Good News: Matthew 19: 13-15

The people were bringing their little children to Jesus, so he would lay his hands on them and pray.  But his followers, the disciples spoke harshly to those bringing their children.  But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me!  Do not stop them or turn them away.  Creator’s good road above, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones who are like these children.”  He took the children into his arms, laid his hands on them and blessed them.  Only then did he carry on his way.

Sermon: Growing Young

Did you know that scientists estimate that children ask between 300 and 400 questions EVERY DAY.  This may seem like an underestimate if you are an elementary school teacher or a very involved grandparent.  

How many do you think adults ask?

Averages out to about 20.  

As children we’re question generating machines, asking about forty thousand questions between the age of two and five. But then, something happens and the number of questions we ask falls off a cliff.  By age 11, we have almost hit that adult average of about 20 per day.  Yes, our brains get better at making neurological connections, yes we improve at categorising and sorting things in our brains.  But that doesn’t explain the huge drop in question asking.

So what happens?

For one thing, asking questions is incredibly inefficient.  And school and work are places of ever increasing efforts towards efficiency.  But actually, and I think we know this in our guts. efficiency is not really what makes for the best kind of learning or working or life, really.  If we think about even our body systems, we aren’t exactly designed for efficiency.  Find food, maybe cook it, masticate – chew – it, it goes down here and sits for a bit.  Then it goes on this long and winding squishy journey of pulling out nutrients and fat and calories and then when waste is ready to be eliminated we end up in a very vulnerable position.  

So essentially, we are born with this beautiful seeking mind, and curiosity is encouraged until it isn’t.  And then at some point, it seems, we realise that we have thrown out our wonder baby with the efficiency bathwater.  Which is how many of us are now – I think if we are spiritually seeking there is a certain amount of that curiosity that we can claim or reclaim.  But how to we celebrate and encourage the wandering, wondering, and wonderfully inefficient posture of curiosity?  By growing young!

If we turn to ancient teachers like Jesus – or Buddha, the concept of Shoshin in Zen Buddhism refers to the beginner’s mind, having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions.  If we turn to these ancient spiritual teachers, we are guided back to our childhoods.  Or perhaps, an idealised childhood.  Researcher Ian Leslie, who wrote a book titled, “Curious” writes that curiosity thrives in an environment where our basic needs are met and we are free.  That ‘Childhood means not having to commit to a particular course of action because adults are seeing to our survival.  We can hang back, watch, question and learn what works best for us.”  The feeling of being safe, loved, and protected allows for exploration and frees up time to chase questions.  

Which most kids do – they chase questions, asking incessantly, passionately.  

It isn’t rocket science to see the link between increased levels of responsibility and decreased levels of curiosity.  About what age are many kids able to be left home alone?  Ready to care for others and babysit?  Get themselves ready for school, get basic meals underway.  11, 12?  It’s the same age that our question asking takes a nosedive.  And as adults we might even get overwhelmed with questions, we might see the time and energy it takes to answer or even ask questions, take more bandwidth than we have on any given day.

So let’s work on growing young together!  

If we follow Jesus’ teaching here, he says to the grown ups, unless you change – literally, turn around, and become like these little children, you are just not going to get it, you aren’t going to experience the fullness of life and love.

What are we going for here then?  Children, little children.  The ones who ask the 300-400 questions a day, the ones who are fragile and vulnerable, and dependent, the ones who understand they don’t know and dig at the roots of everything.  The ones who see animals in the clouds and stare at leaves and laugh from the depths of their bellies.

This can be both compelling and terrifyinging.  It is hard to let go of knowing, but I think we all understand inside that we are children.  We walk, we stumble, we reach the edges of our cureness.  

But here’s the key – I want to go back to something I shared earlier – research tells us that kids are free to be curious when they have the feeling of being safe, loved, and protected, which allows for exploration and frees up time to chase questions.  

Now listen, if you have ever been here before, you know that one of my core senses of call as a minister is related to making sure that people understand that they are loved, precious, held in a love greater than they can begin to imagine.  

So – friends, lovely humans.  Can you imagine what it might be like to really lean into your belovedness, really seep in it, so much so that we could grow younger together?  Letting go of wanting to be right, letting go of knowing the things, and efficiency and the drive for more, better, faster and trusting, really trusting, a love so secure we can get back to the important work of chasing questions once more?

Could we hear the voice of love urging us to turn our heads, to return to the childlike curiosity that taught us about the world, that way of walking and playing and exploring.  And then we will be free to truly see.

Amen.