Welcome Little Children

Some people began bringing little children to Jesus so that he would touch them. But the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said, “Let the little children come to me! Do not hinder them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen I tell you: Whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:13–15)

Children can be disruptive. If you're trying to have an adult conversation or in a meeting, children can be annoyingly disruptive. Sometimes children can be disruptive in church too. And that can be frustrating. They can make it hard to hear or hard to pay attention. When that happens, we may want to say something to that parent or that child. But we need to stop and remember what Jesus did when people were bringing little children to him.

The disciples saw these children as annoying and disruptive. Jesus was too busy, in their minds, to deal with these little children. So they tried to send the parents and the children away. But Jesus was beautifully angry with them. “Let the little children come to me! Do not hinder them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” you can hear him gently but firmly telling the disciples.

Those children mattered to Jesus. They needed him just as much as the adults that were coming to him. In fact, they modeled faith. They trusted without asking questions or rationalizing everything. Children were important to Jesus.

Children are still important to Jesus, even when they are being disruptive in church. While we may see them as distracting, we do not see the learning that is happening. As they listen to the readings and the hymns being sung, they learn about a savior who loved them and they trust it. They don’t question it or try to rationalize it. They simply believe. May we imitate the faith of children in our lives and may we welcome children to hear about Jesus with open and loving arms, no matter how noisy and disruptive they may be. Amen.

The song for today is "Jesus Friend of Little Children / Jesus Loves Me" by Keith and Kristyn Getty

"Jesus Friend of Little Children / Jesus Loves Me" by Keith and Kristyn Getty