Childrens Day At The Park
I HEARD A STORY ABOUT A DAD WHO HAD A BABY DAUGHTER.
HIS LITTLE DAUGHTER HAS NO CARES IN THE WORLD AT ALL EXCEPT TO BE LOVED AND TO BE FED.
SHE HAD NO RESPONSIBILITIES, AND NO WORRIES.
SHE DIDN'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY THEY HAD IN THE BANK.
SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT AN INCOME TAX RETURN WAS.
IN FACT, SHE DIDN’T CARE IF HER DAD'S WATCH WAS A TIMEX OR A ROLEX
SHE'D PUT IT IN HER MOUTH ALL THE SAME…
HOW SIMPLE A CHILD’S LIFE IS.
THEY ARE SO DEPENDANT AND THEY TRUST SO COMPLETELY.
WE CAN LEARN DO MUCH FROM CHILDREN.
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN JESUS WAS SURROUNDED WITH LITTLE CHILDREN AND BABIES.
IT'S FOUND IN LUKE 18:15-30
ACTUALLY THERE ARE TWO STORIES HERE.
ONE ABOUT JESUS AND SOME CHILDREN,
THE OTHER ABOUT JESUS AND A RICH YOUNG MAN.
LUKE 18:15-30 (NIV)
15 PEOPLE WERE ALSO BRINGING BABIES TO JESUS TO HAVE HIM TOUCH THEM. WHEN THE DISCIPLES SAW THIS, THEY REBUKED THEM. 16 BUT JESUS CALLED THE CHILDREN TO HIM AND SAID, “LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME, AND DO NOT HINDER THEM, FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE. 17 I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, ANYONE WHO WILL NOT RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD LIKE A LITTLE CHILD WILL NEVER ENTER IT.”
THE RICH RULER
18 A CERTAIN RULER ASKED HIM, “GOOD TEACHER, WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?”
19 “WHY DO YOU CALL ME GOOD?” JESUS ANSWERED. “NO ONE IS GOOD—EXCEPT GOD ALONE. 20 YOU KNOW THE COMMANDMENTS: ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’A”
21 “ALL THESE I HAVE KEPT SINCE I WAS A BOY,” HE SAID.
22 WHEN JESUS HEARD THIS, HE SAID TO HIM, “YOU STILL LACK ONE THING. SELL EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND GIVE TO THE POOR, AND YOU WILL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN. THEN COME, FOLLOW ME.”
23 WHEN HE HEARD THIS, HE BECAME VERY SAD, BECAUSE HE WAS A MAN OF GREAT WEALTH. 24 JESUS LOOKED AT HIM AND SAID, “HOW HARD IT IS FOR THE RICH TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD! 25 INDEED, IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE THAN FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
26 THOSE WHO HEARD THIS ASKED, “WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?”
27 JESUS REPLIED, “WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH MEN IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD.”
28 PETER SAID TO HIM, “WE HAVE LEFT ALL WE HAD TO FOLLOW YOU!”
29 “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH,” JESUS SAID TO THEM, “NO ONE WHO HAS LEFT HOME OR WIFE OR BROTHERS OR PARENTS OR CHILDREN FOR THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD 30 WILL FAIL TO RECEIVE MANY TIMES AS MUCH IN THIS AGE AND, IN THE AGE TO COME, ETERNAL LIFE.”
TWO STORIES.
ONE STORY ABOUT TRUSTING CHILDREN.
THEY JUST EXPECT
THAT ALL THEIR NEEDS ARE GOING TO BE MET.
THEY LOOK TO THEIR MOTHER AND FATHER AS THE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING THEY COULD EVER WANT OR NEED.
THIS IS THE QUALITY THAT JESUS IS LOOKING FOR IN ANYONE WHO WOULD BE ONE OF HIS FOLLOWERS.
HE WANTS US TO TRUST HIM TO BE OUR SUPPLIER.
HE WANTS TO BE OUR SOURCE.
HE WANTS TO BE THE FIRST ONE WE GO TO WHEN WE HAVE A NEED.
THE SAME THING IS THERE IN THE SECOND STORY.
JESUS ASKS THIS RICH YOUNG MAN
TO STOP PUTTING ALL HIS TRUST IN HIS RICHES
AND TO START TRUSTING IN JESUS.
WHEN WE BECOME ADULTS, WE TEND TO PUT OUR TRUST IN OUR JOB. OR IN OUR RETIREMENT FUND,
OR WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE.
STEPPING OUT IN FAITH AND TRUSTING JESUS WITH EVERYTHING YOU ARE IS HARD.
BUT I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN TRUST GOD. JESUS CAN BE TRUSTED.
HE PROVED THAT HE CAN BE TRUSTED
WHEN HE LET HIMSELF TO BE SACRIFICED ON THE CROSS FOR YOUR SINS AND FOR MINE.
HE WHO HAD NEVER SINNED.
HE WHO DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE, BECAUSE HE HAD NEVER SINNED.
HE TOOK YOUR PLACE AND HE TOOK MY PLACE.
HE DIED FOR OUR SINS, SO WE COULD LIVE AND NOT DIE.
YOU AND I HAVE SINNED 'A LOT'
WE DESERVE TO DIE,
BUT HE HAD NEVER SINNED.
AND SO HE COULD STEP UP AND PAY FOR OUR SIN DEBT.
HE PAID THE PRICE, SO WE COULD LIVE WITH GOD FOREVER.
SESAME STREET HAS BEEN A POPULAR CHILDREN’S SHOW FOR A LONG TIME.
AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JUST A FEW “HUMAN” ACTORS,
THE SHOW REVOLVED AROUND LEARNING EXPERIENCES
THAT WERE TAUGHT BY HAND PUPPETS
CALLED “MUPPETS”.
KERMIT THE FROG, THE COOKIE MONSTER
AND BERT AND ERNIE
HAVE ALL BEEN FAVORITE CHARACTERS ON THE SHOW.
AND EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE BASICALLY HAND PUPPETS,
THE CHILDREN WHO WERE WATCHING
WHILE THEY FILMED THE EPISODES
WOULD IGNORE THE MAN HOLDING THE “MUPPET”
AND INTERACT DIRECTLY WITH THE HAND PUPPET
JUST AS IF IT WERE REAL.
MOST OF THE CHARACTERS WERE HAND PUPPETS,
BUT ONE OF THEM WAS NOT.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THIS BIG YELLOW CHARACTER’S NAME WAS?
THAT’S RIGHT, “BIG BIRD” –
HE WAS A BIG YELLOW FEATHERED BIRD
WITH A MAN INSIDE.
ONE DAY, ONE OF THE CHILDREN ON THE SET
WAS STUNNED WHEN HE SAW THE ACTOR
CLIMBING OUT OF THE BIG BIRD COSTUME.
"MOM," THE TODDLER YELLED,
"DO YOU THINK BIG BIRD KNOWS
HE HAS A MAN INSIDE OF HIM?"
APPLY:
IT NEVER OCCURRED TO THIS LITTLE BOY
THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOMEBODY INSIDE THE COSTUME.
HE JUST THOUGHT THAT BIG BIRD DID WHAT HE DID – BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT BIG BIRDS DO.
CHILDREN ARE SO OPEN.
THEY TRUST AND BELIEVE SO EASILY.
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BUT BIG BIRD NEEDED TO HAVE SOMEONE INSIDE HIM
SO THAT HE COULD BE BIG BIRD.
HE NEEDED SOMEONE INSIDE HIM
SO THAT HIS CHARACTER COULD REALLY LIVE.
WE NEED SOMEONE INSIDE OF US TOO.
SO THAT WE CAN LIVE. *** REALLY LIVE. ***
THE POINT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE HERE IS THAT WE'VE GOT TO TRUST GOD.
LET HIM CHANGE US FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
AND TO DO THAT, WE MUST LET GOD INSIDE.
WITH HIM LIVING INSIDE, WE CAN REALLY LIVE.