Rev. Darren here, for the sake of our Lord Jesus’ great hope of unity and peace,
To Christian kids of all ages who are intrigued by God and the stories of Jesus,
I pray that you discover God’s love and peace within your own heart like a storybook treasure. Then, the even greater adventure, may those discoveries inspire you to seek God’s goodness in everyone else.
I am grateful to God for you, for you are a precious gift to the world, whoever and wherever you are. This might sound disingenuous, but I mean it, because God makes all living things, and makes all those things special and useful and capable of kingdom-building.
I believe that there must be some good people in your family tree, and that you have inherited some amount of goodness that is begging to be brought forth. This goodness in your heart calls out to you at times, to speak kindly, do good deeds, and take care of yourself, doesn’t it!?! I pray that you listen to that voice, and give it a sacred name, and take care of it like a beloved pet, because it is a precious treasure that is alive, and you are its caretaker.
I also know it's hard to listen to the voice of goodness from within, because there are so many noises all around, and many of them don’t call upon your inner goodness.
Much of that noise calls out your inner selfishness, and it tempts you. Temptations of selfishness are normal now, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I wish I had done more in my day to silence that noise that torments you, and your generation.
But, now knowing this, you may also know the contrary to the noise. You may know the peace that is available when you tune out the noise, and you can always choose to tune it out. You are not obligated in any way to the voices of temptation. Be obligated to the goodness within you, and be grateful to be alive! Your creator gave you life, and that very same creator lives within you. Take care of your inner goodness, because that is the presence of God.
This is not normal, which is why we have another word for it. Tuning out the constant noise of temptation, and listening to the voice of your creator from within, behaving in a way that is unselfish, and using your words to forgive, and to tell others about all of this goodness - it’s not normal, so we call it by another name: HOLY.
You have the choice to BE HOLY, to say holy things, to behave in the wildly-counter-cultural manner that makes you stand out like a sore thumb. You can BE HOLY, and when you make this good choice, I’ll warn you, people will be scared of you. It’s not normal, to BE HOLY. People will be scared, that they have missed out on something good all this time, and changing is hard. People will be scared that they too have this choice, to behave in a way that stands out, when just being normal is the easiest way. It’s so tempting to just be normal and fit in, but remember: NORMAL is not always GOOD!
Choose GOODness, and you are choosing GOD-liness. You are not obligated to Normal, but I pray that you are obligated to GOOD, to the creator who gave you the precious gift of life and all of your choices and abilities, which we call GOD. Choose GOD, above all else, who created you and every living thing, who came to earth in Jesus, who sacrificed everything possible, to show us how to forgive. Jesus lived the HOLY life, and began making a NEW NORMAL. That NEW NORMAL is still under construction, and now - you have the tools to keep building it.
Would God give you this GOODNESS without trusting you to use it properly? NO! God not only gives you the tools to BUILD the NEW NORMAL, but you also have God’s confidence! God trusts you! God trusts you to use your words and your voice, to use your brain and your resources to give generously to those in need. To give your time and energy, to sing songs of beauty and prayers of thanksgiving, telling the world that GOD IS GOOD!
You can tell the world: “There is a NEW NORMAL under construction, and I am here to BUILD IT! JESUS came to set me free from shame, and forgive me when I choose poorly. Jesus Loves me, even when I succumb to temptation, and forgives me! AND! Jesus Loves and Forgives YOU!
Love and Forgiveness, THAT is the NEW NORMAL.
You have the tools, Christian teacher. And you have GOD’s voice within you, calling you every day. GOD is SO FAITHFUL in that way - every day you have the CHOICE, the TOOLS, and the CALL to goodness. These are God’s most precious gifts to the world, so treasure these most precious gifts.
For this reason you were made, Christian teacher. God be with you, as you continue this mission of Jesus, the mission to bring UNITY to the world, and PEACE in your own heart, and build a new kingdom, where FORGIVENESS and LOVE are the NEW NORMAL.
AMEN
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