Tuesday, November 29, 2011

            As I sit here at the end of November, and I think about the coming days, that time of year we Christians call Advent, I must admit that I feel a bit weary. There is a lot to do before Christmas. Like me you probably have tons of shopping to do and visits to make, goodies to bake and parties to prepare for, extra money to earn and presents to wrap. Your “to do” list is probably as long or longer than mine.

              Our church calendar has filled up quickly too: practice for concerts, cantatas, and plays. There’s planning for get-togethers, meetings, trips and a multitude of other stuff to get done. Honestly, when I see everything listed, it’s pretty easy for me to get overwhelmed.
              What I long for, is to be a kid again. I want not to think so much about all the things to do, but to simply look forward to the joy and fun of Christmas. Kids don’t think of play practice as something they have “to do,” but as fun. They don’t consider cruising through Wal-Mart looking for just the right present as a chore, but as exciting. They don’t think of baking cookies as work, but as pure joy! And they relish decorating...the tree, the house, the lawn, the dog…anything at all.

              Children have a lot to teach me if I will stop long enough to consider their lessons. Children are truly innocent and pure. They are eager to trust and to believe the good over the bad. A child will love in spite of being hurt, dissed, or bullied. They will take an insult…toss one back and go on playing together without pouting or holding a grudge. Jesus said that the kingdom of God was made up of just such hearts; pure, open, and full of love.        
Jesus also said, “Let the little ones come unto me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 19:13). What I think is that Jesus was trying to tell us something in these words.  Jesus was trying to teach crusty, stodgy, jaded adults to notice the kind of goodness that helps a person fit in with God’s plan for the Kingdom.
Just this week, one of Pisgah’s little ones, smiling like an angel, said to me. “It’s okay, pastor Judy. She didn’t have a piece of bubble gum. I had two, so I gave her my extra piece.” I just have to tell you, the sweetness of that moment was enough to bring tears to my eyes and cause me to pray. Lord, give me a heart like hers!