Good morning, “Just grow up!” is the frustrated response of parents to a child’s immaturity. Though well past toddlerhood, the son throws a tantrum when he doesn’t get what he wants. A daughter refuses to take responsibility for a homework assignment. Instead of getting a job to support themselves, children expect Mom and Dad to pay the cell phone bill. Childhood is not intended by God to be a permanent state. But there is one aspect of childhood which the Lord never wants us to lose. On one occasion when the disciples asked Jesus about greatness in His kingdom, He called a little child and had him stand among them. He told them, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3-4). A very young child usually has no illusions of greatness. He knows he is littler than almost everyone else. He knows there are many things he can’t do for himself. There are things he doesn’t understand about the world, and that’s OK because he trusts his parents to provide what he needs and to explain what he needs to know. That is the essence of faith in our heavenly Father, isn’t it? It is that simple, childlike trust in what He tells us. We can’t begin to comprehend the magnitude and complexity of the universe. NASA’s rover and helicopter are on Mars, as much as 250,000,000 miles from earth. But God made it all: the earth, planets, and galaxies. What is even farther beyond our human comprehension is God’s awesome love for the billions of sinners throughout the world’s history who deserve nothing but eternal death. God’s love from eternity was determined to rescue them, even though it would come at the cost of His Son’s life. What’s more, God did not just look at the totality of the human race, He knew you as an individual and loved you! He loved you with an everlasting love. Jesus paid for your sins. The Holy Spirit called you to faith. By Baptism you were adopted into God’s family. The world says, “Grow up! If you can’t understand it, if science can’t explain it, it can’t be true. You need to find your own way through life. You can’t count on anyone else.” Don’t let those lies undermine childlike faith and fill your heart with fear and doubt. May the Lord preserve us in that one true childlike faith. When questions and doubts arise, go back to the Word. Sit at Jesus’ feet. Rather than try to grasp all that He says with your reason, simply listen like a humble child who trusts their Father’s love and rejoices in the wonders of His salvation. Never grow up! Yours in Christ, Pastor Services tomorrow are at 8:00 and10:45 a.m. Sunday school: 9:30 a.m. and adult Bible class: 9:45 a.m. (Many people feel that no matter what their thoughts may be, they cannot be sins unless they are acted on. The Bible class will consider that attitude in light of what God says about coveting.) The quarterly voters meeting gets underway after second service. There is much to discuss, including the budget for the next fiscal year and details regarding new pews and other building improvements. We pray that as many voters as possible will set aside this time for planning our service to the Lord. Non-voters are welcome to sit in on the meeting as well. Here is the link for service signup: https://tinyurl.com/y2j5r8sn Signing up for the Sunday service by 6 p.m. Saturday is appreciated and helpful and a way of showing Christian love for one another. It gives the Elders and ushers an idea of how many people to prepare for. When you sign up you can also see how full the service will be, and if you wish, consider attending the other service. By signing up, you can easily be informed if that were advisable because of contact with someone at the service who later became ill. The church council asks that all worshipers wear masks. Masks are available in the entry if you forget yours.
