An Inkling
Sanity landed in the church house this week. It’s down the hall from my office. Actually, it doesn’t look like sanity – it’s noisy, chaotic, and fun. It’s Vacation Bible School.
In contrast my office looks sane. It’s certainly purposive. The books are organized by category, with indexing that helps with sermons. I have a calendar, a to do list, and a computer connected to a world of information. In the quiet of my office, I can crank out the work. Not so down the hall – at least not the office kind of work.
Jesus said, “Unless you come as a child, you’ll never enter the Kingdom.” He spoke that word to adults who were purposive, who accomplished things. Organizing life to accomplish worthy goals is a good thing. But apparently, when it comes to entering the Kingdom, it’s not the key.
Not everyone down the hall is a child. There are a good many adults and teens serving in various roles. For some tasks at church, it’s hard to get enough volunteers. Not so VBS – plenty show up to help. And these are people with organized lives, who accomplish things in their own realms.
What’s the draw? I think it’s the different kind of sanity, on display as our children encounter Jesus. Their simple responsiveness to his love and life displays the sanity of the Kingdom in ways that our ordered lives cannot. It’s refreshing. It breathes life back into the ordered patterns of adult living. And it cannot be manufactured, no matter how well organized and purposive one is. Kingdom life comes only as a gift.
Thanks, kids!
Keith
