Winning Words 2/8/12
“What a child doesn’t receive, he can seldom later give.” (P.D. James) I had a pleasant experience on Sunday when 4 little boys came and sat next to me in church. I “listened” to the sermon while we exchanged some pencil drawings. Church-going was never a “pain” for me, because the people there were nice. There are children today who are being shaped by the words and actions of adults they see. ;-) Jack

FROM PC IN MICHIGAN: Yes, those K boys are something special.////FROM JACK: One of my joys of going to church is to look around and see the people, young and old. Each one is special in the eyes of God.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON: I do believe your WW, however your commentary, practically the only time now I've found it too simplistic in all my years of reading your commentary. In our Monday night Bible study, we pore over Sundays and Seasons and especially this past Monday discussed Anne Rice's statement "It is simply impossible for me to belong to this quarrelsome, hostile disputatious and deservedly infamous group." The fact is our churches are full of people who are not nice but God is so nice He is willing to work with us and give us the love we need so that we can constantly be changing into much better people. That's the way I see it any way. ////FROM JACK: It sounds as though Anne Rice got up on the wrong side of the bed on Sunday morning. Generally speaking, people are nice to you when you are nice to them. There are exceptions.

FRIM TAMPA SHIRL: How true those words are. Of course, there is always free will, but it is interesting to observe families and to see how the children grow up - especially at this age in life.////FROM JACK: There is so much that goes into the way a child develops...the parents, the teachers, the friends, reaction to the good and bad that comes as a part of living in this world. I'm glad for a belief that God knows and understands.

FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: Just yesterday evening, we were invited to dinner by a neighbour who had been out in BC visiting descendents and went to a Christmas market. She was astonished when a big bear of a young man rushed over and gave her a hug and said "Madame Guiton! As I've told my girlfriend here, you were the best teacher I ever had and had a big influence on me!" She was his teacher in third grade in another part of Western Canada.////FROM JACK: What a great Christmas present! The best ones aren't found in a box, decorated with ribbons and bows.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: My littlest granddaughter, Melanie,15 months, loves church. We go to the "Squirmer's Service". At the end of the service, when Pastor Becky says, "Go in Peace, thanks be to God," Melanie always says, "All done." I love to watch them in church. You think little ones don't hear, but they do! ////FROM JACK: I liked At Linkletter's book, "Kids Say The Darndest Things." Maybe that's why Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me."

FROM RG IN ARIZONA: It seems very rational to consider that which is unknown, even to one's imagination, is unavailable for sharing with others; i.e., I cannot give you money I do not have; nor can I love in a manner of which I know not.
Just as Faith without works is dead, so it seems the converse holds true as well. How can one bear fruit where there is no plant? The gift of Faith, the gift of being loved, and even the gift of the knowledge of Jesus is provided to us by Grace alone. It is by the good fortune upon us by the Will of God...and not by my thoughtful discourse.
If we fall from God's Grace, we land in His Mercy. We need to show the same type of mercy for the not-so-nice people with whom we might congregate, and who are members of the Body of Christ (Church) by the Will of God, and who fall from our good graces. This seems to be the truer test of the Christian ethic. At least for myself, this is more significant than merely converting them to my way of thinking.
Loving the "unappealing" or the unloveable, brings Love to their experience, and becomes a possibility for them to know and share. Isn't this what Christ did/does?
////FROM JACK: On first thought, I was going to edit your response to fewer words. On second thought, I think that it's good, just the way it is.

FROM WATERFORD JAN: My experiences when attending church as a child were made memorable in a positive way by numerous adults, beginning with my parents who encouraged my attendance (a favor I eventually returned by encouraging them to attend with me). Adult Sunday School teachers, including the young woman who called my new, striped hair ribbon "just like Joseph's coat of many colors"; the Pastor and his wife, whose only children were those in the congregation; welcoming adults; and wonderful joint Vacation Bible Schools with the church across the street; all gave me good memories that I have cherished for well over 70 years.////FROM JACK: Comparing a striped hair ribbon to Joseph's coat is the sign of a creative Sunday School teacher who understood her Bible and the children in her class.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS: Oh I agree with you. But I'm not sure it follows thru into adulthood.////FROM JACK: I'm happy to realize that some important things I learned in childhood have followed me into adulthood. I'm sure that you can recall in the same way.

FROM S & S IN ILLINOIS: I wish I could have seen that! :)////FROM JACK: With the marvelous mind that God has given you...You can see it...See!

ROM BLAZING OAKS (SHE'S BEEN IN CALIFORNIA FOR A MONTH): Reminds me of the excellent little essay, A Child Learns What He Lives. Bill called attention to it every once in awhile in his sermons. So true....If I can lay my hands on it, I'll send it on.////FROM JACK: I used to rely on an inadequate filing system to bring up stuff from the past. Now, I just use Google.

FROM THE BUGMAN: I used to draw for kids when you were preaching. I still do and feel better about it just knowing you do too.////FROM JACK: ...and look how they turned out. One Sunday my mother was concentrating so hard on the sermon that she didm't notice that I had crawled under the pews...until the congregation started laughing to see me sitting beside the organist.