1-19-03 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church

Psalm 131 (A Song of degrees of David.)

LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.

Jesus tells us we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we turn from the things of this world, and become as little children. That requires that we continually turn away from sin, and we also turn away from the worldly things that entangle us. Give a three-year-old child a pile of gold and a pile of dirt, and more often than not, the child will spend more time playing with the pile of dirt. Three-year-old eyes don't see the value of something in the same way the world does. Their eyes are not lofty. They don't waste time figuring out how much more gold they can make if they invest the pile they have. They don't waste time on things that are more than they can handle. Above all, they're not too proud to play with that pile of dirt. Three-year-olds don't exhibit pride or cynicism. They don't have any desire to prove they know everything. They don't have preconceived notions about people. They don't have any desire to hurt anybody. They're in complete dependence on their parents, and they trust their parents. They have a different perception of time. For grownups, a day is a succession of moments that pass by so quickly as to blur together, often leaving us wondering why the day is over and we haven't accomplished anything. To a three-year-old, the day is a succession of moments, each one an adventure filled with endless possibilities, to be savored and lived to the fullest. Learning is a moment-to-moment process for a little child, but every once in a while, a little child teaches us a wonderful lesson.

Some of you may have met Cheyenne a few months ago when she and her mother visited here. When she was a three-year-old, I gave her a couple of bags of marbles for Christmas. Of course, she wanted to learn how to play marbles right away. It's a cutthroat game where you take turns flicking your "shooter" marble at the pile in the center of a ring, and you keep for yourself the marbles that you knock out of the ring. She was really having fun learning to play, but it wasn't exactly a fair contest, and after awhile my mean streak came out. I asked her which marble in the ring was her favorite. She looked them over, thought about it, and pointed at her favorite marble. I promptly lined up my shooter, knocked her favorite out of the ring, picked it up and put it in my pile. I'm ashamed to say I think I did that two or three turns in a row. But then, she asked me which marble was my favorite. I picked one out, and lo and behold, she knocked it out of the ring! My surprise at her accomplishment quickly turned to tears when she picked up that marble and offered it to me. All the wisdom I will ever need was handed to me when I received that marble from Cheyenne. Jesus told His disciples "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 18:4) At the same time Cheyenne gave me that marble, she was also giving beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. She knows about Jesus. She is blessed to be part of wonderful Godly family, but she was only three years old at the time. Where does all that wisdom come from? To find out, we must turn from the knowledge of this world and become as little children. However, we must strive to be grownups in all things pertaining to our Lord. As you partake of this holy communion, please let this thought dwell in your heart. This blessing, this communion, and the Spirit made manifest in the actions of a three-year-old child, it is only possible because One sacrificed it all.