Sermon preached 12 June 2005 by Stephen, age 12, on UNMC Youth Sunday
Good Morning! I’d like to start with a quote from the Bible:
People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to these that the kingdom of God belongs.
– that’s from the book of Luke, Chapter 18, verses 15 – 16.
Today, on Youth Sunday, I’d like to explain to you why there are at least 10 good reasons why ADULTS, not just parents, but all ADULTS, should listen to kids and treat them with respect. This seems like a good and proper topic for us to think about on this annual Youth Sunday. First I’ll list my 10 reasons--which are not necessarily in their rank order—and then I will explain them.
1. The first reason is that Jesus said the kingdom of God belongs to children and He insisted the disciples should let the children come to him.
2. The second reason is that kids can be wiser than adults, for some strange reason.
3. The third reason is that kids are usually more cheerful than adults.
4. The fourth reason is that kids are usually very honest.
5. The fifth reason children should be “seen and heard” more by adults is that kids are more innocent than adults.
6. The sixth reason is that kids are more alert to what’s hot and what’s not.
7. The seventh reason is that kids often are able to persevere.
8. The eighth reason is that kids are more ignorant. (I’ll explain this in a minute.)
9. The ninth reason is that kids generally know how to have more fun than adults
10. And finally, the tenth reason that ADULTS should try to see and hear kids more is that kids often are more positive in their outlook on life.
Now let me go back and explain each of my “Top Ten” reasons to you, in the hopes that you will agree with me.
The first reason is that, as we learned from the Bible verse from Luke, Jesus thought that kids were important and wanted to interact with them. In fact, He even said that the Kingdom of God belonged to the Children. Now, Jesus was a pretty smart guy, and He also was very close to God. So if Jesus thought that children were worthy of attention and respect, shouldn’t you, too?
The second reason is that kids actually can be wiser than adults. I think one reason for this might be that adults’ brains get tired of thinking, and they need a break as they get older. Kids’ minds are fresher and newer, and I think sometimes they work better—maybe kids can think more clearly and remember stuff better than adults because they don’t have as many facts crammed into their heads, and they don’t have to remember as far back, either.
The third reason children should be seen and heard more by adults is because kids usually are more cheerful than adults. Maybe that is because we kids often have more to be cheerful about. Most adults are serious and worry a lot. I think this is because adults have jobs they have to work at and bills they have to pay and other serious stuff to worry about. Kids don’t have a lot of responsibility and get much more time to play than adults. We don’t have to deal with all the stress that adults do, so we kids can be more cheerful. But maybe if adults paid more attention to us kids, then they might feel more cheerful and less stressed, too—and that would be better for everyone.
The fourth reason is that most kids seem more honest. Especially little kids like in kindergarten or younger—they cannot keep a secret and don’t really even know how to lie. Even older kids cannot really lie, because they know that if they are found out there will be even worse consequences for them. But adults seem to exaggerate a lot, and some adults often seem willing to lie about stuff like money, their house, their job, their relationships or other things they think are important. However, like Benjamin Franklin said, I think “honesty is the best policy.”
The fifth reason kids should be seen and heard more by adults is because they are more innocent than adults. By that I don’t mean that kids won’t be convicted if put on trial for a crime but adults will be (although I do think the vast majority of criminals out there ARE adults). What I mean by “more innocent” is that kids are more carefree and see the world in simpler terms. And kids can see clearly the lines between right and wrong. Adults see the world as much more complicated than kids and they usually have a lot more troubles; I think that is kind of sad.
The sixth reason is that kids are more alert to what’s hot and what’s not. You might think this is not a very good reason, but if you don’t know what is in style, you’ll be considered weird, or at least dull and boring. For some reason adults usually don’t know what is in fashion or considered cool, although they can usually wear what they want and listen to or watch what they want and get away with it. Still, adults may be considered dull and boring, if not weird for being out of style, so if adults paid more attention to kids they should not have this problem.
The seventh reason is that kids are really able to persevere, and perseverance is generally a good thing when you are trying to do something hard. When we kids really want to do something, usually it will get done—eventually. The only bad thing is that, when we persevere in not doing something that we don’t want to do, we usually end up actually doing more work than if we just did whatever it was in the first place. But the ability to decide what we want and focus on it until we get it is a useful kids’ skill, and a skill that would be useful for adults, too.
The eighth reason is that kids are more ignorant. That might sound strange, and not necessarily like a good thing, but have you ever heard of the old adages “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” or “ignorance is bliss?” Like I said before, I think adults are often too serious and stressed out, and they worry too much. Maybe that is because adults know about too many things to be worried about—a lot more things than kids are aware of. We cannot change most of the things you adults worry about anyway, so I think you’d be better off if you were more ignorant like us kids.
The ninth reason is that kids generally know how to have more fun than adults. I think this one is pretty obvious. Kids spend most of their lives and most of their energy trying to have fun, until they become adults (when, of course, they are not kids any more). Sometimes when kids get older they think up bad ways to have fun, but usually they’ll outgrow that and develop better judgment. I’ve said before that adults are too serious and stressed, so I think if adults would just spend more time around kids and pay attention to them, it would help adults remember how to have fun, too. And having more fun in life is a good thing for everyone, kids and adults alike.
Finally, the tenth reason children should be more seen and heard is that kids often are more positive in their outlook on life. For example, when something bad happens, kids can usually look for a “silver lining” and find one. When kids have to do something they don’t want to do, they can usually find something positive even if they cannot find a productive alternative. For example, when I had to write this sermon, I got to stay home from a Church meeting my Mom had to go to so that I could work on the sermon. But adults have an awful lot of things they have to do that they don’t want to do. An example of that is my Dad has to spend a lot of time doing treasurer’s stuff for the Church, and I am pretty sure that he does not exactly enjoy it. But I don’t know how good he is at finding the silver linings. I think that if adults would just practice looking for the positive aspects of things like kids, then their outlook on life would be more positive and they’d feel better.
Finally, one thing I should acknowledge is that a lot of my reasons apply best in our own country and culture, because the sad fact is that in a lot of places in the world, children are not as able to be more cheerful and fun-loving and positive than adults, because they too face many worries, stresses, and problems similar to adults.
But in conclusion, I hope that you’ll agree generally with me that there are at least 10 good reasons that children should be seen and heard. Just remember that Jesus called for the disciples and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to these that the kingdom of God belongs.” AMEN.
Posted by at June 15, 2005 03:11 PM