April 2008
Welcoming Little Children in Jesus’ Name
“People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.”
Mark 10:13-16
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Greetings in the name of our risen Lord. What a wonderful thing it was to be here among you as your pastor for the celebration of Easter. The sanctuary was beautiful, adorned with lilies everywhere. The music was magnificent thanks to the hard work of Sue Sylvester and the vocal and bell choirs. Perhaps what struck me most, though, about Easter here at St. Mark was the presence of so many children in worship.
We had children decked out in their Easter finery, including hats, even one little girl in a matching outfit with her American Girl doll. We had big kids and little kids, some who sat still and most who were restless, at least some of the time. We had babies making joyful noises to the Lord and one little guy so eager for God’s grace that he tried to grab his mother’s communion cup
spilling grape juice all over the rail and the cushions and his mom! What a wonderful testament to we are as the church!
There is a children’s song I’ve learned that goes:
“I am the church
You are the church
We are the church together.
All of God’s people
All around the world
Yes, we’re the church together.”
Often we talk about children as the future of the church, implying that somehow, because they haven’t been confirmed or they don’t yet take communion, they are second class citizens in the church who will rise to first class status at some later date. The lesson we learn from Jesus, however, is that children are the church NOW. They are as much a part of what it means to be the church as any of the rest of us, even if they don’t have voting privileges. After all, voting only makes you a church member, not a disciple of Jesus.
Many of the best disciples of Jesus I know are children. One of our own here at St. Mark, Brianne Carroll, demonstrates what it is to live a life following Jesus as well as anyone I know. After her own bout with cancer, Brie started an organization to raise money to support camps and programs for pediatric oncology patients. Check out the flyer about Brie’s Buddies annual golf tournament included in this newsletter.
Our children have loads to teach us about prayer and encouragement and evangelism and service. We need to welcome them with open arms, as Jesus did, recognizing they are God’s children. If we want them to grow up and run the church someday, we need to help them experience what it means to be the church now. That means bringing our children to worship, not just to Sunday school. That means involving children in service opportunities. That means providing nursery care to make families with young children feel welcome. That means tolerating the cheerios on the floor and the inevitable distractions during worship from fussy babies and active toddlers. People often ask me how I can lead worship and preach surrounded by the din of lots of little children. “I used to teach ninth grade,” I answer, “I can keep talking over anything!”
My children and I have been blessed by the welcome we have received here at St. Mark. Let us continue to welcome little children in Jesus’ name.
Peace,
Pastor Linda
