From the Mouths of Babes

(Baby Pastor Amy)

Two weeks ago I preached on John 3:1-21, where we read the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus in the dark of night and exclaiming amazement at the thought that an old man such as himself could be born again. During the children’s story I wondered aloud with the kids about whether Nicodemus actually thought to himself, “hmm, I wonder if I could fit back inside?” 

Nicodemus’s question reminds me of some of the “discussions” (aka, arguments) my siblings and I would have when we were younger about whether our mom was pregnant with more than one of us at once. Ouch. None of the nine of us are twins. But, I had to find a way to usurp my one older sibling, and this seemed the obvious way to my young mind!

These children’s stories I get the honor of leading during worship give me lots of helpful insights into how our kids think. Back on All Saints Day when we were lighting candles at the altar, one little guy whispered out, “I LIKE fire.” (Note to self: don’t keep matches at kid level.) Another time the same little guy let out some body noises while sitting on the chancel facing a full sanctuary, which then led to the inevitable giggles from the rest of them. (Note to self: always check the lapel mic before asking if the bathroom is needed.) Kids’ lack of filters can lead to some funny situations. 

This past Sunday I invited them into the pulpit to proclaim to the congregation that God loves them. I’m so proud of each of them for so willingly participating in proclaiming the Gospel in a way that most certainly made some of them nervous. 

Children have an interesting place in the Gospels. They aren’t present all that often, but when they are, Jesus is right there with them, treating them as full and worthy people. In Matthew 19:14 he chastises the disciples who tried to shoo the kids away from him, proclaiming “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” According to Matthew’s timeline, the disciples did this after Jesus warned his listeners in chapter 18 not to cause a child to stumble, telling them it would be better if they were to be thrown into the sea with an anchor tied to them. Now, we have no evidence that Jesus actually did throw folks into the sea, but I would think this might be an effective way to teach folks about the value of children….

Jesus surely loved the little children - both those who clamored around his knees and all who were born before and who have been born since. I asked the kids two weeks ago to remember this whenever they look at their own baby pictures: that when God looks down on them, God thinks, “wow, I really love this one.” Perhaps this might be a good practice for us grown ups too - to both think this of the children around us and to look at our own baby pictures in the same way. Each of us, no matter how the adults around us loved or harmed us, is looked upon by God as a beloved part of God’s creation. 

Perhaps this week you might think about how you can love the children in your lives like Jesus loves them. Perhaps you might think of a way to fix the harm you have done in the life of a child. And perhaps, before all of this, you might find a baby picture of yourself, look at it, and remind yourself that when you were born and each day since, God has looked upon you and thought, “I surely do love this one.”