Magic!

Listen to the Psalmist: “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.” (Ps. 89:15 NKJV)

Think back for a moment to your childhood. Can you remember the joyful sound that whirled and popped and whistled it’s pied piper call? It called us from our cartoons, our play, our chores. It was like the TV commercial with heads popping up above the cubicles looking for a Krispy Kreeme. Like Pavlov's dogs, we would begin to drool and tilt our heads in order to better hear the melodious sonnet that heralded...The Ice Cream Truck!

There was no greater sound in all of the world on a hot, sticky, summer Saturday in Georgia. From every corner of the neighborhood we would come running, either toward the corner, or toward home seeking dad and his endless pocketful of quarters. So rapt was our attention that we barley noticed the music track dragging or the fading and peeling paint job, and a rather scary clown face on the side. It was as magic as it gets. Think about it, for a mere 25¢, one had the purchasing power of a millionaire. A cherry screwball (with a gumball in the bottom, of course), or an ice-cream sandwich? A tougher decision has never been made on Wall Street. I usually opted for the screwball. The gum was hard, tasteless, and lasted only a few minutes before becoming unchompable rubber, but I’ve always been a sucker for the two-for-one deal. And remember the wooden spoons. Ice cream has such better palatability when eaten from balsa wood.

My kids had the experience for a little while when we lived in Tennessee. Luke’s favorite was the Red Power Ranger popsicle, although he would sometimes go for the SpongeBob Squaresicle. Stevie liked the Strawberry Cheesecake bar thingy. Shea was a teen by this point, and way too cool for the Ice Cream Truck. But she does love mint chocolate chip! Of course, I had to purchase a Cherry Screwball for myself—quality testing is Dad’s number one job! And, it was no longer a quarter. A small business loan is required for purchasing dreams these days!

Nevertheless, let me ask you a question: “When the voice of the Lord calls out to you, do you respond to it with the same childlike enthusiasm that you showed at the approach of the ice cream truck?” We should. When the call to worship is played this Sunday, will we tilt our heads and call our souls to rapt attention at the thought of worshipping God? Will we sing to the Lord a new song, worshipping Him in spirit and truth? It is my fervent prayer that the name of the Lord bring joy to our hearts and smiles to our faces. May we run to our “Daddy”, not for a quarter and a gumball, but merely for the joy of being in His presence!