Questions, questions

If you've spent any time around 4-year-olds, you know that they love to ask questions - lots and lots of questions. "Why?" is a popular one, along with "What is...?" and "Can I...?" and so many more. 

On days when I am full of patience and feeling charitable, I enjoy answering the wild and wonderful questions of my own dear 4-year-old. And, on other days, the incessant, mind-bending questions he comes up with just about drive me bonkers, and I finally respond to yet another "Why?" with an exasperated "Because it just is!". On those days, I try to offer a distraction, take a break, and sit somewhere in silence trying to remind myself that his questions are gifts. They're a sign of curiosity, a sign that he's paying attention to the world around him and wants to know more.

Photo by Joseph Rosales on Unsplash

By the time we make it to adulthood, our questions are much more infrequent. I think one reason is that we become conditioned to care about what other people think of us, and we worry that asking too many questions might reveal how much we don't know. We don't want to seem ignorant or uninformed or rude, and so we just don't ask, even if it results in confusion or misunderstandings. Perhaps another reason we stop asking questions is because of our certainty that we already know the answers. Asking questions might lead to the discomfort that comes with uncertainty and new ways of seeing the world.

In last Sunday's Gospel text from Mark 10, Jesus welcomes children and blesses them, despite his disciples' objections. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them;" Jesus says, "for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." 

I wonder if part of what it means to receive the kingdom of God as a little child is to ask more questions. 

Over time, I've come to believe that faith is more about questions than answers, more about wonder and mystery than certainty. This is familiar territory for us as Lutherans. We push back against binary either/or thinking, instead embracing the expansiveness of both/and. We ask along with Luther in the Small Catechism, "What does this mean?"

Assured of our salvation by grace alone, we know that our questions and ponderings and uncertainty will not jeopardize our status as God's beloved children. Instead, asking questions can be a way to connect us to one another, as we wonder together about God and creation and meaning. Asking "What is...?" about our theology or worship practices can be a way to uncover deeper meaning and hidden richness in our traditions. Asking "Why?" can help us drill down to truths about our purpose and goals as individuals and as a congregation.

So - what big and small questions are tucked away in your heart and mind? My prayer is that you will be brave and child-like enough to ask, so that we can explore and wonder together.

Bonus Resources:

• This bookmark from the Book of Faith initiative offers some great questions to ask while reading the Bible. Let me know if you'd like a hard copy!
• Written by a variety of faith leaders, the book When Kids Ask Hard Questions covers a wide range of topics, from bodies and mental illness to race, grief, and generosity.