Faith like a child

The sermon text at church today was a lovely one, from Ephesians, the bit about "so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know the hope to which God has called you..." and it goes on in such a manner for a few more verses. It's poetry, really, and it hit home a little bit today, with the help of a still small voice.

We were praying, see; I think it was the prayer of the day. The pastor went up to the front in his long black robe, led us in prayer, and wrapped it up with the customary, convincing Amen. Then another little voice echoed his from the back of the room: "A-men!" There was general shuffling as heads turned to see who had anted up with this spontaneous shout of agreement. I held my breath for a moment: will it be considered aberration or contribution, source of irritation or joy? I exhaled as the cuteness factor trumped the disruption factor.

It was the little Anna, 18 months old and adorable, growing up with the luxury and the challenge of two languages and two cultures at her house. The particular word in question, however, isn't one she'll have to learn twice. 'Amen' is pretty intercultural.

Approving murmurs from the congregation. Heck, you can't fault anyone for overeager amen-ing. 'Specially an adorable youngster.

And then it was time to say the Creed together, to proclaim a litany of complicated theological arguments underscored by centuries of philosophical debate. We came to the end: "Ich glaube an den Heiligen Geist, die heilige christliche Kirche, Gemeinschaft der Heiligen, Vergebung der Suenden, Auferstehung der Toten, und das ewige Leben. Amen."

And in all earnestness, Anna chimed in: "Amen! Amen! A-men!"

After learning a language by immersion in the culture, I have a better appreciation for how exhausting it must be to be a little kid, learning to name the world, absorbing the rules that will govern everything from now on. Clearly Anna has figured out how one of those rules works: when somebody else says "Amen", that's her cue to repeat it with feeling. And if once is good, three times must be better: "Amen! Amen! A-men!"

Really, it's not a bad thing to have learned. If you're in a place where you can trust the big people to take care of you and keep you out of harm's way - a place where you know you're protected and loved - then why not give a hearty shout of Amen! when prompted? Maybe it's not always necessary to understand all the philosophical mumbo-jumbo. Maybe doing what's expected of you is enough sometimes.