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"Through a Child's Eyes"
Intro: Ill. Years ago while we lived in Florida, when my sons were about 5 and 7 years old I took them on how backpacking for the first time in the Smoky Mountains. After that we went at least once a year until we moved out west. We went a couple of times there are also. But this first time I remember walking down the trail, my sons with their little backpacks stopped for every bug, flower and every hairy Caterpillar there was. They had to inspect it and show it to me. It took forever to get to the campsite. But that taught me something. It taught me to stop and to look at those things around me and appreciate them. It also taught me that children have sharp eyes and their perspective on things is quite refreshing and maybe even humorous. When I say children, I am talking about kids from 1 year to the age of 12. CI: I wish we all could see things through the eyes of a child. Mark 10:13-16, Little children to Jesus. This morning I'm talking to the adults but I'm trying to say what a child would say. So I want children to listen to me and let me know if I blow it or not. I. Perspective of feelings Children are not only keen in eyesight and perspective with physical things, they also cantell when there is unrest in the home. When there is tension with mom and her job or dad and his job or between mom and dad they can tell. Their sensitivities are very keen. They don't understand it but know something is wrong. Often adults don't realize this because children don't always show it. Emotions are not something children are aware of like we adults are. They have emotions but they don't understand them so they really can't deal with them intelligently or express them well. They don't have the tools to deal with them. They are learning how as they get older. Some never do learn how to control their emotions. Ill. Some parents give their children freedom to express any emotion in the home as long as it is done in a civilized way. This can help them to learn to deal with emotions. Other parents, for whatever reason only allow positive emotions to be shared in the home. This can confuse him a child's emotional health. When there is a divorce, it affects the children in ways that are not apparent. Sometimes I've heard adults say, “The children are doing fine now that we have divorced.” Well, they are not doing fine. Since kids don't know how to deal intelligently with their feelings they often internalize what is going on as their fault. “My parents are getting divorced because of me.” A child can't blame an adult. How could an adult be wrong? So he blames himself. As irrational as that sounds, that is often what happens. Sometimes kids tell you they are fine and sometimes they look and sound fine. But don't be fooled, they are not fine. When we look at the faces of our children at story time, they are smiling, happy and cute. But some of these kids wrestle with adult issues because of their home life. Yet they do not have the ability to deal with these things or express them intelligently so they don't. They suppress them. Then when they are 40 years old they may become clinically depressed. The end up taking pills and going to counseling. But it all started from their home life while they were kids. Kids are resilient, they bounce back easily, and it's easy for them to show happiness. But deep scars are there that no one sees when homes are broken. Ask any adult who came from a home that suffered from a divorced when they were young and they will tell you about those scars. Ill. Families speak love. Ill. If I had my children to raise over again… II. Perspectives on worship Worship can be a challenge for kids. Right away they discover that worship is really for adults. The music is difficult to understand, sermons are over their heads, people dress differently than any other time, you have to sit quietly for most of the service and kids have trouble with that. Even the appearance of the worship area is bland to them. In their Sabbath school class there is much movement and color, the walls of the rooms are decorated nicely and it is fun for them as they learn about Jesus and the Bible. Their senses are tantalized and they are involved. So we put a Children's Story in the worship service to help them be apart. We give them opportunity to take part in worship by reading the Scripture or singing or something else. These things help but they only help. For little children worship is bland. In their homes usually their room is decorated nicely with color and fun things and all of their toys are there. But here in worship there is no color except on people and everything about it is boring. My point here is to have patience with kids. They are learning. If they are not joining in worship with the rest of us it is not because they are bad or even uninterested, it is because it is not geared for them and their senses are not involved very much. It is mostly geared for adults with adult perspectives and adult themes. III. Perspective of size Have you ever gotten down on your knees and walked around the living room? It's a big place when you're close to the ground. Ill. The house I spent the first two years of my life in is in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1990 our family visited it. The people who bought it from my folks back in the 50s were still living there in 1990. It was built in the early 1800s. We went inside and saw the fireplace my father had built out of river rocks, it was still there. But the house appeared so small. I don't remember much at all except the feeling that it was much smaller than it was supposed to be. Ill. let's try something, every other row kneels and the other row stand and turn around. People look like giants when you are short and the building looks like a huge cathedral. Can you imagine walking into the lobby with these giant humans and not being able to see anything but pants and skirts? Now let's switch so everyone has the same perspective. Jesus said Luke 18:16, 17, Like a little child. Those are pretty strong words from the one who has the keys of the kingdom. He is the judge, and he decides who comes in and who doesn't. Why are children so special? What are these unique characteristics that adults need to have? I can guess: 1- Complete trust in God, and adults including their parents 2- Innocence, vulnerable, and not quick to sin 3- Affection, ready to hug and touch, in fact they need it for life 4- Joy, easy to laugh and smile, who can resist the child's smile? What has happened to us adults? We have lost our innocence, our ability to trust, our willingness to show affection and desire to look for and to demonstrate joy. We must regain as much of this as possible. That is one of my New Year's resolutions. Ill. What we could learn about grace from children. IV. Dependence Just taking one of them, Dependence on God, notice what occurred with Jesus possibly right after his statement about children. Luke 18:18, A certain ruler. This is a familiar story. This rich young fellow asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus dialogues with him a little and then finally says in verse 22, 23, Sell everything and follow me. He couldn't do it. He couldn't depend upon God like a child. He was too self sufficient. Instead of depending on his wealth, Jesus said he must depend upon God. Dependence is a unique characteristic of children. Ill. Give an adult survival training and a pack of provisions, put him alone in the wilderness at 0° and he will probably survive. Do this same thing with the child and he will probably die after a day or two. An adult is self-sufficient and a child is totally dependent on someone. We learn self-sufficiency to survive. When one is alone in the woods it is good to be self-sufficient. But, God wants us to really learn dependence to survive spiritually. He wants us to be like children in depending upon him. Adults don't normally depend upon God. We depend upon ourselves, credit cards, pills, psychologists, devotional books or even the church, but often not on God. Just as Jesus could not save man without first becoming a child, born in a manger and dependent upon Mary and Joseph for his very life, so we cannot be saved without first becoming like a child and depending upon him. It is called the New Birth, accepting and internalizing the gospel. I noticed something else about Jesus ways that I think is significant. If Ill. Jesus used small words and drew pictures. We often use big words like justification, sanctification, soteriology, propitiation, maybe to impress other adults. Some of us don't even appear to know what the words mean but we use them anyway. Jesus used little words so even children could understand. He used words like a net, a coin, sheep, a fish, a house and a fig tree, etc. That is something that preachers should take notice of and consider. Take for example, Matthew 6:9-13, The Lord's prayer. Look at verse 12 at the word, “debts”. What does a child know about debts? Most children are not in debt today. Although getting into debt is happening sooner and sooner. Yet, is that what Jesus is saying? I don't think he means that we should forgive everyone their financial debt to us. In the Lutheran church I learned to use the word “trespasses”. It took me years to figure out what that was talking about. I thought it had to do with the no trespassing signs on some property. Our property didn't have any so how could they trespass against us. These are just words that our translation uses and we pick them up and say them over and over again. Sometimes we don't even think about what we are saying. Shouldn't we use words that fit what we are trying to say? When we say this prayer in our adult minds we place the word “sin” there. Luke 11:2-4, Forgive us our sins. Luke's rendition makes more sense but we don't use his because Matthew’s includes more of the prayer. But Luke's rendition of that portion is clearer to us and what we really are trying to say, what Jesus said. V. Heaven Sometimes I study the Bible with people and we get to the study on heaven, the question always comes, “Will there be children in heaven?” My answer is, “at least for awhile.” Notice Matthew 22:30, Like the Angels. A similar statement is also found in the Mark and Luke. He says there will be no marriage in heaven for we will be like the Angels. Marriage is the only appropriate institution for procreation. So if I look at this literally, Jesus is saying there will be no procreation in heaven and that would include the new earth. I realize this is a controversial subject and an unhappy statement for me to make. But remember I'm just reading what Jesus says. We have to take something as a foundation and the Bible and the words of Jesus should be good enough. If we decide we don’t like something that Jesus said or if I do not believe the Bible is to be trusted, that's another subject, but I don't feel qualified to change the Bible to fit what sounds better to me. Also I have heard many interesting and creative ways of interpreting this but none of them really convince me that what Jesus is saying here doesn't mean what it says. I think the basis for our dissatisfaction with this statement is that for Jesus, childlikeness is necessary for an entrance into heaven. It would seem that there will always be children in heaven. I think there will be in a matter of speaking. 1- Children will grow up with their parents or with someone else if their parents aren't there. 2- If we all are childlike, and that is necessary, we will all be like children in our character. It really doesn't matter how big someone is. We will not miss little children because the things about children that we appreciate, we will see in each other. Conclude: Next time I find myself thinking I am self-sufficient and in need of nothing I should get on my knees and consider the perspective of a child. It is a holy perspective.
Mark 10:13-16, Little children to Jesus Luke 18:16, 17, Like a little child Luke 18:18, A certain ruler Luke 18:22, 23, Sell everything and follow me Matthew 6:9-13, The Lord's prayer Luke 11:2-4, Forgive us our sins Matthew 22:30, Like the Angels
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