Somewhere I read these words of wisdom from children:

        Never trust a dog to watch your food.

        When your Dad is mad and asks you, “Do you think I’m stupid?” don’t answer him.

        When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair.

        Don’t sneeze in front of your mom when you are eating crackers.

        You can not hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. 

Or what about this interpretation of Genesis by a child?           

God made men and women a long time ago.

            The man was first, but he was very lonely.

            So God made the man go to sleep.

            Then God took out his brains and made a woman

out of them. 

Or the man who talked about raising children who said: 

“Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children. Now I have six children and no theories.” 

Jesus had a theory about children. He apparently shared it often. It appears many times in various forms in the New Testament narratives. It usually comes in the context of another question from the disciples. They ask Jesus “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom?” They probably should have picked up some clues along the way. But that was apparently not so, at least not yet. So the inner circle of followers asks one more question. 

Jesus is quiet for a moment. Then he sees a child playing nearby. He makes eye contact. He smiles at the child. He calls the child to him. The child is a bit shy, but she comes. She sits on Jesus knee. Then it is that Jesus says to the disciples, “Here is greatness. When you re-orient your life…become like a child…you know the greatness of the Kingdom.” 

I am fairly sure Jesus’ response caught his disciples off guard. They must have asked, “Become like a child? What does that mean?” Children were not especially valued in that society. They were valued for security in old age. But there was no inherent worth for the child himself or herself. That is part of the reason that the disciples tried to shoo the children away when Jesus was busy teaching the multitudes. 

This story is another instance of Jesus turning tradition on its ear. “Who is most important in the Kingdom? Who is the greatest? Who gets the best seat in the house? Why it is a child, of course. And unless you turn and become like one you can not know the Kingdom.” 

Jesus’ words are radical, revolutionary, and a re-writing of common perception of the day. There is a prayer by Michael Quoist which I like very much. This is what it says: 

God says: “I like youngsters. I want people to be like them. I don’t like old people unless they are still children. I want only children in my Kingdom; this has been decreed from the beginning of time. Youngsters-twisted, humped, wrinkled, white-bearded-all kinds of youngsters, but youngsters. There is no changing it; it has been decided. There is room for no one else. Alleluia! Alleluia! Open, all of you. It is I, your God, the Eternal, raised from the dead, coming to bring back to life the child in you. Hurry! Now is the time. I am ready to give you again the beautiful eyes of a child. For I love youngsters, and I want everyone to be like them.” 

Note Jesus’ full response to the disciples. He says, “Unless you change – unless you turn and become…” In another words there is a reorientation. It is truly a new direction. 

A man said to his minister one time, “I have turned my life around 360 degrees.” Replied the minister, “180 degrees would be about right.” 

Unless you turn or change or re-route your life you are not a Kingdom person. This does not necessarily mean from being an evil person to being a good person - although that is important too. This is more about turning from being an adult to being a child. Unless you turn you miss the power and promise of faithful living. You will have a hard time entering into God’s plan and purpose. 

I think there are at least two themes here. 

PLAYFULNESS 

The first theme is playfulness. Elaine and I have had a rare privilege over our years here. We’ve had two distinct sets or generations of grandchildren. Two decades ago we had four; Matthew, Andrew, Casey and Luke. I wrote a book about some of their antics. One is now a junior in college, one is a freshman in college and the other two are 17 and 14.  

But in recent years we have had four more. They are now ages 5, 4, 3 and not quite 1. You know two of them here at Christ church. I watch them and I spend time with them. I see the importance of playfulness. I will admit that I am a slow learner, but I still know its importance. I really believe that is part of what Jesus saw and what he elevated. Robert Neal wrote a book some years ago entitled In Praise of Play. He believes – and I concur – that joy and celebrative living is a part of the Christian experience. 

In 1966 there was a major exhibit of the paintings of Picasso in France. The painting exhibit covered all phases of his career. It told of both his “Blue Period” and also his later life. Picasso himself was at the exhibit. He was about 85 years old. 

A woman had been studying the paintings and came up to Picasso and said, “I don’t understand it. Over there are the paintings you did when you were just starting out. They are so mature, so serious, and so somber. But, over here are these more recent paintings - they seem so simple, so joyful, and even irrepressible. I would have thought the reverse. How do you explain it?” 

Picasso looked at the woman for a moment and then said, “Mam, it is so simple. It takes a long time to become a child.” 

Life may be a journey from simplicity to complexity to simplicity again. Is that not what Jesus may be saying here? In another arena there are some eloquent descriptions of the mystery of the universe – written by older and sophisticated physicists. It takes a long time to become a child. 

One observer says we spend big money to buy amusements. We spend the money because we cannot play. In fact this particular writer says we are “amusing ourselves to death.” 

Does this suggest a church staff position? A “Director of Amusement” or a “Director of Play.” What would that responsibility look like? Could someone be here in this community of faith teaching us to play like a child again? 

Maybe that is why we love the Christmas narrative so much. It is eloquent in its simplicity. It is playful. It captures your imagination. We are like children at Christmas. We are more playful at Christmas.  

Since the death of Charles Schultz, the Peanuts comic strip is now titled “Classic peanuts”. One of these cartoons features the dog Snoopy. Snoopy is the symbol of joy. In one scene, Snoopy is dancing his joy as a dog dance and Lucy comes up to him to say, “How can you be happy when you don’t know what this year has in store for you? Don’t you ever worry about all the things that could happen?” 

The next frame shows Snoopy with his head hanging with his head dejectedly and Lucy says, “There that’s better, live in dread, be sensible.” 

But in the final picture, Snoopy is dancing again. Dancing and laughing in that wild exultant way, that it seems like only puppies and children know. 

HUMILITY 

The second theme that Jesus saw in children is humility. Jesus says to his disciples, “Humble yourself like this child.” Humility implies trust, simplicity and dependency.” 

I read a story about a very prominent executive who checked into a hospital. He was having some difficulty breathing and needed to have a battery of tests. Throughout the admissions process he was barking orders to the hospital staff, making and receiving phone calls on his cell phone, and giving direction to his own staff back at the office. Finally, he reached the last stage of admissions. The nurse carefully put the wristband on his arm. 

“What’s this for?” snapped Mr. Big. Choosing her words very carefully, the admissions director calmly said, “This, sir, is so we don’t give you to the wrong mommy when it’s time for you to go home.” 

One of my all time favorite stories is the stories of four men in a private plane flying over the desert Southwest of the United States. On board was the pilot, a prominent scientist, a minister and a boy scout. The single engine on the plane began to sputter and then it failed all together. The pilot came back into the cabin. He said to the three other passengers, “I am very sorry, this plane is going down. There is nothing I can do about it. I am also sorry that there are only three parachutes on board.” Then the pilot took one of the parachutes and jumped.  

The scientist spoke up. He said, “I am one of the world’s most brilliant scientists and engineers. The world of science is dependent upon my knowledge. I simply cannot die in this plane.” So he grabbed a parachute and he jumped. 

The minister said to the Boy Scout, “Young man, I have had a good life. It has been a long life as well. Yours is still before you. You take that last knapsack and you go ahead and jump.” 

The Boy Scout looked at the minister and said, “Not to worry Reverend. We are both ok. One of the world’s most brilliant engineers just jumped out of this plane with my knapsack.” 

Humility is the key to childlike living. Humility is the most refreshing way to live. 

Humility is not easy. There is a country western song that goes something like this: 

O Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way. I can’t wait to look in the mirror; I get better looking every day. To know me is to love me; I think I’m a heck of a man. O Lord it’s hard to be humble; but I’m doing the best that I can. 

Jesus put a child on his knee. He says simply, “Be like this. Whoever is humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom.” 

Perhaps this is why I enjoy my grandchildren so much. When I am with them, I am engaging in theological research! 

Some of you will remember the name of Carlo Caretto. In his desert journal he wrote these words: 

The natural progression of life is from childhood to old age. On the contrary, the Kingdom of God within us goes from the age of an old person to the childhood of the spiritually renewed person…in the spiritual life, one grows in childlikeness, simplicity, impulsiveness and joy. 

Or this challenge from the writing of Charles Peguy: 

You believe that children know nothing and that the parents and grown-up people know something. Well, I tell you it is the contrary. It is the parents, it is the grown-up people who know nothing. It is the children who know everything. 

The world is always inside out, God says. Happy is the one who remains like a child, and who, like a child, keeps that first innocence.  

Down through the ages, Jesus seems to be saying to us. You want to know what greatness looks like? You want to the best seat in the Kingdom? To know it, to understand it, you must become like a child. Turn and become like a child. Become like a child at play. Become like a child in innocent humility.

Only then can you capture a glimpse or a glimmer of what the Kingdom is really like.