Being Silly for Christ
Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ (Matthew 19:14)
Last week I had the honor of spending time with the children at Vacation Bible School. It is humbling to be a small part of their lives. As adults, it is easy to forget the laughter and reckless joy of feeding off the thrill of being together. These kids know how to soak the fun from the marrow of life. Being a pastor gives me special access to the lives of our little ones. I hear about their day, answer the occasional question, and play with them. One day, when I retire, I will not have regular relationships with our smaller church family members, and I will miss their special relationship at my core.
Adults often misunderstand Jesus’ gospel message. The “good news” is far more than following the correct series of rituals. Nor is it just memorizing suitable Bible passages. It isn’t even participating in the most trendy mission activities. At its core, faith in our Triune God is about relationships. God has provided three different ways for God’s children to relate to divinity. We can relate to the Father/Mother, the creator, and wisdom-bearer (Sophia). God came as a human being in Jesus so that we would have a model and example. Finally, through the Holy Spirit, God continues to relate to us most intimately, in and through us. God nurtures our relationship from within and calls us to move into the world with the same relational good news.
The VBS children memorized Scripture passages and songs about the Bible. They learned about their mission for the week and gave money and items to help the homeless. They experienced the rituals of prayer. All these faithful expressions helped nurture their developing faith. But most of all, what the children this VBS week learned and expressed was relationships. They experienced a faith-based relationship with trustworthy and caring adults outside their families and deepened their relationships with new and old friends among their peers. Most of all, they experienced God in new, fun, and meaningful ways!
Today, it is your turn to think about how you will come to God like a little child. How do you experience sheer and unabashed joy? Do you have friends you giggle and laugh with? Is God merely an intellectual concept or a friendly Divine Being who you know is reaching out to you every minute of every day? If you are unsure how to find this perfect divine friend, do not rely on ritual or memorization alone, but also find ways of caring and sharing with joy and occasional silliness. When you do, God will become genuine, just like God became tangible to our little ones this week.