sermons
Summer at Reservoir
When God Was a Little Girl
Lydia Shiu
Jun 23, 2024
Matthew 18:1-5
Greatest In the Kingdom
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples,
3 and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Would you pray with me?
Holy and Loving God, You’re the best. Thank You for everything you do for us. Creating us, taking care of us, loving us. Thank You that when we feel alone or something is hard, You remind us that we are your beloved and that we can do anything with Your love. Help us to be better people. Even as we gather together like this as a church community, help us to love one another better and to learn from one another. Thank You for this Reservoir Church community. Give us the ears to hear now, Your message of love, in and through it all we pray. Amen.
Everything we say about God is only a representation of who/what God is. Our words, our thoughts, our images, even our greatest theological thesis statements are only a representation of God, who is, even more vast and more unimaginable than what we say about God. And also when we say anything about God, we are trying to get at something right? We are trying to describe an aspect of God that is true, or at least true to one, and even more important than true, an aspect of God that is beautiful, compelling, alluring and attractive. One that draws us near to behold or be held in awe. If it doesn’t do that, then what’s even the point?
I love this book, When God was a Little Girl, because it’s a little girl’s search for what God is like, in her language, in her tactiles, in her world, what’s God like? Her imagination is filled with singing, giggling, tickling, and crayons, glue, glitter. I’d love for us, especially the grown ups right now, to enter into the imagination of this imagery. Because in our Scripture text today, Jesus tells the disciples that
That is actually what we are called to be like. We are called to be like a little child.
Did you guys know that, kiddos? Us grownups are supposed to be more like you kiddos, Jesus said! Why do you think he said that?
Okay, let’s get the situation right first. Anytime we read some verses from the Bible, we’re entering in mid-conversation. What was the context in which Jesus was saying this? Well Matthew starts this section with,
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
I love cross referencing these stories with the other Gospels, Luke and Mark. It’s always good to get everyone’s perspective (everyone available) on how the conversation actually went.
Well Luke says in Luke 9 verse 46
“And an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.”
Oh! There was an argument going on. Grown adults sitting around arguing,
“I’m the best”, “No I’m the best!” “No you’re not!” “Let’s ask Jesus!”
And in Mark, I love Mark. He just tells the story as is. Most scholars even suspect that Mark’s account was the earliest one written down and Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source to write their own account. Mark 9:33-37 says,
“And they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”
But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.
And he sat down and called the 12; and he said to them,
“If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
he took a child and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
“whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but One who sent me”.
I find this funny. Jesus was like,
so what were y’all talking about earlier?
And they’re like….
“Um… nothing.”
They were probably walking together toward Capernaum, and Jesus already heard. They didn’t even have to answer him. Jesus is like,
“Sigh, here, come, gather around, all 12 of you. Sit!”
Sometimes we need reminders of what is the most important thing. We often forget.
This text of course reminded me of my own kids that are three and five years old right now. And I sure do learn a lot from them. And also I’m not going to stand up here, as a feminist, and say
oh having kids is one of the best ways you can learn about God.
Some parents have kids and never learn this (although they are faced with it every day) and plenty of grown ups who don’t have kids of their own are awesome aunties and uncles to friends and neighboring kids and really see them as the kids they are.
I’ll say for myself, sometimes it’s hard being a parent, always at every moment being faced with the brilliance of kids’ nature that is to be so present.
Like me, I have ideas. Ideals and agendas and things I want to get done. I often live in the future and in planning. I need to get out of the house by 9:15, to pick up the cake from the store (one that’s impressive, but cheap, and kind of healthy? Is that even possible?), and then get the kids to the bathroom break so they don’t pee in their pants, which I didn’t pack extra pants, so that would ruin the whole party and so even if they don’t want to pee, they better pee because I don’t have the energy to go upstairs and pack another pair of pants and underwear, oh dear, I have to do laundry, they are out of underwear.
Welcome to Mom Brain.
And while all this to do, and self doubt, and self preservation, and optimization is going on in my mind, my kids, they are saying,
“Umma look! Look at me umma! I can hop on one foot!”
They are in their bodies, right now. They are having fun. They are proud. They want to be seen and loved and that is the most important thing.
And right then I have two choices in how I can respond.
Not look and say,
“okay, let’s go, put on your shoes I said!”
Or
Look and make eye contact, laugh at their awesome hop, do a little one foot hop yourself and say,
“Look me too! Let’s see if we can put on our shoes one foot at a time!”
They actually give parenting tips like this.
When you’re trying to get out the door. Don’t tell them what to do. Connect with them where they are and do it with them.
And invitation to connect. Kids are always giving you an invitation to connect with them in a real present way.
To see God like a little child, through a little child’s eyes, and to have faith and become like a little child. What does that mean for you? How can we grown ups, who were little kids at one point but haven’t been one in a long time, how can we re-remember and embrace the faith and likeness of a little child?
I want to end with this practice because there are many things that we can learn from kids. And us grown ups are sometimes so busy doing that we don’t stop to ponder and wonder and play. And so I want us to take some time right now to do a spiritual practice together of imagining, not just any child, but our own childhood and each of our own inner child.
Because how many of you have been a child before or are a child now? Raise your hand. I thought so. Everyone. We all know deep in our bones what was our most favorite thing about being a child. We might’ve forgotten or haven’t thought about it in a while but let’s give ourselves some time and space to meditate on our childhood beings for a moment and see if God will show us what the childlike way is.
So I’m going to ask you to close your eyes if you’d like, or if not look up or down, find something to focus on, with a soft gaze. If you don’t want to do this, don’t, you can zone me out, have a few moments of silence, or whatever you feel comfortable with. Take a few deep breaths with me now, to be in our bodies. To relax a bit. Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out.
Silence
Think of yourself when you were a child.
Maybe an index of some memories are going through. Just pick one, maybe one that feels light and safe to enter right now, and zoom it out and enter it.
If a memory doesn’t come, just imagine yourself as a child somewhere, maybe in a park, maybe on a bench, near a lake or water.
See your kid self.
- What do you notice?
- What’s the environment that the kid you are in? What color is it? What does the air feel like?
- What is the kid you doing?
- What is the kid you feeling?
- What is the child you thinking about?
- What is the kid you delighting in?
- What gifts is the kid you surrounded with?
- What is the gift or the invitation the kid is offering to you now?
Now imagine blessing this kid with all the love and gratitude you have.
Thank the kid for just who they are.
Thank yourself for holding this kid in your mind in this moment and bless yourself for all that you noticed and felt in this moment.
Feel free to close by putting a hand on your heart to signify gratitude and love for the kid and you.
Amen.