Immanuel

Call it the stress of a new baby on the way, call it a child growing up but Carter has been having a hard time sleeping in his own room over the last week.

He has been coming down scared with the tried and true excuse that it is scary in his room or that he's afraid. Apparently our inept dog sleeping in the room doesn't provide the necessary security so I decided to remind Carter that there is a higher power.

As we were trudging up the stairs to his room I reminded him that God loves us and Jesus is always with us (I am trying to not say Jesus will protect us or not let anything bad happen because that's bad theology and certainly the easy way out) and that he has nothing to be afraid of. The dialogue goes something along the lines of

Me: Jesus is here and he is watching over you and so you can rest and not worry.
Carter: Dad, Jesus isn't here, he's at church.

So I have now opened another can of theological worms. I thought about a discussion on the indwelling of Holy Spirit, when a child reaches the age of accountability, God's soverign will, and other things but settled for something about how Jesus lives in us and not in a building.

I got home from work last night and as I'm in our room changing, Carter is watching Larry Boy on our TV. He's jumping at the head of the bed and says randomly, "He is here!". What? I ask. "God is with us! Larry Boy says so." Apparently my Bible College education didn't equip me to have a conversation that convinced him. I needed the help of an animated vegetable. I wonder what else Larry Boy could help me communicate...

On the other side of the coin, Carter has helped me remeber something that I spent much of my time at the monastery and the Christmas thinking of, this whole God with us thing. Not sure I got anywhere but I came away with a greater sense of peace and a knowledge that was communicated to me that I had to quickly forgotten. I'll leave you with the lyrics of an old Christmas song that got this whole thing going, culminating with this deep animated revelation. I continue to be conviced that the immanuel isn't happening because I'm not giving him a place to be born. Like I said yesterday, I admit I'm not doing enough.

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Immanuel