Exhuberant Worship

My youngest daughter babysits for families from our church.
She is following in her sister’s footsteps.
She is following her mother as well.

I loved babysitting.
I especially loved the family that I babysat for almost exclusively.
They had three children: boy, girl, boy.

The girl and I were kindred spirits.
Alone, we would have been outnumbered.
But together, we were a formidable team.

I read Amelia Bedelia books to my children when they were young.
They are about a British nanny who took everything literally.
I lived those stories with these children.
I still smile thinking of the memories.

Putting them to bed, hearing the request for one more glass of water, one more story.
Get in Bed became my go-to statement.
My “kindred spirit” would beckon me to come upstairs.

As I walked upstairs I would hear giggling and whispers.
I would find two boys following my directions perfectly.
They were IN bed…between the mattress and the box spring!

The sound of their parent’s car in the driveway was the motivation they needed.
You never saw anyone get in bed as fast as those boys.

Any trouble?
Were they good for you?
Yes…my “always” response.

They were.
The creative side of me enjoyed their Amelia Bedelia ways.
I just couldn’t tell them that at the time.

The family had a cute little dog named Jumpy.
Jumpy was good company for those later evenings after the children were asleep.
One night I came over to discover Jumpy on the back porch.
He was to stay there.

To this day, I don’t know why he was there, but I followed the directions.
After the children had been in bed for a while, I heard a noise.
It was a rhythmic sound, but I couldn’t determine where it was coming from.
It was not coming from upstairs…I was sure of that!

I walked around listening and looking.
I realized it was coming from the back of the house.
I walked into the kitchen, ready to open the back door if need be.

Suddenly, through the window of the kitchen door, I saw a figure pop up.
Down it went with a thud.
Up again and down…the same rhythmic sound I had heard.

I had the courage to turn on the porch light, only to discover Jumpy.
Jumpy, the cute little dog, was leaping in the air.
Up and down again…in perfect rhythm…high enough to see in the window.

Jumpy was lonely.
He wasn’t used to being out on the porch alone it seemed.
He wanted desperately to see inside the house.
He would have opened the door with his paw if he could.

Amelia Bedelia followed directions literally.
The boys followed directions literally…just to be funny.
I had to follow directions literally and leave Jumpy out on the porch.
Mystery solved…though that cute little dog sure got his exercise that night.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was chief tax collector, and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost. (Luke 19:1-10)

Zacchaeus and Jumpy…both wanted to see something very badly.
To others looking on, their behavior seemed foolish.
Jump up and down all night just to see through a small window?
Climb a tree because your height would not allow you to see Jesus?

Sometimes, our passionate desire to see Jesus overtakes us.
We don’t care what people think.
We don’t care what we look like in that pursuit.

King David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem.
He worshiped with great abandon, leaping and dancing before the Lord.
When criticized for his exuberant worship, David responded truthfully.

I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. (2 Samuel 6:21,22)

Jumpy was in good company.
It is easy to act foolish when you love something that much!

Zacchaeus and David knew that feeling.
Worshiping Jesus is all that matters.
Exuberant worship.

Jump up and down…leap…dance…climb a tree.
Literally.