Welcoming the Child

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a     Mark 9:30-37

September 20, 2009

They all must have been tired.  They were on the road for quite some time, traveling and bringing Jesus and his message from place to place.  All along the way, Jesus taught them too, as if it were important not to waste a moment.  This particular day, Jesus had been going over the fact that he would be betrayed and then killed and rise again after three days.  Mark, the author of this particular gospel, states that the disciples did not understand what Jesus was talking about, but that they were all too afraid to ask him to explain it.  I imagine the subject was pretty threatening to them.  Instead of focusing on what he was saying, they began to whisper among themselves about who in their little group might be the greatest of all.  If we were there, we might hear, underlying the conversations, their insecurities.  They each wanted to know that what they were doing was important and valued.  They wanted to be certain that Jesus was aware of them and of the sacrifices they had made to undertake these journeys, to engage in the ministry to which they had felt called.  I love how Jesus cuts to the chase here by setting a child right in the middle of them.  He hugged the child, making him feel safe and warm and welcome.  And then he told them something that has challenged the church ever after.  he said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.  Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

What does it mean to “welcome such a one as this”?  How do we really welcome a child into a church setting?  We have activities for them, sure, but it seems that Jesus might have had more in mind that just keeping them busy while we do our own thing, don’t you think?  I wondered for awhile if Jesus might have meant that we should focus church life around children.  Although there may be some ways in which we might want to do this, there are other scriptures where we hear that it is important to start eating adult food, and going deeper into our faith than we might have been able to do as children or young believers.  There is definitely affirmation given in scripture for maturing in the faith, and yet here Jesus is holding a child.  When I was expecting my daughters, there were some women who thought I was selling out by becoming a mother.  They believed that it was important to build a career, and that having children would get in the way of really crafting the optimum career path.  About that time I ran into a wonderful quote that I took to heart.  it said, “Sure children get in your way, but where are you going?” 

I have always thought of this quote as a personal thing, something to help me along my path of balancing work and parenting, partnership and time for the self.  But as I worked on this sermon, as I pondered just what Jesus was attempting to teach his followers by holding that child in their midst, I realized that it has meaning and significance for the church as well.  It could be a very helpful practice for us, to imagine the impact of whatever we are considering on the children in our church family and beyond.  And while we are thinking about the children who are actually young at this point in time, maybe we also ought to consider the children who are within every one of us no matter what our age?  The needs and wants of children are usually pretty simple.  There is a part of us that really only wants the simplest of things - a warm hug when we are lonely, a shoulder to cry on when we are sad, a hand to hold when we go somewhere scary; and the truth is that warm cookies and cold milk go an awfully long way toward making everything else okay.  Young children, especially, are also not very good at being second for anything.  They like to be special and to be told how special they are.  There is a part of each of us that can relate to this, I imagine.  Truthfully, this may have even been at the root of the disciples’ argument over who was to be the greatest among them.  They needed to know that who they were and what they were doing counted for something and to someone.  

Another gift that children bring to light for us is that of living in the present moment.  This is at least a part of why waiting is so very difficult for them, whether it is waiting for their turn to use a special toy or waiting for Grandma to come for a visit.  Children are restless and antsy until the promised possibility finally becomes a reality.  I am this way myself, quite often.  I don’t like waiting to see how things play out or how a possibility unfurls.  I would much rather cut to the chase and see everything work out here and now.  I am not sure if this is childlike energy or a symptom of my creeping battles with forgetfulness.  If I don’t do something now, I may forget about it altogether.  Maybe this forgetfulness is the ultimate form of living in the present moment?  I don’t really think so, but it is a bit of a comfort to me to consider that there could be a positive side to it.  Being truly present here and now, as children often are, allows us  the luxury of learning how to really pay attention to what is going on around us and right under our noses.  It is strange how easy it can be to actually miss what is happening in front of us.  In the classic tale, "The Emperor's New Clothes," it takes a little boy to point out what the entire town is unwilling to recognize - the fact that the Emperor has been hoodwinked and instead of parading through town in fine garments he is naked.  Welcoming the child is not a guarantee that we will see everything we need to see, but it is a start.

If we were to look at things from a child's perspective, are there ways to re-imagine our church and what we offer so that newly discovered needs might be met?  How might we pay attention differently?  Jesus claimed that when we welcome a child, we are actually welcoming him and in welcoming him, we welcome the One who sent him.  It is difficult for us to wrap our minds around this idea.  We see children as needing to learn about the world and ourselves as the ones to teach them.  We don't expect children to teach us, really, and yet anyone who has been around children for any length of time knows that they often do have a way of getting us to see things from a new perspective - a fresh perspective.

I can still see Jesus talking with his disciples in that small gathering.  I can still see him hold that small child in a warm and caring hug as he spoke to the “big people” about what it means to follow him.  I can still see the “big people” squirming a bit as they considered how much Jesus required them to stretch themselves, to learn new things and grow in different ways than the rest of the world valued.  So, maybe we need to imagine that child in our midst.  Maybe we need to consider just how we could pay attention to the kind of community Jesus would want us to be here and now in service to all of the people who are in our midst, even the children.

Father, Mother God, we are all your children, and yet we don’t often see others in this way.  Help us to open our hearts and our doors and welcome all who need a place to come home.  Show us new ways of seeing ourselves, this church and the ministry you have called us to.  May we follow Jesus well.  May we welcome all of your children always.  Amen.