Children's Sabbath

Mark 10:13-27   NT p. 43 or 1240

[13] People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them.

[14] 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.

[15] Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."

[16] And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

[17] As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

[18] Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

[19] You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.' "

[20] He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth."

[21] Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

[22] When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

[23] Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"

[24] And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

[25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

[26] They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"

[27] Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

INTRODUCTION:

John, age 4, kept asking his mother what the "creature" said last week. She finally told him, with annoyance, that she didn't know what creature he was talking about.

"You know that creature!" John said. "He is the master of our church!" (The preacher!) (1)

I liked that story from Grace Witwer Housholder's: The Funny Kids Project because it reminds me of a little boy in one of the churches we served. That's what he called me for the first year we were there. I was always, the "new creature." Which isn't bad theology but it's not very accurate otherwise.

And I like that story because I'm anything but the "master of our church." We have only one Master and that's Jesus, the Christ, the living and risen Son of God.

Today's passage from our Bible Study is one about becoming new creatures. It's also about Who truly is the master of our lives and our faith. And it all comes through Jesus teaching about children.

Jesus says: "Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." [15]

This morning there are two things I want us to discern from this passage, especially since we are celebrating Children's Sabbath. First: Children can teach us about the SIMPLICITY OF FAITH. And Second they can teach us about RADICAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD.

I. SIMPLICITY OF FAITH:

A. Our children have a simple faith. It hasn't been burdened with tons of knowledge or skewed with personal opinions. A child's faith takes things at face value.

One Sunday afternoon after church and Sunday school the whole family decided to take a leisurely drive to where Grandpa and Grandma had lived on a farm when Dad had been a boy. Grandma pointed out the little country church where Dad had gone to Sunday school. The kids were excited when they got out of the car and began to run around the church yard, asking all kinds of questions. They pulled the solid heavy doors open and stepped in to behold the beauty of God's house.

After a while, they all went back in the car, everyone but Dan, young Mr. Explorer. Little Dan flew to Mom's side with eyes bigger than half dollars. Hanging onto her leg, shaking, he said, "He's in there, Momma, he's in there! God's in there, I heard him!"

Mom said, "Church services are over Dan, no one is in there."

Dan insisted, "Yes, God is, I heard him close the door."

They walked back in the heavy door and heard a bang as the wind caught the inside foyer doors. (2)

Childlike faith is so precious! It might have been the wind in that parent's mind but there was no doubt in that child's mind that God was in that Church. And why not? That's where you go to meet God isn't it? That's where you go to worship God, isn't it? The Church is God's House. Why wouldn't God be there?

It's logical. And it's simple. And something that challenges us. How many of you came to Church today expecting to meet God? How many of you came to worship today expecting to hear God? If you didn't, you should. That's why we worship. And that's one of the things the simple faith of our children can teach us.

B. They also teach us where to turn during the events and activities of everyday life and in times of crisis, like September 11th.

Becca, age 2, was staying with her grandparents for a couple of days. After lunch, Becca asked Grandma if she could ride their horse. Grandma told her not now, it's time for a nap. So, Becca turned to a higher authority Grandpa and asked him if she could go for a "short" ride. Grandpa told her it was time to rest.

Then Becca went to an even higher authority and said, "Well, what I want to know is, what does God have to say about it?" (3)

You know, we would all be better off if we asked the same question as Becca about everything we do. "What does God have to say about it?" Our children's simple faith teaches us where to turn.

C. And the simplicity of our children's faith teaches us how to be involved in ministry and how THEY can be involved in ministry with us. The tragedy of September 11th has generated a wealth of stories about heroic acts and faith in the lives of our children.

Schools across the country are struggling to find ways to help students cope with the feelings they have about our national tragedy. Here are just a couple of stories from teachers that have been posted at www.RedCross.org.

The 364 children in our elementary school in Connecticut each pledged one dollar and the teachers and staff added their contributions for a total of $1,614.00 which was given to "Americares" on September 14.

My first graders created a book entitled, "WE LOVE YOU NEW YORK." We shared our thoughts about what happened and sent our prayers and best wishes for healing and recovery. The book was sent to Hunter College Elementary, a school for gifted and talented students in New York City.

Another teacher writes: "As a junior high English teacher in Louisiana, I was able to do several activities in the classroom related to the recent tragedy. The seventh and eighth graders organized an American Red Cross donation drive for two school days, and we were able to raise about $750.00 (not too bad for a small, rural school). The students felt like they were helping and contributing in a small way." (4)

Plus there are tons of stories about how individual children have actually reached out and ministered to those involved in the tragedy.

Workers at the World Trade Center disaster site can read thank-you cards while they take a meal break at a Red Cross respite center.

"I just wanted to help the hurt people," said a five-year-old Houston girl in a letter.

Another young girl wrote "It just made me so sad, I wanted to help."

Notes have been posted at Red Cross relief centers at the Pentagon and in New York City for all to see and glean comfort from.

Pinned on one of the relief tents at the Pentagon is a brightly-colored note from Brittany Holts, a 12-year-old who dropped off her thank-you card at the Arlington, Va., chapter of the Red Cross:

"Thank you firefighters for all you have done. My dad works in the North Wing of the Pentagon, but it could have been reversed, and he could have been lost. You have done your best to find the lost ones, and I just want you all to know you are thanked."

One child's picture of a big red heart with a crack down the center creatively illustrates the feeling people around the country have been experiencing since Sept. 11 - heartbreak. His message of thanks and sorrow reads:

"Dear Rescue Workers, I want to thank you for saving people in the Pentagon. I know that some of your people were in the building when it fell. I am very sorry some of your people got caught in it when it fell."

And I think my favorite story of all. One group of children from Arlington, Va., set up a lemonade stand on their street the first weekend after the attack. Under an American flag and a Red Cross sign, the 9- to 14-year-olds sold lemonade, baked goods and dog biscuits to passers-by. Many residents offered to pay a little more than the prices listed, it seems.

"The kids arrived on Monday afternoon at the Pentagon disaster headquarters [set up near the Arlington Red Cross chapter] with $1,140.20. The cash was stuffed into a Folgers coffee can." The 11 children were tired and sunburned from hours of sidewalk selling, but they all broke out in grins as Red Cross volunteers clapped and cheered.

Michael Spencer, a Red Cross disaster volunteer said, "Everyone wants to help. Young people like this are our heroes, too." (5)

Children can teach us about the SIMPLICITY OF FAITH.

II. RADICAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD:

A. Our children can also teach us about RADICAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. You see that's really what this passage is about. We like to sentimentalize our children and their relationship with God. But if you're a parent you know that as innocent as our children are, there is evidence of the fall in each and everyone of them.

They get into trouble. They do the very things we tell them not to do. They break the rules. They break our hearts. They sound just like us in our relationship with God, don't they? And that's part of the point.

Grandma Betty was visiting her three granddaughters when she asked the 4-year-old when she would start school. The 4-year-old said she would start next year. And because the little girl is very talkative and feisty, Grandma said, "When you start school you will have to be a good girl or you'll get into a lot of trouble."

The little girl's question was, "Nana, how do you be good?" (6)

Her question echoes what the disciples asked a few verses after our passage. Jesus was talking about the difficulty of the rich getting into the Kingdom of God. The majority of people in that day thought wealth was a sign of God's favor. So, the disciples were shocked and bewildered when Jesus said it would be hard for the wealthy to gain the Kingdom of God.

There reaction was total dismay and they asked "Then who can be saved?" [vs 26]

B. And that's where the teaching about children comes in. Jesus wasn't really talking about childlike innocence and faith, though I think some of that was there. But the heart of what Jesus was talking about was RADICAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD.

You see, the reason Jesus says we must become like children is that in that particular time, the child was totally and radically dependent upon the father of the family. It was a time of a totally Patriarchal Society. The father, the head of the household had the final word on everything. Even whether or not the child would live or be accepted after its birth. That child remained dependent upon the will and authority of the father even into and through adulthood.

That's foreign to us. We're so fiercely independent we can't hardly fathom this kind of radical dependence. But that was the culture of the time. That's the culture that still feeds much of the world. And that's what Jesus was trying to teach the disciples.

They understood the culture, they were a part of it. They understood this whole idea of RADICAL DEPENDENCE. (7)

And the reason Jesus says that it will be hard for a rich person to enter into the Kingdom of God is because most wealthy people depend upon their wealth and position and not God.

What we're challenged to do is to have a RADICAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD.

Especially now. We are living in turbulent times. We are living in a time when we're looking for answers and solutions. We're living in a time that some would like to see as an incubator for fear. They want to make us afraid to do the normal stuff. They want us to be afraid to do the everyday things like opening our mail. Their whole purpose is to disrupt our lives and fill it with fear.

But there is no room for fear when you are RADICALLY DEPENDENT UPON GOD. Because God promises to be with us. The Son of God promises to walk with us. And the Holy Spirit of God fills our hearts bringing comfort, strength and perseverance.

Now is the time we need to have faith like a child. Now is the time for us to RADICALLY DEPEND UPON GOD.

CONCLUSION:

Rachel, age 5, was sitting with her parents in church. She observed her mother bowing her head after she had been served communion. Rachel leaned over and whispered, "What are you doing?"

Her mother replied, "I'm trying to remember what Jesus has done for me."

A few minutes passed by and again Rachel leaned over and whispered, "Did you remember what it was yet?" (8)

It's always good to remember what Jesus did for us. He gave His life on the cross for our sin. He offers us forgiveness and salvation. And He offers us eternal life.

Today, let us remember what God has done for us through Jesus, the Christ. Let us remember and give thanks for ourselves. And that His grace and love have touched the lives of our children.

Let us remember that "He is the master of our church!"

Let us listen to our children as they teach us about the SIMPLICITY OF FAITH.

And let us respond to God like our children with a RADICAL DEPENDENCE UPON GOD.

1. from Brenda Raby, Austin, Texas. The Funny Kids Project. Grace Witwer Housholder, Kendallville, IN

2. The Funny Kids Project. Grace Witwer Housholder, Kendallville, IN

3. Jennifer Gates of Sisters, Oregon, Kid Warmers 10/8/01

4. Gleaned from the www.RedCross.org site.

5. Gleaned from an article Written by Julie Irby, Volunteer Staff Writer, www.RedCross.org

6. from Betty Fretwell of Modesto, Calif., The Funny Kids Project. Grace Witwer Housholder, Kendallville, IN

7. The New Interpreter's Bible, Abingdon, software version.

8. from Mr. and Mrs. Geoff Paddock, Yukon, Okla., The Funny Kids Project. Grace Witwer Housholder, Kendallville, IN

9. from Reading for Rainbows: Resources for Creative Worship by Ann Weems, Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1980.