Think back to when you were a child
Your soul was free, your heart ran wild
Each day was different and life was a thrill
You knew tomorrow would be better still
Things have changed, you’re much older now
You’re unhappy and you don’t know how
Why don’t you look into Jesus, He’s got the answer
–Larry Norman
Last week a legend died. Larry Norman forever changed the face of what it means to follow Jesus. Not only was he the first to combine Christian lyrics with rock music, he ignited the Jesus Movement in the 60’s. Untold thousands of people trace their initial exposure to Jesus back to Larry Norman’s influence. After a long struggle with heart problems, he died at 60 in Salem, Oregon.
Of his many contributions to the faith, the one I connect with most was his sense of wonder about following Jesus. He never seemed to let his faith become predictable. His simple approach to the Christian faith allowed people to be individuals while exploring what it meant to love the Lord.
The more you learn about ministry and church life, the easier it becomes to reduce everything to a formula. Ten steps, twelve principles, four laws…the list goes on. Sometimes having truth broken down into small bits helps spiritual digestion. It can also rob us of something we need for living out our faith over time: the thrill of walking with a God who has the capacity to surprise you.
The moment you think you have God all figured out is the same moment you lose your childlike sense of wonder. When that happens, you lose your sense of happiness about life and God.
While the Word of God explains what He is like and much about how He operates, it also shows us that we can never assume we have exhausted all there is to experiencing God . He is still new wine that bursts old wine skins and a new patch that rips old garments. He never remains stagnant.
The Gospels and the Book of Acts are filled with “signs and wonders.” Signs are miracles that point people to Jesus. Wonders are miracles that, well, make you wonder. We were meant to live with a sense of wonder about God.
The kids you minister to each week were born with a built-in sense of wonder about God. They can appreciate that He is a God who is big enough to create the universe and small enough to be personal. They like it that He has ideas and dreams for them. They can accept that He weaves their lives into a master plan. They have no trouble believing that He will communicate with them. It’s only when we get older that we allow church to beat that out of us.
Sometimes children’s ministry is about what we put into kids, and sometimes it is about what we leave alone that God put in them at birth. Encourage a sense of wonder. We don’t have anything all figured out. We certainly don’t have God all figured out.
