By the Rev. Katie Fick, Hayward and Trondhjem Lutheran churches

I have been a pastor for almost a year now, and I have had the most fun and have learned the most from the shorter end of the priesthood of all believers: children.

Children are a delight to talk to because they aren’t afraid to ask questions or reveal what they are thinking. Sometimes, this can be amusing for adults, such as when a child asks me, “Pastor Katie, do you live in the church basement?” and is unconvinced when I explain I have my own home. Or, when I am officiating at a wedding, and the flower girl asks me if I get to wear a pretty dress, too. These questions are asked in all earnestness, and I respond as earnestly as I can, too, but sometimes I laugh in delight because I get surprised by what children are thinking.

Other times, talking with children reveals some real challenges that are grappled with by many Christians. I was giving a children’s sermon, talking about how much God loves us, no matter what, and one of the kids said, “But I don’t feel that.” I have a feeling he was voicing what a lot of adults have trouble articulating — how do we experience God’s love? All I could do in that moment was encourage him to go get a hug from his mom, because we can experience God’s love through other people. Was that the best thing to do? I don’t know. I enjoyed seeing them both smile and hug, but it left me with serious, good questions about the human experience of the divine.

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus not only welcomes children (Mark 9:36-37) but blesses them and says that the kingdom of God belongs to “such as these” (10:13-16). We do not have many children at Hayward and Trondhjem, but I hope the ones we do have know that they are valued as full members of the body of Christ, full inheritors of the kingdom of God together with all who are baptized in Christ Jesus. I hope they know that we don’t just want to pass on our faith, or smile at how cute they are on Sundays, but that they are valued for who they are, the questions they bring, what they can do and how we can learn from them. I hope they experience God’s love through all of us, and we experience God’s love through them.