By Marianne Wood

Four and five-year-olds are beginning to fascinate me for the second time. The first occurred during my tenure as a mom. I was captivated then. Now, as a grandmother and occasional church nursery worker, I delight in keenly observing their activities. Here’s why: four and five-year-olds have discovered their legs, language, and love.

Recently, I enjoyed getting to know a herd of fourteen along with my co-volunteer, a young mom who works from home. I expected one of us to be able to run the worship videos and short messages. Nope. None of the buttons on the shiny remote control I pushed directed us to the right place. We asked for assistance and were shown an invisible button. We learned that while it is totally black, it can be manipulated like the visible ones. “Oh,” we said, finally feeling less stupid.

Our lesson from Acts about Peter preaching to 3,000 people, many of whom trusted the subject of his message, reached many of the children. I saw an attentiveness I did not expect. They all sat quietly, though naturally fidgety, as I unfolded this good news that they can turn from their harmful desires and with the help of the Holy Spirit, walk in the ways of Christ. See Acts 2. It seemed like a lot for these tots, but evidently they’ve heard as much at home and in other classes.

Though the message is complex, it seemed simpler as I viewed it through the eyes of these four and five-year-olds. And the experience makes me all the more curious to learn why grownups like to complicate things. I know one popular author who clearly confuses the creator with creation. He thinks God is in everything instead of being distinct from his creation. The latter seems obvious to pre-kindergarteners but is evidently hard for some older folks. He also thinks that Jesus is not Christ. Someone must have cut Acts 2:36 out of his Bible. However, I find helpful concepts in his work. I hope you will in this. We don’t have to agree on everything.

Going further with some popular misconceptions, I’ve found again that the time Jesus spent on the cross, this excruciating segment of his life, speaks two important truths: one, that a person can go to paradise with Christ without a formal baptism, though that act is a beautiful expression and testimony of faith. Two, Jesus considered his time away from the Father hell. This begs the question: why do we maintain the Platonic idea, magnified by medieval artists, that hell is eternal conscious torment? It is separation from God—a choice many make. Surely, there is a third truth, maybe more. Perhaps I’ll see them in time. (I’ll bet one has something to do with the Trinity.)

That leads me to the fourth “L” I noticed with the young children I was given to love on Sunday: Light. When they sang “This Little Light of Mine,” they danced, holding tea lights in the semi-darkness. These children radiated light with their faces and in their movements. They have no invisible buttons, no confused theology, no hang-ups due to adopting strange philosophies. They’re learning about love with their minds, hearts, and a little leg work.

So I’ll continue to read conclusions deduced by guesswork as well as systematic expositions related to Christianity, but for a dose of simple truth, I’ll serve for an hour or drop in for a chat with the loving, light-filled fours and fives. And maybe enjoy a little dance.

Marianne Wood works as an editorial assistant and researcher for Bill Wright