From the Pastoral perspective:

Summer is a time for children ... "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

Why children, Lord? Young, confused, immature, wondering, questioning, cute, adorable children. Doesn't the Kingdom of God need adult minds and actions ... precise procedures ... prepared plans ... sacred strategies?

"I want children in my Kingdom!" If you want to know what the Kingdom is all about, put a child in your midst and watch and perceive and understand. Children stare and dream. They run and jump. They laugh and giggle. They stop and wonder why ants crawl and how bugs are made and what makes frogs jump. A child yearns to learn and he wonders at all he sees. A child has 800 home runs to hit and galaxies and uncharted stars to visit.

Children aren't so serious about themselves or their world, for they still believe that they and their world have a Father. Their thought revolves not around "what clothes shall we wear?" or "what shall we eat?" or "where will we sleep?" They know that all those things will be provided for them. They know that they are loved and they are secure.

So, instead, they run with the wind. They skip to the rhythm of joy. They dance to the music within. They jump over logs and chasms, real or imagined. They celebrate life. They give hugs and kisses. There is joy in children - children of any age. For childlikeness is measured not by calendars, but by knowing the Father and rejoicing in His goodness.

"I want children in my Kingdom," says the Lord, "for only children grow - grow in the stature and fullness of sons and daughters of God."

Happy childhood this summer,
Rev. Daniel Deutsch, Interim Pastor

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