If I were ruler of the world.....a child's answer

A post from Pr. Sherry McGuffin, a Lutheran  pastor from Michigan, on facebook.  She reflects on a children's sermon on Christ the King Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016 when the little children preached gospel to her.  The post is used with  her permission.

It was Christ the King Sunday.  The children came forward for the children's time.

My heart had not been in the church.  In fact, I was a little upset to say the least concerning the election, hate mail, and the daily grind of ministry and community after such a devastating blow to the civil liberties and rights for which I work so hard.

So I pulled ou the same blanket that my racist godmother crocheted me for my ordination and watched the children run up and help to spread out the blanket.  The rule is that everyone has to be touching the blanket so no one starts running around. I was sick to my stomach as I watched them cuddle into the blanket making room for one another.

I asked the flat question....if you could be the ruler for a day what would you do? You have the freedom to do anything. The answers came flooding in after a bit of a pause.

 "I would make all of the water in the world clean for Flint and other places where kids are thirsty." 

"I would make everyone healed." 

I am going to make sure that Betsy has friends cuz she sits all alone all of

 the time and is sort of mean."

I would erase the frowns in hearts and make them smiles." 

And the children kept shouting out all of the wonderful things they would do for others.

I stood up, looked at the congregation and said, "Amen." They congregation clapped and shouted. When it quieted down I looked and folks were filled with tears.

Hope restored by children. See, they are NOT our future. These children are here and now and are relevant TODAY. These children have dreams of pretty great things for our world that don't include what is pushed on them like toys and gadgets. They get it.

I felt the fight in my soul light with passion again. And felt the hope of recreation. I feel so very blessed. Ministry of Word and sacrament....and love.