Can I, a Child/Youth touch the Almighty God’s Heart?

“Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”   Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”  (John 6: 7-9)
TODAY, we welcome all our youths and children and join them, their parents and teachers, to thank God for His mercies on them especially in the last year. As they come before the Lord, we also join them in thanking their teachers, both those in the Sunday School and those in the formal school system for the sound foundation they are laying for the young ones and for building up the older ones to be men and women of integrity and competence.
At Harvests, the goal is on appreciation. Among some Nigerian communities, showing appreciation for what was done the day before is highly valued. It is expected that when some favours are extended to you, you would instantly thank the benefactor. The appreciation would be valued more if after 24 hours, you still remember to express appreciation. It is such a child who has gone the extra mile that is treated as being appreciative and further favours are reserved only for such.
After Noah and his immediate family were saved from the global destruction, Noah took pains to show appreciation to God for the favours He bestowed upon him and his household. He built an altar to God and offered burnt offerings on the altar, the manner prescribed for showing appreciation to God in Old Testament times. God was moved with the quality of the sacrifice that He made a commitment to bless man more.
This year, at our harvests, the focus is on the type of appreciation (sacrifice) that would make God do something out of the ordinary for us. As we saw, Noah offered only cleananimals as sacrifice to God. At the Rogation Sunday and at the Women and Professional Harvests, we called the attention of our mummies and daddies to how they can, through their lives and deeds, move God’s heart towards them. We thank God for the quality offerings they made and pray that God would continue to delight in them. The question before us today is what can frail, dependent and unemployed children and youths do to move God’s heart?
The experience of the disciples in John 6 is very instructive. They were faced with a dilemma. The hungry crowd would soon become restless and a crisis would be on their hands to manage. The wise thing, the disciples reasoned, was to have the crowd sent home with the Benediction and Jesus and His disciples could then move quietly away leaving the crowd to their fate. Jesus thought differently. ‘Give them something to eat’, He instructed them. The disciples must have thought that Jesus was probably beside Himself and they expressed that much feeling. Jesus told them, in effect, ‘Put on your thinking caps: Look inwards’! What saved the day was the lunch box of one of the youths.
Sunday School teachers and teachers of pre-primary and early primary school children are usually amazed at the ingenuity exhibited by these tender minds. Parents who have time for their children would equally be surprised at the intelligence and talents their ‘juniors’ are blessed with. The capacity of each child is not to be underestimated. He all have the sacred responsibilities to encourage and help these children to use these gifts to please God and move His heart to bless them, the church and the world.
For the children, I would like to remind you of The Butterfly Song:
If I were a butterfly, I’d thank you Lord for giving me wings
If I were a robin in a tree, I’d thank you Lord that I could sing
If I were a fish in the sea, I’d wiggle my tail and I’d giggle with glee
But I just thank you Father for making me, me
For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me
If I were an elephant, I’d thank you Lord by raising my trunk
If I were a kangaroo, You know I’d hop right up to you
If I were an octopus, I’d thank you Lord for my fine looks
But I just thank you Father for making me, me
If I were a wiggly worm, I’d thank you Lord that I could squirm
If I were a fuzzy wuzzy bear, I’d thank you Lord for my fuzzy, wuzzy hair
If I were a crocodile, I’d thank you Lord for my great smile
But I just thank you Father for making me, me
For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me
Children, whatever gift God has blessed you with it, should be used to please the Giver. You may be like the butterfly, or the robin or even the fish, elephant or octopus; whatever you are or blessed with, use all to make someone say: ‘Thank you’ to God.
Have a blessed celebration and year as you use your gifts and opportunities to make someone say ‘Thank You, God’.

  Your daddy, Vicar & Archdeacon
Igein Isemede.