For Those Who Desire an Innocent Soul

Thinking about Children
“The Cat in the Hat told the Grinch that ‘How to behave is all in the BOOK, so why don’t to take a small look in the book.’” The Cat in the Hat also told Sam I-Am that “The BOOK is better than green eggs and ham and the BOOK isn’t filled with foolish spam.” These profound words were the opening gathered syllables and thoughts to a sermon I preached several years ago on “Homecoming Sunday” – “Rally Day” – “It’s Time to Begin to Try and Make an Effort to Get the Children to Church Sunday.” You name it. I always felt it was a Sunday to focus on innocent faith and the nurture of children within the family. And how does one keep the attention of little ones for fifteen to twenty minutes. You write a musical sermon entitled “The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss.” After that sermon, which seemed to resonate with the little ones, one older child of God came up to me and said: “That was a most meaningful sermon….one of your best.” I wasn’t sure how to receive such a mixed message – I worked hard to make them all my best. Several other big “ones” also joined in the chorus of accolades. I couldn’t help but think – “Maybe I should quote the great theologians and spiritual giants less and quote Sesame Street, Curious George, Mr. Rogers (He was a Presbyterian minister) more often.” I don’t think that’s what they had in mind but I do think that we all have a child’s spirit within us waiting to be unlocked every once in awhile. Maybe we spend too little time with children and also not enough time reading the innocent and Spirit reviving message in THE BOOK.
It is a time to remember and be concerned about children and to recommit ourselves to the innocent faith that most of us first learned as a child. The children are going back to school and hopefully to church school. Maybe it is time that we go back to school by taking a look in THE BOOK. There are “Grinches” out there who are “filling themselves with gold and green eggs and ham……..and telling others ‘It’s all about me and maybe if you’re lucky you’ll find some out of date Spam’.” “So let’s take a look in THE BOOK and if we follow and do not flinch, we’ll put the Grinches of this world in a terrible pinch.”
Prayer
Lover of the little ones, help me to avoid looking into the eyes of little children. The ones at play make me feel sad that I have lost my ability to play without feeling silly. The ones who long for attention make me feel guilty that I don’t have the time or patience to really give them my attention. The ones who are hungry and hurting because of poverty make me feel uncomfortable that I am doing so little to change their lot in life. God of the incarnate innocent Little One, touch my eyes with your Spirit so that I might see with the eyes of children and might laugh and dance and sing with thanksgiving for the miracles that are everywhere; so that I might cry when I see a wounded bird or wounded soul; so that I might believe that fairy tales can come true and that in living with that hope in my heart I can help to make them come true. I pray all this hoping for a rebirth of my ability to see as if I were seeing everything for the first time. Amen.