“Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”
Mark 10:15

Dear People of St. David’s,

I pray that you and yours are safe and well and that you’re enjoying the beautiful winter weather.

I’m not usually a fan of the cold or of winter, but there’s something about snow that is so beautiful. I feel that it breaks the grayness of these months and lifts my heart in a child-like, simple way. I was even thinking about making a snow angel on Tuesday and mentioned it to the staff as we were finishing our weekly meeting. I didn’t, but I have spent some time shoveling and trudging through the snow, enjoying the beauty and the change.

I believe the enjoyment of whatever comes our way in a day or in a season or in life gives some sense of what Jesus is talking about to us, His followers. We, who have so much experience and so many plans for how we want our lives to go, would do well to remember what it is like to be a little child – to remember the joy and wonder of our first experience of snow or of a piece of chocolate or a good joke or a fine meal or the sense that we are loved and can face whatever life brings because someone is watching over us and has good in mind for our lives. That’s our parents when we are little. That’s God all the time.

A little child is open to the day more than most of us are as adults. Children don’t have all the experiences stored up that we have. Each moment can take on a uniqueness that we so often miss. We miss so much of the simple gifts of life because we’ve seen something like it before and begin to stop paying attention. As young parents, I remember the wonder that returned to Amy and me in seeing the day and the world through the eyes of our young children. Things that I was taking for granted were new and wondrous and spectacular. Our oldest son used to struggle with going to bed at night as a toddler because the day had been so special and he didn’t quite grasp the concept that tomorrow would be another day. But when the day came, he was up at it.

Jesus promises that the kingdom of God is among us and within us even now. It’s not some place that we’ll get to some day. It’s here and now. When we remember and open our eyes to the wonders and challenges and learnings that each day brings, we begin to get a sense of the kingdom of God that is always present in the world and in our lives. Wonders are all around us and God is always with us. It’s also a great strategy for facing some of the anxieties and fears we were considering in last week’s message. Oh, the challenges of life and what might be coming are still there, but when we face and enjoy each day as a little child, the challenges becomes less our main focus and each day becomes more and more the gift God intends for it to be.

So let me invite all of us to invite God to give us the eyes and hearts of little children. Let’s ask God to restore our sense of wonder and trust, so that we can enjoy all that today has to offer and remember that even now God is watching over us and is with us.

Grace and Peace and Love,