We Are the Children of God (Rev. Kim DuBreuil)
When you walk into my home, one of the first things you might notice is a large antique wardrobe that my mom bought years ago from Thom Downs Antiques. It’s funny – people will ask, “What do you keep in that thing?” My response is always the same: It’s “Narnia Business!” Well, I hope you’ll get that joke later.
Our wardrobe has now been repurposed to hold items we rarely use these days. Linen tablecloths, crystal goblets, candlesticks, and an array of colorful candles in different sizes. These things belong to a bygone era—a time when you wouldn’t consider having guests over unless the linens were ironed and the candles were full-length. That was especially true if you were hosting a P.E.O., UMW, or Junior League gathering. Those of you who know—know.
I learned from generations before me the importance of hospitality. I still remember Virginia Askew teaching me how to open a cocktail napkin diagonally to create a pocket for holding nuts or those pastel mints—the ones we always had on the table. Women like her taught me how to navigate social gatherings as a proper Southern lady.
I passed on the skill to my son. After all, I wanted him to be a Southern gentleman, especially if he was going to Auburn University. I giggled when I saw him for the first time at the buffet line at the Yacht Club as a three-year-old, and then again on game day at the Sigma Pi house, gathering food off the table and placing it in the open cocktail napkin. It’s funny the things we learn and pass on to our children.
Yet today, and maybe it’s always been like this, I find that it’s the younger generation teaching me, not the other way around.
I’ve learned new ways, from watching younger generations, how to navigate social gatherings; not with a cup and saucer, but with a cell phone in one hand and a Yeti cooler in the other.
The interesting thing is that I can use one of those items (the cell phone) to search for any kind of information I need, immediately. There is no longer a need to call Mom or Grandma for her potato salad recipe. I can hop on my cell phone and find a video that will walk me through the process. Or I can have potato salad delivered to the house in less than an hour.
The older I get (I hope some of you are laughing), the more I realize that most people don’t really care about the wisdom I might have. Perhaps we should set aside our traditional ideas of how things have always been done and explore newer, more efficient ways to accomplish the same tasks. After all, who wants to wash fine china by hand when it’s so much easier to just toss those pretty paper plates and matching napkins?
A few weeks ago, the staff gathered to discuss an upcoming worship service scheduled for today during the 9:30 service. Yep, it’s Children’s Sunday! And they have a well-organized program. In fact, the children will be sharing their testimonies on “What it means to be a Child of God.” Who better than a child to share on that topic? I think Jesus agreed. Join me in the hearing of today’s Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew 18:1-5:
18 At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a child, whom he put among them, 3 and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
Unless you change and become like children.
Jesus illustrates that greatness does not come from power, status, wealth, or achievement but from humility, dependence on God, and a willingness to become like the least in society. During Jesus’s time, children were considered the lowest in society.
Sadly, children remain a vulnerable group in our society today. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, as of 2023, out of the 74 million children living in the United States, 11 million are living in poverty. One in six children under five (3 million children) are poor, which is the highest rate among any age group.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, our culture is filled with many organizations and individuals who are outspoken about various issues related to different political viewpoints. Yet, this is what I hear Jesus saying in today’s Gospel, this time from Luke 9:48.
“Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the least among all of you is the greatest.”
You get to decide what that statement means to you.
Maybe it boils down to two simple choices:
- Do you choose to act upon the words of Jesus? Or
- Do you choose to act upon the words of those who seek greatness?
In many ways, we live in a world where people have lost their way as a result of losing their values. The choice you select depends on whether you live by confirmation or transformation. Again, you decide:
Your outside world becomes your inside world – that’s confirmation. What the world tells you – becomes your values, or
Your inside world becomes your outside world – that’s transformation. What you value – is how you respond.
Considering the mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, then our mission is to value what Jesus Christ values.
Let me give you an example.
How many of you on your way to church this morning followed the speed limit? If you value rules, regulations, laws, or your own subjective truth (your point of view), then you acted based on those.
However, if your values are internal, you notice a child riding their bike on the sidewalk and slow down; the speed limit sign doesn’t matter because your internal values are how you prioritize the safety and life of others above all else.
You see, when you have values, you don’t need laws.
And if you don’t have values, you won’t follow the laws anyway.
Our biblical story started with the disciples arguing about who was the greatest. Jesus responds by saying that those who follow him must be like children and be humble. You see, following Jesus is often contrary to what the world offers. His disciples were so focused on personal power and status that Jesus illustrated “greatness” by becoming “humble.”
How many of you love being asked in an interview, “Tell me, what is your greatest weakness?
Oh, and I love this one, “What was the most embarrassing moment in your career or you’re biggest failure?”
In other words, they are asking, “I really want to know what you’d like to change about yourself, better yet, what would your family or friends share about you that is not quite favorable?
Most people would probably be horrified by those questions. According to Patrick Lencioni, “Humble people generally aren’t afraid to tell their unflattering stories because they’re comfortable with being imperfect.” Perhaps they value humility and truth over success.
Patrick suggests that we should seek answers that are “real and a little painful.” He points out that people who present their weaknesses as strengths are often afraid to admit real shortcomings. The key is NOT to hide your weaknesses (unless you’re a criminal) but to be comfortable and genuine in your response. It all boils down to your internal values, so let me ask, do you value humility?
- Humble people are not afraid to apologize.
- Humble people accept apologies with grace.
- Humble people genuinely recognize that others may have skills or talents they do not.
- Humble people are not ego-driven.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that children’s stories, programs, and movies are often meant for adults rather than the children themselves.
I recently read articles on Substack entitled,
Narnia Business and Through the Wardrobe. It mentioned that long before any of us stepped through the wardrobe door to discover Narnia, there was a little boy whose fondest childhood memory was an afternoon spent sick in bed, able to read without interruption. At around sixteen, the same boy began to imagine images of a faun carrying a parcel in a snowy forest. Of course, this child was C.S. Lewis.
Sometimes, the magical world of Narnia feels like an ancient myth passed down through generations. Yet this biblical allegory, known to many in his children’s book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, was a fully human story despite its magical outcome.
Perhaps you know the story. Lucy chooses to hide from her three siblings in a large wardrobe in an upstairs room. She pushes past the hanging fur coats and falls out of the back of it, unexpectedly landing in the snow. Lucy notices a single light post that illuminates her way to a whole new kingdom.
Lewis began working on his story to explore his life through a completely new kingdom. You see, it was the deaths of Lewis’s mother, a loved, his friends during the World War, and his brother—who struggled from alcohol abuse—that served as triggers igniting Lewis’s spiritual journey.
In 1929, Lewis converted from atheism to theism, admitting that “God was God” and praying for the first time in years.
Then, in 1931, Lewis famously wrote that he and his brother set out for the Whipsnade Zoo one evening in September, not believing that Jesus was the Son of God, and “when we reached the zoo I did.”
A childlike visit to the zoo sparked Lewis’s spiritual awakening. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the Lion of Judah, became his main character in the Narnia stories. Aslan (the Turkish word for lion) would become a powerful symbol for Jesus Christ, who was often depicted as helping children.
It’s hard to believe this book is celebrating its seventy-five-year anniversary. It turns out that this book has been something many people needed.
“A story about holding on to faith in the face of the unknown, about redemption, and the impact of sacrificial love, wonder, and above all, hope.” Sounds vaguely familiar.
As clergy, we have been called to share the same story, except the book from which we preach and teach has been around for thousands of years.
I have never, nor will I ever, be afraid to share the powerful message proclaimed by Jesus Christ—the message found within the Bible’s binding. Our Holy Scripture narrates the triumph of good over evil, emphasizing themes of courage, sacrifice, redemption, and forgiveness, along with the hope of a new kingdom.
The Bible has two parts: the Old Testament gives us laws, rules, and regulations, along with the stories of people who choose to live by their own way.
The New Testament, through Jesus Christ, shifts the focus to reflect the values of Christ. When asked, What is the greatest law? Jesus responds with the value of love.
30 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
So, much simpler, don’t you think, than all those hundreds of laws, rules, and regulations?
Perhaps C.S. Lewis knew that future generations might reject such an idea. So, he aimed to tell the story of Jesus Christ simply and humbly in a child-like way.
In many of his more theological works, Lewis explained that following Jesus means becoming a humble person who focuses less on themselves and more on God and others, demonstrated through love and service.
True humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself but about thinking of yourself less.
This statement emphasizes the value of humility over greatness and the importance of extending love to others. Lewis warned that even a seemingly good deed like “being humble” can become a source of pride if the motive is to feel good about oneself rather than to serve God.
A truly humble person is more concerned with God and others.
If we are to learn how to be followers of Jesus and call ourselves Christians, then we must become like children of God. It is a call to humility, which means we must learn to be receptive, dependent, and trusting in God’s word and love.
Our children will hear these words today, and I share them with you:
No matter how big you grow, never grow up so much that you lose your childlike heart, full of trust in God. We must be like children, for they are the most important in God’s kingdom.
It’s really quite simple. It means accepting that if we open that wardrobe door, we might just discover a light post to guide us and a new kingdom beyond anything we could ever imagine.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church, ‘Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others’ (Philippians 2:3-4).
Lord Jesus, when you walked the earth, your humility concealed your kingship. Your humility confused the arrogant, stopping them from understanding Your purpose. Your nobility cared for the least among us, the children of God. Teach us to imitate Your greatness by humbling our human nature. Grant us a natural tendency to always see ourselves as equal to others. May our hearts always be filled with humility and recognize the divine presence within us all. Amen.