Just two months ago, evenings in our house looked something like this: 8pm, Holly and I would sit down to watch a little uninterrupted television. 9pm, Holly and I would realize that there was absolutely nothing worth watching on television, and so we would pick up our books, put up our feet, and do a little reading. 10pm, we would do some final preparations for the next day, like making lunches and setting out clothes. And finally by 11pm (or shortly before if we could get away with it), we would crawl into bed, turn out the lights, and fall fast asleep.
Well needless to say that things have certainly changed. Television and books and leisurely preparations have long since given way to all-things-Nathaniel. Now at 8pm, we feed him and burp him. At 9pm, we bath him and play games with rubber duckies. At 10pm, Nathaniel eats, yet again. And then finally, at 10:30pm, we curl up in the rocking chair, close the curtains, and read a story book by the dim light of the tableside lamp.
Now, some nights, it’s tales of bean-stocks and giants that send us to sleep. Other nights, we hear about Winnie-the-poo’s latest adventures. Still other nights its Goodnight Moon, the Polky Little Puppy, or the Velveteen Rabbit which fill our dreams. These are great stories. But one of our favorite books to read – and one that always puts a smile on our face - is called Two Hands To Love You. It’s a simple, rhythmic story – and yet I can’t help but wonder if it might have something to add to Jesus’ words in John’s Gospel. And so I’d like to share this little book with you. It goes like this:
When the world’s a strange place, unfamiliar and new
My two hands will hold you, will carry you through.
My two hands will hug you, will rock you to sleep,
Will count all the toes on your tiny pink feet.
I’ll bathe you in bubbles and soak you in sun,
Then wrap you up tightly when bath time is done.
For you are my baby. I’ll never be far.
I’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
These two hands will raise you up high in the sky
To soar with the planes and the birds flying by.
They’ll point out a nest made of feathers and twigs,
And show you that small is as special as big.
For you are my baby. I’ll never be far.
I’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
These two hands will help you squeeze lemons for juice
to sell from your very own lemonade booth.
These two hands will help you catch tadpoles and frogs,
And climb into tree trunks and hollowed out logs.
For you are our baby; we’ll never be far.
We’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
These two hands will open up Mother Goose tales
Of muffets and tuffets and clattering pails;
They’ll settle you in on your grandfather’s lap
For a soft lullaby and a warm cuddly nap.
For you are our baby; we’ll never be far.
We’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
And pretty soon you’ll discover two hands of your own
To drum with, and dance with, and write pretty poems
To pick yellow daisies, and chase after bugs,
To bake with, eat cake with, and give laughing hugs.
While two hands stand ready if right turns to wrong,
To stead your path when a bump comes along –
To love you, to hold you, to take away fears,
To stand you back up and to brush away tears.
And when you need comfort and courage and rest,
These two hands will welcome you back to the nest.
For you are our baby; we’ll never be far.
We’ll love you, and think of you, wherever you are!
© Diane Adams and Paige Kaiser. Two Hands To Love You. Chronicle Books, 2014.
Perhaps this book, in its child-inspired simplicity, might help us as we hear Jesus’ instructive words. You know, we Christian’s talk a lot about love – indeed, the bible speaks a lot about love (no fewer than 1200 times, in one form or another). But what kind of love are we actually speaking of? What might this love…God’s love…look like? Are we, as some might say, speaking of the kind of love I have for a warm cup of coffee on a cool spring morning? No, not that kind of love. Are we talking about the warm-fuzzy kind of love we experienced when we had our first high-school crush? No, not that love either. Truth be told, the love God speaks of: the love of a creator for their creation…and the love of a savior for those in need of salvation…is far bigger, far deeper, far more multi-faceted than anything we could possibly ever comprehend. God’s abounding and steadfast love stands above even the greatest of mysteries – as something we simply cannot understand…something that is a matter of pure faith instead of certain reason. And in my opinion, that makes it all the more beautiful!
Here’s the thing à God’s love didn’t just end on the cross or in the tomb à but has continued throughout time, and calls us to be expressions of that very love today. And perhaps the best way we can do this…is with the two hands we’ve been so purposefully given for the sake of the world around us. Sometimes, these two hands may be used, as the book says, to rock a baby to sleep….or…count all the toes on their tiny pink feet. Other times, these hands might be used to point out feathers and twigs…and…show that small is as special as big. [PAUSE] But more often than not, these two hands, our hands, will be used (as the author writes), to stand ready should right turn to wrong…and…steady the path when a bump comes along. These hands are called to love one another, hold one another, and take away fears…and yes…stand one another back up, and wipe away tears. And when one of God’s children should need comfort and courage and rest - these hands…our hands…God’s given hands - will welcome them back to the nest! These hands, and for the sake of the gospel, can be instruments of love in a world that needs it so desperately. Now certainly, this doesn’t mean that we’ll always get it right. Indeed, there will surely be times when these hands will make mistakes. But our hope is found in the assuring promise that God’s love is infinitely more than ours à and that means that we are free to try again…over, and over, and over.
You know, three months ago, evenings in our house looked drastically different than they do today. While we used to sit back with our feet up à nowadays, our hands are kept busy with a two-month old who requires all of our attention. But what’s wonderful, is that we wouldn’t trade him for the world. For busy hands…have made for happy hearts.
I hope that the same may be true for all God’s people…and the two hands that we have been given for the sake of the gospel. When we set these hands to work, in whatever way we have been called to do so, we will come to know the joy of loving our neighbor just as God loves us. This is our promise. This is God’s commandment. And this, dear friends, is the mission to which we have been called. For we are God’s children. God will never be far. God will love us. And God will care for us. Wherever we are.
May we do likewise.
Well needless to say that things have certainly changed. Television and books and leisurely preparations have long since given way to all-things-Nathaniel. Now at 8pm, we feed him and burp him. At 9pm, we bath him and play games with rubber duckies. At 10pm, Nathaniel eats, yet again. And then finally, at 10:30pm, we curl up in the rocking chair, close the curtains, and read a story book by the dim light of the tableside lamp.
Now, some nights, it’s tales of bean-stocks and giants that send us to sleep. Other nights, we hear about Winnie-the-poo’s latest adventures. Still other nights its Goodnight Moon, the Polky Little Puppy, or the Velveteen Rabbit which fill our dreams. These are great stories. But one of our favorite books to read – and one that always puts a smile on our face - is called Two Hands To Love You. It’s a simple, rhythmic story – and yet I can’t help but wonder if it might have something to add to Jesus’ words in John’s Gospel. And so I’d like to share this little book with you. It goes like this:
When the world’s a strange place, unfamiliar and new
My two hands will hold you, will carry you through.
My two hands will hug you, will rock you to sleep,
Will count all the toes on your tiny pink feet.
I’ll bathe you in bubbles and soak you in sun,
Then wrap you up tightly when bath time is done.
For you are my baby. I’ll never be far.
I’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
These two hands will raise you up high in the sky
To soar with the planes and the birds flying by.
They’ll point out a nest made of feathers and twigs,
And show you that small is as special as big.
For you are my baby. I’ll never be far.
I’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
These two hands will help you squeeze lemons for juice
to sell from your very own lemonade booth.
These two hands will help you catch tadpoles and frogs,
And climb into tree trunks and hollowed out logs.
For you are our baby; we’ll never be far.
We’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
These two hands will open up Mother Goose tales
Of muffets and tuffets and clattering pails;
They’ll settle you in on your grandfather’s lap
For a soft lullaby and a warm cuddly nap.
For you are our baby; we’ll never be far.
We’ll love you, think of you, wherever you are.
And pretty soon you’ll discover two hands of your own
To drum with, and dance with, and write pretty poems
To pick yellow daisies, and chase after bugs,
To bake with, eat cake with, and give laughing hugs.
While two hands stand ready if right turns to wrong,
To stead your path when a bump comes along –
To love you, to hold you, to take away fears,
To stand you back up and to brush away tears.
And when you need comfort and courage and rest,
These two hands will welcome you back to the nest.
For you are our baby; we’ll never be far.
We’ll love you, and think of you, wherever you are!
© Diane Adams and Paige Kaiser. Two Hands To Love You. Chronicle Books, 2014.
Perhaps this book, in its child-inspired simplicity, might help us as we hear Jesus’ instructive words. You know, we Christian’s talk a lot about love – indeed, the bible speaks a lot about love (no fewer than 1200 times, in one form or another). But what kind of love are we actually speaking of? What might this love…God’s love…look like? Are we, as some might say, speaking of the kind of love I have for a warm cup of coffee on a cool spring morning? No, not that kind of love. Are we talking about the warm-fuzzy kind of love we experienced when we had our first high-school crush? No, not that love either. Truth be told, the love God speaks of: the love of a creator for their creation…and the love of a savior for those in need of salvation…is far bigger, far deeper, far more multi-faceted than anything we could possibly ever comprehend. God’s abounding and steadfast love stands above even the greatest of mysteries – as something we simply cannot understand…something that is a matter of pure faith instead of certain reason. And in my opinion, that makes it all the more beautiful!
Here’s the thing à God’s love didn’t just end on the cross or in the tomb à but has continued throughout time, and calls us to be expressions of that very love today. And perhaps the best way we can do this…is with the two hands we’ve been so purposefully given for the sake of the world around us. Sometimes, these two hands may be used, as the book says, to rock a baby to sleep….or…count all the toes on their tiny pink feet. Other times, these hands might be used to point out feathers and twigs…and…show that small is as special as big. [PAUSE] But more often than not, these two hands, our hands, will be used (as the author writes), to stand ready should right turn to wrong…and…steady the path when a bump comes along. These hands are called to love one another, hold one another, and take away fears…and yes…stand one another back up, and wipe away tears. And when one of God’s children should need comfort and courage and rest - these hands…our hands…God’s given hands - will welcome them back to the nest! These hands, and for the sake of the gospel, can be instruments of love in a world that needs it so desperately. Now certainly, this doesn’t mean that we’ll always get it right. Indeed, there will surely be times when these hands will make mistakes. But our hope is found in the assuring promise that God’s love is infinitely more than ours à and that means that we are free to try again…over, and over, and over.
You know, three months ago, evenings in our house looked drastically different than they do today. While we used to sit back with our feet up à nowadays, our hands are kept busy with a two-month old who requires all of our attention. But what’s wonderful, is that we wouldn’t trade him for the world. For busy hands…have made for happy hearts.
I hope that the same may be true for all God’s people…and the two hands that we have been given for the sake of the gospel. When we set these hands to work, in whatever way we have been called to do so, we will come to know the joy of loving our neighbor just as God loves us. This is our promise. This is God’s commandment. And this, dear friends, is the mission to which we have been called. For we are God’s children. God will never be far. God will love us. And God will care for us. Wherever we are.
May we do likewise.
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