First Baptist Church Of Memphis

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been dealing with a lot of big people issues as of late. Church policy, personal finances and loans, funerals, counseling adults, broken down cars, etc. Necessary and good things, one and all, each with their own sense of purpose and fulfillment, but also with their level of hassle and drag. Let’s face it. Comparing interest rates and jumping off old cars is not exactly a party.

So I sort of think it was a God thing that VBS was last week. It was wonderful. Our entire church should be immensely proud of how Tiffiny and Richard and all our workers welcomed over 100 children of every age and size and background into our building. And it was our privilege to teach them, as well as be taught by them, how God’s word was true and comforting and surprising and life-changing and for everyone. Those were the themes for each day. Simple, core truths that we, too, all learned as children, but truths that can continue to help big people deal with big people issues even now. How did Robert Fulgham put it, “All I Really needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten.

As I drove my car of children home one day, which included my own plus three other neighborhood kids, I heard the following dialogue going on in the back seat. “Hey if Jesus died so we could go to heaven, what about all those people that lived before Jesus?” “Oh, there was a heaven, before Jesus. Jesus prays to God, so God had to be somewhere.” It was not the most polished of theological answers, but it sort of works.

Then my son asked me, “Hey, dad, you know when Jesus was on the cross and he cried out ‘why have you forsaken me?’ it sort of sounds like he was mad at God.” I responded, “Well Jesus was not only divine, like God, he was human too. And the human part of him was in pain, and when we are in pain, we tend to get angry. I think Jesus lets us see his emotions so that we will know that our emotions are OK, too. Besides, I think God is up to handling anything that any of his children might say, especially when we’re in pain.” An adequate explanation to be sure. But in the silence that followed, I thought of how long and adult that sounded, how Micah might have answered is own question in a much simpler fashion. “Well, he was mad. Isn’t that OK?”

This summer, I’ve had the privilege of introducing the artists who have played at the family concerts that we have sponsored in Levitt Shell. Both of them, interestingly enough, have successful careers playing for big people, but have found even greater success playing for children and families. I have noted how their career journey parallels the journey of our church, how we are a church that loves children and families not just because we are supposed to, but because we are learning more and more every day how children have as much as anyone, if not more, to teach us about the kingdom of God.

So let us big people continue to let the children lead us, not into childishness, but into a childlike faith that is full of joy, wonder, courage, and the occasional honest backseat theological discussion.

Grace,

David