“Dad can I have a glass of water please?”
“No, go to sleep.”
“Dad, I’m thirsty, can I have a glass of water please?”
“NO, go to sleep.”
“Daaaad, I’m really thirsty. Can you get me a glass of water please?”
“No, and if you ask once more I’ll spank you”
(Silence)
“Dad, when you come into spank me can you bring a glass of water please?”
Kids, they can be aggravating, funny, nuisances and 50 other words describing how we view them.
We were all kids at some time, I would venture to guess that we all had some moment when we fit all of the words we might use to describe kids today.
We all have our opinions of how kids should act and when youth crosses a line. For some, kids an just a nuisances, they are too loud, whiney, messy and needy. I don’t think that it is everyone.
Where would our world be without kids….after about 50 years out world would start to die off! As a species on earth we would become extinct in 100 years
Renee and I have started to wonder what it will be like to have a house without kids. We have mixed feelings on that subject which usually depends on a moment by moment relationship.
When I was a kid there were several friends that I would go and visit and sometimes be asked to dinner and occasionally sleepover. Those homes were safe except perhaps for the plans that young boys have that can get them hurt.
I don’t know the exact facts but I know that people are raising their kids differently. There are more kids having kids and more homes that are not safe for their own kids much less for a kid down the street.
In too many homes the children are considered a nuisance. Sometimes they are considered mistakes and the reason the parents lives are so hard.
It is a hard reality that we have to have licenses for almost everything, driving, building, selling and even preaching. However, becoming a parent at any age has no license required. When families have problems because of mistakes and bad choices sometimes the kids get treated as if it was their fault. Many times it can move to a level of abuse.
So where is Tom Going today?
Perhaps most of us don’t value children for what they can teach us. As adults we think we know it all. We have learned at the school of hard knocks. That means we don’t need to listen to a snot-nosed kid, especially when It comes to knowing about the kingdom of God.
In our scripture today, we were reminded about how Jesus viewed children.
Mark describes an event where there were people bringing children to Jesus. They probably wanted Jesus to bless them. He would hold or touch the child and offer a short blessing. It was common for families to bring their children to Rabbi’s and traveling teachers and ask God to bless the child and family.
Most parents want the best for their children and that was no different thousands of years ago. In that time education was limited and unobtainable for most people. With on school to invest in to get a head start so their faith was something they could tap and it led them to seek a blessing every chance they could get.
Mark is describing an event when Jesus is teaching them important things. He has been talking about divorce and adultery. The people start bringing Little Children and wanted Jesus to touch them.
The disciples are aggravated. The people were not invited and the kids are a nuisance. The disciples start fussing at them and trying to send them away.
Jesus gets upset, the word used is “indignant.” That word is one that indicates anger…anger at an injustice or meanness.
His reaction is pointed to the disciples because of their actions toward little children.
Who were the people…. Probably women mothers or grandmothers who gather up the children in their care and found the traveling teacher. Probably most of the children were related to the care giver but there is a big chance that some of the children were the neighbor’s kids or nieces and nephews.
All they want is to see the teacher and receive a touch.
The disciples could be responding to the noise in a form of protection for their teacher, or it may be more of a how dare you interrupt us we are busy people.
Jesus response offers us additional information which we should consider a little deeper.
He says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
What is it that Jesus sees in children? What is it that we need to copy so that we may receive the kingdom of God?
Little children are humble. Little children want help and attention and especially praise from adults. Small children know their place. Mostly that place is in the arms of a parent of other person they know. They want attention from the important people in the room. Children are normally happy to be just one of the crowd and not stand out.
Honesty. Little children have difficulty being less than honest. They will try to deceive but before the age of 4 really can’t fool anyone. They did a study with children of all ages where the children we shown a simple task of concealing a coin in their hand and allowing an observer to choose a hand. Under the age of 4 the child was unable to deceive an adult because they always made it obvious which hand contained the coin.
Children Trust. When they are really small they will go to anyone. Later it does not take long for a small child to warm up to a stranger that is talking to mommy and daddy. When they are young they accept authority. In a new situation a child will be guided by their parents and that will be unquestioned. I know that doesn’t last very long, but even when willfulness rears its head there is still that instinctive turning to mom and dad in children.
Another sign of trust is shown is in the confidence that a child has in other people, children grow up with the view that people are good and that the world is a marvelous place.
For the majority of children there is no question that when they say hello to someone else - that person will want to speak to them. There is no question that a perfect stranger will want to hear about their illness or injury or perhaps some intimate detail that their parents wished would remain less public. They believe that strangers want to look at their books or toys in the doctor’s waiting room.
As we grow up distrust takes over, I guess it starts from being let down and hurt therefore we learn from experience to distrust. By the time we reach adulthood most people know that there are no free lunches and if a stranger pays attention to you … you better be careful.
Another thing that children have is a short memory. When our children were small, we would often tell them to stop or don’t and eventually might have to remove the child from the temptation or offer other punishment. The face would turn red and screams of anger would ring through the air. Sometimes an extended tantrum with stomping and hitting. Their anger at me looked absolute, but it never lasted long, sometimes minutes occasionally an hour and the child is I my lap.
When they were a little older, perhaps time to leave the play ground, the famous words, I HATE YOU!. A similar face and stomping the ground as they storm away to the car of fight my grip as they are pulled. However in a few hours or by the next day I received forgiveness and I love you daddy becomes common again.
As adults we tend to remember a little longer, Sometime we just remember the anger but not how it started.
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ST LUKE ending
Jesus teaches that we can only become a citizen of the kingdom of God by becoming like a child… Notice that it is not to become childish.
So, exactly what did Christ mean that with a view to entering the kingdom of heaven the disciples must become like little children? Jesus was saying that in a child we see the characteristics that should mark the man and woman of the Kingdom.
There are many lovely characteristics in a child – the power to wonder, the power to forgive and forget, innocence, simplicity, frankness, obedience, etc.
The disciples and each of us need to be open to the idea that children can be great role models for us.
One thing I have learned from Children, If you, an all powerful adult pays attention to them…They must be special….
In return they will give you an unconditional love that makes you smile when you see them. Because they want to sit in your lap and give you a dig hug.
As a child of God, I hope that you offer God you love and want to climb up in his lap in good times and bad. That you have a love in your heart for all the attention given to you by our father.
All Glory be to God!
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FOR Shannon
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I have a second scripture for you this morning:
Matt 18
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Matthew tells us that the disciples were asking the question, ”Who will be the greatest in Heaven?” Jesus calls over a child and again he tells the disciples and us that to be in heaven we must be like a child.
Folks I believe that Jesus gives us a simple description of how to accept the grace of God. We must be humble, honest ,trusting, know out place in the kingdom. We must KNOW that it is all a gift from our heavenly Father.
It sounds simple, but I don’t think it is. To be like a child, but not Childish is a very hard task. Then Jesus adds another obligation.
He says, "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
This is the main point of the day. As Christians in this world we are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, because he already bought our lives by giving his.
Jesus expects us to welcome little children.
Jesus expects us to be the safe house down the road. The one where His children are invited in and fed, taught and shown that Jesus Christ loves the little children.
If we fail to live as Christ in this world and open ourselves and our abilities to less fortunate children I am afraid that we are rejecting the ones he would send to our care.
VBS is one of the few things we do to reach out into our community. As a church, we have been faithful in a minimum kind of way. There are many individuals that work to exhaustion because we are understaffed.
Unfortunately, we only reach a small number of children because we let VBS be a secret. Not that we can handle many more children. There are just so many more out there that could be reached and potentially touched if we went to the trouble to get the word out.
If we decide to do VBS correctly we all will be involved in the invitation and nurtured of the community children. We would want to take each of them to meet Jesus if he were in town.
The thing is we can let them be touched by Jesus, because we are Jesus to the people around us. We are the ones that can bless and hold and change people.
If we will, we are the ones that become indignant when someone hinders the children.
Folks VBS is an invitation to the children of this neighborhood that says, that they are important. They are loved …for no special reason… that this house down the road is safe and special.
All Glory be to God!
Communion
There is one more thing that young children do that I think we need to consider for our selves. Their love is unconditional. Most of us have experience the welcome of a child when you come through the door, excitement and mayhem. If you pay attention to a child their love for you is natural and real.
One thing I have learned from Children, If you, an all powerful adult pays attention to them…They must be special….
In return they will give you an unconditional love that makes you smile when you see them. Because they want to sit in your lap and give you a dig hug.
As a child of God, I hope that you offer God you love and want to climb up in his lap in good times and bad. That you have a love in your heart for all the attention given to you by our father.
