children. Spend a little time with a child at play and you can't help but find yourself smiling, laughing, getting caught up in their basic glee about life. "Play" is one of their primary words and it would do us adults well to spend more time in play. At the very least, we can allow ourselves more times of simple joy. Somewhere I read the quote, Joy is the feeling of grinning inside. Well, children do that to us, don't they? And in doing it, they lead us closer to what God wants in life for us.
And then there's the eagerness of children to learn and know. Their little minds, as the saying goes, are sponges soaking up all that they can. They want to know more; they want to understand more; they want to soak it all up. Well, God wants believers who want to grow in their faith and in their spiritual awareness. He wants spiritual sponges. He wants us to be eager and willing to know more about what it means to be a follower of His Son.
Think right now of a child you know; perhaps one with whom you've spent some time recently. Brings a smile to your face, doesn't it? Now may that moment be for each of us a catalyst for assessing whether we have the faith, the joy, and the desire for growth which marks Kingdom people!
And, let me go a step farther and ask you to consider the special request noted here for our forthcoming Vacation Bible School...what a great time and place to celebrate the joy and faith of our GUMC children and others whom we will reach!
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Volunteers Urgently Needed for Vacation Bible School!
June 11-15 * 9 a.m.-noon
Needed: Group Guides (for all ages: infants through rising 6th grade). Group guides are adults who guide a group of children through daily activity stations. If you are signing your child up for VBS or just love being around children, please consider serving in this fun and vital role. When signing up, you can specify which age group you prefer.
Also Needed:
Games Leader (for Preschool age);
Science Leader (for Preschool age)
Snack Leader/Puppeteer (for Preschool age)
We need many volunteers to make VBS a success. If interested, please contact a VBS director today!
Janelle Crist, 758-6525, jcrist@germantownumc.org
(Group B: Rising 1st - Rising 3rd grade)
Shelley Haines, 758-6512, shaines@germantownumc.org
(Group C: Rising 4th - Rising 6th grade)
Angie Hopper, 356-9600, hopshome@earthlink.net
(Group A: Preschool - Rising Kindergarten)
You can also register online as a volunteer at www.germantownumc.org. Did you know children of volunteers, who are too young to make the VBS age cutoff, can attend a mini-VBS for infants and toddlers? While you volunteer, your little ones will enjoy VBS music and age-appropriate stories and crafts.
