Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Souderton, PA 18964 (215)-723-7514
Meditation for November, 2008
Scripture:
Matthew 18
1. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2. He called a child, whom he put among them,
3. and said,
"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4.Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven.
This past weekend, we talked about faith in Sunday School class.
I began to think about what Christ meant when he said that
you have to come to the Father like one of the little ones at his
feet. How appropriate
is this email message from one of my sisters at church.
It truly sums up what Christ was expecting above.
Yes, It’s probably an urban legend like the parables where
for Christ but stick with it and read it slowly.
Its truth is real.
I’ll check back with you at the end…
GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED
I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At
least that's what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to
listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see..
Under the bed..'
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique
perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night
something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the
first time the very different world Kevin lives in.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of
difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2),
there are few ways in which he is an adult.
He reasons and communicates
with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will
probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa
Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas
and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.
I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled,
home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite
macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.
The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers
excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn
child.
He does not seem
dissatisfied.
He lopes out to the bus
every morning at 7:05 , eager for a day of simple work.
He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove
before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty
laundry for his next day's laundry chores.
And Saturdays - oh, the
bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport
to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on
the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to
Chi-car-go!' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is
so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights
And so goes his world of
daily rituals and weekend field trips.
He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.
His life is simple.
He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he
does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food
he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that
one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent.
Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the
dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.
He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.
He
is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is
pure He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be
kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.
Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not
afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always
transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.
Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he
comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends
with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to
grasp. God seems like his closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy
the security Kevin has in his simple faith.
It is then that I am most
willing to admit that he has some divine
knowledge that rises above
my mortal questions
It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the
handicap I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances -
they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.
Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are
all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize
that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God
lived under his bed.
Kevin won't be surprised at all!
Final Thoughts:
What about you my dear friends?
Will you be surprised when Christ stands in front of you and
asks you why you wrestled with so many unimportant “truths” all
those days? Won’t it be
interesting when that little child gets a wink and a smile when he
believes simply, innocently in the truth of God rather than try to
unravel the mystery of the Trinity or whether Universal Redemption
is real?
A
child sings: “Jesus
loves me, this I know, ‘cause the Bible tells me so”
And that’s good enough.
I pray your and my faith can be that simple again.
Prayer:
Lord let my faith be simply understood.
You love me, you died for me and you saved me.
Thanks
Yours in Christ,