Think-a-Dink

Thomas Jefferson edited the New Testament down to what he believed were the probable events and sayings of Jesus Christ. He removed any claims to divinity and cut any reference to the miraculous. Of course, that necessitates that Jesus be merely Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus Christ. He becomes just an unlucky itinerate preacher that got on the wrong side of the authorities. Many Christian theologians follow suit. They assume up front that miracle stories are…uhm…less than true. Gospel writers, in the learned opinion of these experts, were stretching the truth, or that some over-zealous scribe enhanced the story to keep pace with the sexier gods of other religions.

I am not going to address the weaknesses in these positions, except to recall what a wise old grandma said, “It’s a pretty thin slice of pie that has only one side.” What I do want to remind you of is this quote from the Nazarene, “Except you become as little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” The realm of power and wisdom of God is unavailable to the stoic intellectual of the world. Jesus goes further in telling Dr. Nicodemus, “Except you be born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” The wonders of God’s life don’t show up on the radar aboard the heavy ship of academia. Passengers will not see Jesus walking on the sea. It is a vision given to the child’s heart.

In this old world, we are children who leave the magic behind as we grow up to be adults. In the Kingdom of God we are adults who embrace a simple faith as we grow up to be children. In trying to understand and explain the mysteries of our faith, we can over think the mark, and explain our way out of abundant blessing.

Like little children spending time with Papa, our Heavenly father wants us to contemplate His word while waiting in His presence. In all probability, He is a stronger authority on these things than most theologians. Though the Scarecrow of Oz was a "Doctor of Thinkology," he was still just made of straw. Though we have so many credentials, we are still but dust.
God wants us to be as little children because, after all, children are famous for their joy, laughter, fun, playfulness, wonder, and…happiness.