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This past Sunday (It is 7/20/26 as I write this) our congregation was treated to one of the sweetest performances we have had in awhile. One of our Sunday School kiddos, Scarlett Warrington, offered a solo and sang, "Jesus Loves Me". As her mom recorded her performance from the pew, I had a different view from where I was sitting up front looking out at the congregation.
At 6 years old, Scarlett claimed she as nervous prior, but when she began her singing it was the confidence of an old pro, combined with the tender gentleness of a child that touched every single heart.
What stood out to me the most, however, was seeing the faces...young and old alike...as they sat forward in their pews as if to offer their own encouragement to the pig-tailed performer. Each person in the Sanctuary may not have realized it, but we all really needed to hear the innocent declaration coming from the voice of a young one reminding us all that, "Yes...Jesus Loves Me."
Far too frequently we jaded adults cloak Jesus in our own judgment, and wrap ourselves up in our seeming failures. We find it impossible to actually embrace the message that we are beloved ones. Imperfect, yes, but always cherished, always worth investing in, and always seen by God as precious.
As Scarlett's voice, light and youthful, carried through to the end of the song so many of us learned when we were also in our "single digit" years, maybe a few of us were able to take that simple message in at a deeper level.
A standing ovation greeted her when she finished singing and bounced back to the pew where her proud parents and grandparents were awaiting her with open arms, it was likely the most important and best message delivered in our Sanctuary in a long time, for nothing sticks as much as the truth offered out of the mouth of one whose soul has yet to be darkened too much by the statements and actions of others who judge us harshly, leading us to think God judges us as others do.
So, this week, remember that Yes, Jesus Loves You...because Scarlett told you so~!
In Light and Love,
Rev. Cindy
