The Kid Watch

 The Kid Watch

 The other day as I was driving, I saw a very familiar sight. It was a neighborhood ice cream truck. It was something I’ve seen hundreds of times and had eaten my share of its delightful treats. On the back of the truck was this sign for following motorists: WATCH OF KIDS. Excellent advice for sure since a child was likely to dart out of a house to buy a treat and not think about watching for a car. This same is true about the same child now totally absorbed in eating, or even devouring that delicious melting treat. Either way, that sign on the back of that ice cream truck told me it was my responsibility to make sure those kids came and went safely.

 Children play a large part throughout the bible. David was a young teenager when he slew the giant, Goliath. Then there are the three children thrown into the fiery furnace. Of course, Moses was a small baby when he was found and adopted into that royal Egyptian family. His education and training was God’s way of preparing him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. Abraham followed God’s orders and prepared t sacrifice his son. By following God’s orders, he began the journey to found a nation when God rewarded his faithfulness and provided a sheep to be slain and offered up in Isaac’s place. In the New Testament, Jesus told his followers to let the little children come to him, when they would have kept them away. There is also his admonition that unless we are as little children, we will not get to enter Heaven.

 How can you, and me, be as little children? How about not taking our faith, our beliefs, for granted. They are gifts freely given to us by God. It is fair to question what we don’t know or understand, but once we have our answer, then act on it as a child would.

 Do you look at your faith full of questions or even debate? There are many variations of Christianity and beliefs in God. Some even go far as to say if you don’t follow that particular version, you won’t go to heaven. It isn’t up to that version and its followers to determine that. That smacks of Pride, one of the deadly sins. God decides who gets to share his eternity.

 So it is up to you to be a child of God, regardless of the number of birthdays you have stacked up behind you.

 Will you be a child of God? It is his gift and wish. It is up to you to accept it.

The Lamp In The Darkness

 

Matthew 5:15 “Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel” (KJV)

‘It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness (The Christophers)

 Sometimes a piece of scripture sticks in my head for some reason.  It’s usually something that is common, since I am hardly a biblical scholar.  An example of that is the quote above from Matthew’s gospel.  More modern translations use “bowl” or “basket” instead of bushel.  For reference, a bushel is a basket about 18 inches diameter and 12 inches deep and holds about  56 pounds of grain, about eight gallons.  If you put it over a lamp, it will completely cover it and no light will be seen.

 In 1952, there was a TV program called “Christopher Closeup”.  The Christophers are a Catholic organization that put on a weekly program that discussed Christianity.  Their motto is “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”  While that sounds biblical, it is usually describer as coming from a Chinese proverb.  I was curious about this organization and looked it up.  It was founded in 1945 by Father James Keller who was concerned that many people saw the world’s problems, complained about them, and felt powerless to make a difference.  His philosophy was simple:

·       Don’t focus only on what is wrong.

·       Do something constructive, even if it seems small

·       One person can influence many others

·       The media can be used for good as well as for bad or harmful

I remember watching it many times growing up.  It went off of the air in 2012 after 60 years!

 The news media has reported a surge in the number of people going to or returning to the church and professing their Christianity.  Clearly, there are many lamps of faith being lit.  And, like the quote above from Matthew’s gospel, they are doing so in various visible ways.

 How about you?  What are you doing in your own life to be an example of your faith in such a way that others may be attracted to you or are curious enough to seek out a person such as a priest, minister, or lay leader, or maybe you?  Perhaps they attend a service at some church and that leads them to God and his son.

 In my retail job, I am seeing more and more people who are very visibly wearing a cross necklace.  Some of these crosses are plain and some are ornate.  These people are stating their faith to everyone who sees them.  Unfortunately, there are also some people who hide any evidence of their beliefs.  They say that their faith is private and won’t do anything to show it.

 The first group has taken the basket off of their lamps.  Light attracts and their lamp is their declaration of faith.  The second group keeps their lamp hidden or even unlit.  I am sure they meet people who are asking or wondering about God and Jesus Christ and they will be left  searching.  God will eventually lead them to someone who is part of the first group.

 Which group do you belong to?  Do you meet people with your lamp shining brightly or are you one whose lamp is dark and well hidden?  Going back to the Christopher’s motto, it may be that your candle will light the way of someone’s wish to know God. 

 Will you light it and keep it lit?  God is depending on you to help him bring more people to him.  How can you refuse?