Tag: child

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The Goat

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Florian van Duyn on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Matthew 18.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1)

I don’t have to look far or listen very long to find a discussion about who is the greatest. From “Who’s the greatest baseball (feel free to substitute your sport of choice here) player of all time?” to “Who was the greatest United States president?” we love to debate greatness.

The Sweet Bite is a gormet cookie shop in down town Bar Harbor, Maine. All they sell is a selection of eight large cookies for $7 or $8 a piece. As purveyors of custom iced sugar cookies, we were curious, “What’s your best selling cookie?” The owner, taking a fresh batch out of the oven told us, “By far, chocolate chip.” Interesting. While red velvet white walnut and white chocolate pistache sound fancy, I’ve never considered chocolate chip to be “gourmet.” By the same token, I’ve wondered vanilla would be the most ordered ice cream flavor, when there are so many others to choose from.

There’s nothing like a little competition among friends, right? Of course the disciples debated who was the greatest. Here they bring the matter to Jesus. He doesn’t really answer the question. (He rarely does.) Instead, he calls their attention to a child. “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (18:4).

Jesus could have easily pointed them to himself. “Hey, guys, I’m sitting right here.” Instead he focuses on a child, who in the culture had little status, value, or influence. But in God’s kingdom, they are the most significant.

Unless we grasp the humility of Jesus, we’ll never understand true greatness. He was born as a child. He emptied himself of divine status to become a servant. A relationship with God begins with understanding that he is our Father and we are his children.

Rather than constantly comparing ourselves to others, hoping to move up a few spots on the greatness list, we do better to recognize the greatness of the “least.”

The apostle Paul described himself as the least of the apostles and the least of all the saints. He considered himself the chief of sinners. That was the only place he truly excelled. Someone’s got to finish at the bottom of the class, right? Imagine applying to college and having to list your class rank as 838 out of 838?

But that’s the point. In God’s eyes you are great because of his love not your performance. If he truly is the King of kings and Lord of lords, there’s no question who is the greatest. And if he’s willing to give up his life for you, there’s no question how much you mean to him.

Posted in advent, Advent devotions, Devotions

2020 Advent devotion: Unto us a child is born

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash

“Live and in person Advent devotion for December 8, 2020.” Read Isaiah 9:6-7 and Psalm 121.

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Who comes to mind when you think of a child star? I guess it depends on your generation. Shirley Temple? Ron Howard (Opie)? Maureen McCormick (Marsha Brady)? Barry Livingston (Ernie Douglas on “My Three Sons”)? Mccaulay Culkin (Home Alone)?

Scripture has its share of child stars, too. From Cain and Abel to Jacob and Esau to Samson and John the Baptist, the arrival of children would shape the story of God’s people. But none of them were expected to be or do as much as the child Isaiah spoke of. In the birth of this son the world would meet the “Mighty God” and the “Everlasting Father” live and in person!

The arrival of every son and daughter is filled with the anticipation of what they will grow up to be and the things that they will do. Each addition to a family is unique. Each will discover their talents and learn new skills as they grow. Each brings a hint of the future with them, for they will one day be leaders, teachers, inventors, healers and artists. Children whet our appetite for a world that is better than the one we live in now.

It certainly is fun to discover what our children can do. We give them balls to see what kinds of athletic abilities they have. We put crayons and paint brushes in their hands to unleash artistic ability. We sing songs, play games and read books, watching as they become the people God created them to be.

Long before His birth, Isaiah reveals what this child would become. He was born for public service, politics and government. He would be the one to fill the very big shoes of David, ascending to the throne of a kingdom that would never end. His parents, His people and the world had high hopes for this child.

We still do. Each Christmas, we have high hopes that Jesus will bring peace and joy to our world. How thankful we are for this child!

Lord, be the child star of our Christmas, coming with the counsel, strength and peace we so much need. Amen.

Posted in Christmas

He knew we’d want to play with this.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

IMG-7920I knew I’d be watching my two-year-old grandson Elijah for a few hours today while my daughter and wife did a little shopping. Before he arrived, I set out our little Playmobile nativity out on the porch.

From the moment he saw it he was delighted! He exclaimed, “This is perfect!” And then he picked up the baby from the manger and announced, “He’s awake!” He pointed out the donkey, camel, and sheep. Then, spotting the magi’s treasure chests, his eyes got big and he burst out with “Presents!” We got a full ninety minutes of play from this season’s first encounter with the cast of characters from Luke 2 and Matthew 2!

I believe our all-knowing Father knew that his children would delight in this hands-on telling and re-enactment of Christ’s birth. I can’t prove it, but I would contend he purposely chose the first-century, Roman empire, Bethlehem, virgin and carpenter setting because he knew it would capture our imagination, our hearts, and our souls.

I also believe it is therapeutic to sit and play with a nativity, preferably with kids. The holidays aren’t always the easiest times to navigate. You may be dealing with distance, death or divorce. There may be family conflicts, financial worries, unrealistic demands and unmet expectations, But when you sit down to play with a nativity, much of that fades behind the reminders of God’s promises, faithfulness, and presence. He shows up in the lives of real, ordinary people just like us, to walk us through guilt, sorrow, doubt, fear, pain, or whatever we’re dealing with.

That’s what it’s all about. Even a child knows that. I guess Jesus was right. You really need to be a child.