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Psalm 8 

The gift of a child 

“Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark …” (verse 2) 

I heard a soft rap on my office door. After Sunday worship many like to enjoy a coffee and mill around in the nave and narthex visiting. And it is not uncommon for folks to stop by the pastor’s study to chat.  

 Four year old Dee stood clutching her stuffy and looking up at me with her big, bright eyes. Her mother leaned over her. “We have a problem.” I crouched down to eye-level with Dee. “What’s wrong?” Dee’s saucer eyes fixed on mine.

Mother explained, “The Sunday School did not finish in time today to come upstairs for Holy Communion. And church isn’t church without Communion. We have an unhappy girl, here.”

The elements were still by the altar, so I invited Dee and her mother back into the sanctuary where she is used to receiving the sacrament with the assembly. Dee stood at the railing and held out her free hand; her other pressed stuffy even closer to her heart.

In this Advent time, we anticipate God coming to us as an infant. God chose to communicate God’s truth and grace through a Child. As we wait for Christ to come, what can children teach us about God?

O Lord our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Thank you, for the gift of a child. Amen.