Mind Meld of A Different Kind

MARK 10:13-16
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

Elves Out of Line
The scene must have looked like Christmas at the mall when Santa arrives. Parents lined up with their children in their best outfits waiting their turn to sit on Santa’s lap. When the elves get out of line, Santa erupts and threatens to eliminate them from the payroll. Meanwhile the children are caught in the middle.

I can sympathize with the disciples. They are only trying to do their job. Their work cannot be easy. They are responsible to keep food on the table, homes lined up for Jesus to stay in, people informed of when the next service will take place, proper seating at services, answering critical emails from the Pharisees, the Romans, town officials, and people Jesus chose not to heal that day. These guys were overworked and underpaid. To make matters worse, they are often rebuked by Jesus who changes tactics without any notification memo to the staff.

One day he wants to teach from a boat because the crowd is getting to close, the next he wants everyone touching him. Another day he does not want anyone to know they are even in town. Some rallies he feeds the people, other rallies he does not. His schedule is unpredictable and they are supposed to roll with the punches while constantly smiling and showing appreciation.

Pastors are disciples. We are not really in charge of the church but are expected to have everything put together and planned for a future we do not control. I admit at times it is frustrating and can be overwhelming. The hardest part of being a disciple is when the boss yells at you. No not the board, (although many board members really do believe they are the pastor’s boss). When Jesus says, “You’ve got it wrong. You’ve missed the point.” That hurts.

At times disciples need correcting too. We need to hear from Jesus when we miss the heartbeat of the Gospel. We also need affirmation from our Lord when we get things right. That’s why I am glad Jesus goes on to bless the children. Perhaps when he was done blessing the children he took the disciples and told them good job too. I know I need both, God’s affirmation and his correction.

Jesus, help me to hear the words of correction you speak to me not as personal criticism but as a revelation of your will and Gospel in my life. I long to hear your words of affirmation in my life and desire the closeness they produce. - Dan Jones

The Mud Puddle Dance
I went to Brazil last evening. What I mean is, I invited several Brazilians who have MySpace sites to become my friends. (I aim to have MySpace friends from every country.) A person known as 100% Brazilian posted this message, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

I forgot a long, long time ago how to dance in the rain, stomp through mud puddles, stick out my tongue to see how many raindrops land on it, or feel the sting of wind driven rain against my face. But I’m trying to relearn these things. In reality, I’m trying to learn what it means to be a Christ-follower.

We get too serious about living the grown up life. Doing everything right. Dotting our doctrinal “I’s”. Fitting into the cultural norms. Fulfilling responsibilities and meeting every demand. Voting for the right political candidate. Paying the bills. We forget what it means to be authentically engaged with God, we’re so distracted by getting this grown up and responsible life right.

Strip away our fussing, fuming, fretting; stressing ourselves sick , usually about stuff that doesn’t much matter when a sovereign God exists and rules, and we are free to dance in the rain, no matter how silly we look to others, what laundry mess we create, or whether we might get struck by lighting. Little children stomp through mud puddles because dad or mom is just around the corner and they can handle everything – I don’t have to worry.

What freedom. To so completely trust another that I can live in the moment – waltzing through the rain, squishing mulberries that stain my shirt, blowing fuzzy dandelions even though the lawn doesn’t need more seed for the yellow weed – this pictures the kind of persons God wants to create.

What great joy the Heavenly Father, King of all creation, must feel, when his responsible and self important grown-up children, break free to embrace sunshine and rain, with care-free exuberance, ‘cause Daddy’s got everything under control. The Kingdom of God is all about radical, some might insist, irresponsible trust.

So Jesus took little children, blessed them, and, under his breath, thanked each of them for teaching his silly, grown-up disciples a thing or two about what really matters in life. Trust daddy, run outside, find a mud puddle, and dance.

Father, full of goodness and power, help me to trust you with all the stuff grown-up life shoves into my adult face, so that, maturity and responsibility do not suffocate the mud puddle dance. - Mike Leamon