The Congregational Church of Manhasset Sermons

The Congregational Church

1845 NORTHERN BLVD
MANHASSET, NY 11030
Tel: (516) 627.4911

THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF MANHASSET (UCC)

WHO IS THE GREATEST? At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2He called a child, whom he put among them, 3and said, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:1-4, NRSV) Once when I was 3-years-old I started to climb the rose covered trellis that was attached to the carport of our home. I got about half way up when my mother spotted me, grabbed me and frantically asked what in the world I was doing climbing towards the roof. In my childhood innocence and honesty I told her that I was climbing to see God. This story offers us a glimpse of the way children view God and experience faith. According to Dr. James Fowler, author of the excellent book Stages of Faith, young children have an intuitive-projective faith which involves imagination, and "the ability to unify and grasp theworld in powerful images...as presented in stories that register the child's intuitive understanding and feelings toward [life and God]" (p. 134). In other words, as a child I had been taught that God was up in Heaven. I had also heard the story about Jacob's ladder, which extended up to heaven. Combining this story with my own imagination, I fully believed at age 3 that if I climbed high enough on that trellis, I would see God. You'll be glad to know that my understanding of God has progressed since I was 3. However, every time we move forward in life we leave something behind. Sometimes life seems circular and we find ourselves facing the same questions we thought we had settled years earlier. Such is the case with a childlike faith. While our theology and spirituality should broaden and deepen as we grow older, it should not lose a childlike character. Jesus knew this. In our passage this morning from Matthew's Gospel, the disciples had been having an argument. These twelve who were personally chosen by Christ had a way of annoying him at times and this was one of those times. This was one of those days. The disciples were trying to figure out which of them was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus must have shaken his head at their ignorance and arrogance, fighting about who was the greatest. After the many months he had spent teaching these disciples, it had come to thisa political power struggle to be number one. Forever turning the tables, Jesus chose the most seemingly powerless person in the vicinity to demonstrate God's understanding of power and greatness. Jesus chose a child. He plopped the child right down in the middle of them and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." The disciples must have stared in silent disbelief. These guys had worked hard for Jesus. They had sacrificed everything to follow him, but apparently that wasn't good enough. Probably a little red in the face, they may have kicked the dirt and stared at the child, ashamed of their power struggle. Why would Jesus want us to become like children? Children can be so cruel. They can tease each other unmercifully. They can be selfish and ungrateful, disrespectful, disobedient, and downright mean. (Of course I'm not talking about any of our children.) But Jesus wasn't calling us to be childish; he was calling us to be childlike. Children have many positive qualities, which can teach us much about the life of faith. Children have a sense of wonder that causes them to examine a bug crawling across the sidewalk while the rest of the world doesn't know it's there. Children possess keen imaginations allowing them to approach the world in fresh ways. They are playful, they like to laugh and have fun. They're implicitly trusting and know something about hope. Children are curious and love to ask questions, especially "why?". There is an honesty about their emotions. Children are simplistic. Where adults have a way of complicating even simple things, children remind us of the basics. Trying to emulate these childlike qualities could revolutionize our spiritual lives. Have we lost our sense of wonder? As adults we can become jaded and unimpressed by the world around us. But when we look at the world with a sense of wonder, we become open to surprise and discovery. If we pay attention we can learn once again to marvel at creation's variety and beauty. Sunsets are a marvel. A tiny flower growing out of a crack in the inner city sidewalk is a marvel. The birth of a child is a marvel. That God became human and was born in a stable is certainly a marvel. Let us not be numbed by our world; let us be enthralled by it. Closely connected to a sense of wonder is imagination. Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Imagination is important to the life of faith because much of what we hope for we have not seen. Yet, if we can imagine a better world, if we can imagine a brighter tomorrow, we have already taken the first step in making our dreams a reality. If we can take what Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount and imagine a world where we pray for our enemies and love our neighbors, we are one step closer to the Kingdom of God. Imagination is the spark for change, change within us and change within our world. Trust and hope are childlike qualities vital to the life of faith, for trust, hope and faith are intricately intertwined. If we lose our trust in God, we have lost our faith, not only in eternal life, but also our ultimate concern in the here and now. When we lose our faith we lose our hope and life without hope is dreadful despair. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had this to say about hope in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech (these words could have been written yesterday), "I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow...I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits." Dr. King kept his hope and kept up his good work despite the odds and the death threats. When we keep our hope and dreams, we can face just about anything that comes our way. Feelings and emotions are also important in our faith journey. Children wear their feelings on their sleeves. Many times we adults are not honest with ourselves, others, or God. We put on a happy face and pretend that life is always rosy. We swallow our anger and act invulnerable. But honesty about our feelings is crucial to psychological and spiritual well-being. Eventually, suppressed and repressed emotions will come out in any number of ways including illness, depression, or rage. If our feelings are honestly expressed and appropriately directed, we can achieve better mental and spiritual health. Jesus himself knew about the power of emotions. He was someone who knew anger as when he drove the moneychangers out of the Temple. He knew sadness as seen in his tears at Lazarus' death. Jesus also knew joy as is evident in the time he changed the water into wine to keep the happy wedding reception going. Jesus was a well-balanced person who knew how to appropriately channel his feelings. And then there is simplicity. In our ever-complicated world, a dose of simplicity is a good thing. There is a place for complex theology and philosophy, but the life of faith cannot be explained by a complicated flow chart. None of us have all the answers and mystery abounds. Underneath it all a simple childlike faith is what we need to help us hang on in the roller coaster ride of life. All of these are wonderful childlike qualities. But in our passage from Matthew, Jesus specifically points out one characteristic he admires in this child: humility. Naturally Jesus was reacting against the disciples' power struggle. But as is usually the case with Jesus, there was more to it than that. To figure out what Jesus was getting at, perhaps we must use our imaginations to look closer at the child. Frederick Buechner, a minister and author, did just that and he imagines that the child Jesus chose, "didn't pretend to be anything he wasn't if only because he knew he probably wouldn't get away with it. As far as is recorded, he didn't even open his mouthHe was ready to take whatever they had to give...If he had a large capacity for being scared and embarrassed, he also had a large capacity for being pleasantly surprised. In any case, he came when he was called. If it's the Kingdom of Heaven we're interested in, Jesus says, we've got to be childlike like that. It's not so much a prerequisite or condition as it is simply a practical expedient. It's like saying if it's a pleasant surprise you're interested in, you've got to come as you are and hold out your hands" (Whistling In The Dark, p. 27). And so the choice is in our hands, what will it be? To receive the best of what God has to offer we've got to open our hearts and open our hands. We've got to close our eyes and wait with eager anticipation, hoping and believing that the One who gave us the "only begotten Son" will certainly give us what we need to get through this life and into the next. For the truth of the matter is that, whether we know it or not, God is what we need most of all. God is waiting and available to all humble enough to recognize their need, childlike enough to gladly accept the Gift. Who is the greatest? Those who become a child at heart and keep dreaming. AMEN. Written by Rev. Jimmy OnlyMarch 7, 2010The Congregational Church of Manhasset, New York (UCC) PASTORAL PRAYER Tender God, we give thanks for people who give of themselves for the betterment of your world. On this special day, we offer gratitude for the Girl Scouts, members and leaders alike, as well as the millions of participants through the decades. Bless the Girl Scouts and all organizations and individuals who commit themselves to love, help, encourage, and empower people to do the right thing. Lead us into the ways of compassion and kindness that your work might be done and your will accomplished, through Jesus we pray. AMEN. 2 Little by Little - Rev. Jimmy Only - 01/17/10Ordinary to the Extraordinary - Rev. Jimmy Only - 01/24/10Does Everything Happen... - Rev. Jimmy Only - 1/31/10A Holy Wandering - Rev. Lori Burgess - 2/21/10Faith an Fear - Rev. Jimmy Only - 2/28/10Who is the Greatest - Rev. Jimmy Only - 03/07/10