Most Sundays, Connie Alicie brings her grandson Zac with her to church. Because Connie is either singing in the Praise Team or taking care of other tasks, she has to arrive early with Zac in tow. The other kids who attend McMurry (with the exception of Laureli) typically don't arrive until shortly before worship begins. That means Zac has to find some way to occupy himself while he waits.
I can commiserate with Zac. Both of my parents were leaders in the church we attended when I was young. My mother taught Sunday School and my father was the Sunday School secretary and treasurer. So, I too had to arrive early at church every Sunday and find some way to occupy myself while I waited for others to arrive and church to start. Many Sundays I had playmates with the children of other church leaders. We had fun throughout the church building playing all sorts of games. Other times it was just me on my own.
As he is finding ways to pass the time, Zac frequently finds his way into my office. He knows that I have various toys and all sorts of knickknacks spread throughout my office. (If you haven't seen my office lately, I invite you to stop on by some day. My office seems to have gotten a bit cluttered lately, but you'll still enjoy the trip.) Zac doesn't have to look very far or long in my office to find something that catches his attention. I am happy to let Zac play with my toys. I am a firm believer in encouraging and supporting our young people.
On Sunday, September 28, Zac found my bag filled with little plastic statues of Jesus. He's seen it before. The bag was given to me by Shelly Donnini some time ago and has just sat on my shelf. I think it was suggested that the statues might be good for use during Children's Time. Zac took the bag and started removing the little Jesuses. (I think “Jesuses” is the correct plural for the name Jesus!) He then started placing them in various places throughout my office. He placed Jesuses on the desk, computer, webcam, phone stand, chairs, window sills, and even on my little Norfolk Island Pine plant.
At first, I was mildly amused—just a dear child of God having some harmless fun with knickknacks in my office. But then, as I looked around and saw little statues of Jesus everywhere, I thought to myself—what a beautiful scene. What a powerful reminder that Jesus is everywhere, all around us. Up high, down low, to the left and to the right, Jesus is right there always. I thanked Zac for this reminder and suggested that maybe we should get some more little Jesuses and spread them throughout the McMurry building so that other folks might be reminded that Jesus is everywhere, all around us.
I plan to keep the little statues of Jesus in place as long as I can. And I reckon that on a future Sunday, Zac will move the Jesuses around to other spots in my office, a good reminder that Jesus cannot be confined to one place or one time. Once again, I'm reminded of a song: “Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?” by John Fischer. The chorus goes like this:
Have you seen Jesus my Lord?
He's here in plain view
Take a look, open your eyes
He'll show it to you
What a great song with a great message. I hope that you too have seen Jesus who is here in plain sight. See you (and Jesus) at McMurry!
Grace & Peace
Pastor Clayton