This summer we met "Ed". A little guy named Marcus decided that he was about due for a name change and he begged us to start calling him Ed. Today we're sitting at our inner city after-school club and he just bounds in the door sliding across the floor in his filthy socks. All smiles. He goes from table to table where we have board games set up. He takes a little time with each game, all the while humming away at some song that is running through his head. Then he dives to the floor and slides on his stomach to the other side of the room. It's what I imagine Superman would do if he were a snake. He clutches a box of dominoes and dumps them on the floor. Still humming a tune. He swears he's going to create the longest line of dominos and then topple them over. There are only about 30 dominoes so he has to settle for a shorter world record. After he places the last domino he stands up and admires his work. I watch as he flicks the end of the line with his finger. As the dominoes fall that nine-year old jumps up in the air yelling. Then he runs a circle around me and says, "LET'S DO IT AGAIN!!"

Now I begin to understand why God kept saying, "You must be like a child." Ed's a wonder.

I was telling the kids that Jesus was a boy once, just like them. Ed shot up into the air and yelled out, "Woo hoo!!!" I was a little taken aback and realized that there was really nothing more to say. With that unconventional phrase Ed had captured everything I was trying to communicate.

When was the last time I untethered my joy in light of the fact that God himself came to earth? I forget to marvel in Heaven's remarkable connection to us. Maybe next week I'll ask Ed to teach me that little dance he does every time he gets excited about something. The Creator of the world cares about us! Our celebration is long overdue. So consider adding a couple new words to your theological vocabulary: woo hoo. You might be surprised how well they fit.