A sermon originally entitled “Mine!” given October 9. 2011 at First Congregational Church UCC in West Boylston, MA.
Scriptures:
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Exodus 32:1-14
A CHRISTIAN LETTER Philippians 4:1-9 (& Acts 16:11-15)
GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 22:1-14
One thing I recently noticed about my little boy “AJ” is that when he builds things, it’s about the process, not the goal. For instance, when he’s building a tower with these big cardboard blocks and it gets too high, he knocks them down and starts over again. His play is not about being the biggest, nor the best, nor the tallest, nor any other human measure of success. It’s about playing – about stacking blocks. That’s where his fun is, that’s what makes it meaningful and valuable to him. What’s more, his parents’ approval is not important. …Well, at least not yet! – But our participation is.
Now, recently we had a dinner for a number of friends and their toddlers at our home. After some visiting, we went into the room where the kids were playing, and … guess what … … … The Dads saw the kids playing with these big blocks!
Well, as good parents, we had to participate, shouldn’t we?
The Here and the Hereafter 