Things I would have taught you .....

This is my annual Christmas letter to my grandson Ben:

Ben:

You may remember this as the year that Christmas was delayed.  Your Mom and Dad are sick and we are delaying our Christmas celebration with you for a few days until they are better so we don't get sick too.  You are getting to be a big boy now.  If I were allowed, these are some of the things I would have taught you this year.  I can only hope that when you are older, you will find these letters and appreciate them.

You have noticed that your Grandma, your Aunt Gwenda and I often pray over our meals.  You sometimes refuse to hold my hand as we pray.  We pray before the meal because we are thanking God for giving us the food.  Children of your age are usually taught to pray, "God is great.  God is good.  Let us thank Him for our food.  Amen."  This simple little prayer is actually very good theology.  It offers worship by acknowledging the sovereignty of God and His goodness.  And it offers gratitude to God from us for providing good things.  A lot of adults often say a lot less with a lot more words when praying over their meal. 

Your Grandma, your Aunt Gwenda and I usually pray before we go to bed.  A child of your age is usually taught to pray, "Now I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.  Amen."  Again, there is a lot of good theology in this simple little prayer.   We are all sometimes afraid when we lie down to sleep.  Fear of the night is part of how we are created.  Sleeping is a little bit like dying.  We are all afraid of dying.  But, the part of us that makes us what we are, the essential us, never dies.  That is your soul.  In this simple little prayer we are taught to ask God to gather that essential us, our soul, to Him in case we don't wake up.  Again, adults could do a lot worse than praying this simple child's prayer before they retire.

By this time, you should have been taught a simple song or two as well.  The most common is," Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to Him belong.  They are weak but he is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  The Bible tells me so."  Jesus is the Son of God.  He loves children.  He once said "Let the little ones come to me."  And another time, he pronounced a terrible curse on anyone who mistreats a child.  The most important and comforting thing any person, child or adult, can ever know is that Jesus Christ the Son of God loves them.  

Another song goes like this, "Jesus loves the little children.  All the children of the world.  Red and yellow, black and white, we are precious in His sight.  Jesus loves the little children of the world."  Again, there is deep theology here.  God created every Human being different but we are all His creation, created in His image. 

Ben, my heart breaks that I cannot teach you these things as I was taught them by my father and mother.  When you are a child you don't realize how much those thoughts and words mean to you

when you are older and truly understand them.

Sometime this year, I will introduce you to your adopted Uncle Tom.  Tom and I are old and dear friends.  We are prayer buddies.  We pray for each other and each others families on a daily basis.  Along with me, Tom has prayed for you since you were born.  We pray for you to be strong and healthy.  We pray for you to be brave and smart, kind and wise.  We pray that you will be protected from evil both in thought and action.  And, we pray for you to grow up to be a Godly man in all of your ways.  Our prayers are a great gift Ben.  I hope one day you will appreciate them the way that I now appreciate the prayers of my family for me.

Merry Christmas.

Grandpa Bill