Like A Child

The church, the actual church building of FBC Seymour, is a much busier place than most would assume. It is a hive of activity. People are constantly coming and going. The Fellowship Center is a particularly popular piece of real estate. It plays host to a Sunday worship service, the Attic Student Ministry on Sunday nights, a Wednesday evening dinner, funeral dinners, wedding receptions, Preschool and Parent’s Day Out playtime, anniversary celebrations, and birthday parties. Several of these events are regularly scheduled ministries of the church and are open to anyone. Others carry more specific guest lists and are appropriately by invitation only.

As one might assume, I spend quite a bit of time in the physical building on the corner of Community and Sixth. As a result, I see the people coming and going and, in my curiosity, will often make the trek from my office to the Fellowship Center to see what is going on. Yesterday, as I was pulling into the church for some evening meetings, I noticed an inordinately large number of cars parked in the church parking lot. I knew several people had come for the meetings, but surely not this many.

I parked my car and made my way into the FC lobby and immediately was greeted with the sounds of celebration. Now, our meetings at FBC can be pretty exciting gatherings, but parties they are not. The high-pitched squeals of joy, coupled with the stressed faces of mothers guarding the doors, told me all I needed to know. Some lucky young lady was having a birthday party. I entered the Fellowship Center and was transported to a magical land of rainbows and unicorns. There were a half-dozen or so kindergarten aged “unicorns” galloping around the room. Several of them, upon seeing me standing in the doorway, requested that I join them in being a unicorn. Without a second’s hesitation, I trotted into the room, grabbed a unicorn horn, placed it on my head and began celebrating with them. It was terribly undignified, but I think it was also extremely Christ-like.

There were a half-dozen or so kindergarten aged “unicorns” galloping around the room.

Jesus made space for children in the midst of His life and ministry. When parents started bringing their children to Jesus, the disciples were indignant that Jesus would be bothered with such trivial and childish things. Jesus was quick to correct the error… the error of the disciples!

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. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  (Matthew 19:14)

Children mattered to Jesus and He made it clear to the disciples that children should matter to them as well. While it is important that we grow and mature in our faith, there is something to be learned in the simplicity and innocence of children.

As I played with those kids the other day, their joy and laughter was refreshing to me. They didn’t have any complex questions for me to answer. They didn’t want me to do anything for them or give anything to them. They simply were happy to be with me, in that moment, in the midst of the bubbles and the unicorn horns. Children have a great deal to teach us about remembering and experiencing the pleasure in simply being seen by Christ, being known by Christ, and being with Christ. The innocence of their age results in an unassuming and selfless faith that is good with being and doing for the joy of it. We need to make space for the childlike in our churches and in our lives. And, may we always remember that no matter how old or accomplished we may be, we are still children of God.

We need to make space for the childlike in our churches and in our lives.