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"One Such Child"
Pentecost 16B
September 19-20, 2009
Mark 9:30-37
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I was talking with one of our youngsters in the Celebration Center between services last Sunday. It was Rally Day and we had kids and parents, teachers, and folks drinking coffee and eating doughnuts and cookies all over. A bounce house and maze outside and activities inside – there were a lot of people present. Our youngster suddenly realized that mom was nowhere in sight, not in her sight anyway, and I saw a look of panic forming on her face. Fortunately grandpa came walking up at that very moment and all was well. At least for the moment. We don’t often think that children have insecurities, fears, concerns, just the same way we do. We don’t always realize that children pick up on our insecurities, fears, concerns – oh, we know kids are vulnerable, helpless in many respects, but we don’t equate their feelings with our own. I was privileged to spend time with some of our young people in one-on-one prayer during Vacation Bible School a couple of months ago. I was privileged but I was also awestruck, humbled by the prayers that some of the young people asked me to pray. Prayers for grandpa because grandma just died and he’s sad and lonely and lives far away. Prayers for daddy because he doesn’t have a job. Prayers for grandpa because he’s sick and might die. Prayers for mommy and daddy because they might get a divorce. Looking at their faces, seeing tears and sadness brought a sense of responsibility to my heart in an unexpected way, as pastor, as a dad myself, as a grandpa, as a teacher of children, as one of Christ’s disciples. I was moved to tear up and having a hard time speaking. Fortunately during the middle of my prayers with the youngsters one young boy came up and asked me to pray that he would get a chameleon. It brought a smile to my face and not only did I pray for a chameleon but I thanked God for the moment that brought a smile to my face in the midst of such sadness and concern from the powerless. And today we find Jesus in our midst holding a child, one of the powerless, vulnerable, helpless in most respects. Considered in the society of the time to be a potential heir if the family was rich and powerful, a girl who could be betrothed at a young age to cement an alliance between two powerful families, but another mouth to feed for most people, at least until the child could learn a trade or become a contributing member of the family. Jesus started life as one of the vulnerable helpless children, born to a young mother, welcomed, received by her and her betrothed, by shepherds, wisemen, Anna and Simeon, but there was no room for him at the inn. His parents warned by an angel to flee because Herod was seeking this helpless young baby with the aim of killing him. As the Apostle John tells us, he came unto his own but his own received him not. A man among men, human among humans rejected by those he came to save. The Son of Man who gives himself for others only to die at their hands. Jesus has been coming back from Caesarea Philipi where he had told his disciples about his coming death, where Peter tried to put him into a box of Peter’s own making, creating Jesus as the god that Peter wanted him to be, tempting him to avoid what Jesus had just told them was coming. Now Jesus tells his disciples for the second time what is coming but they didn’t understand what he was saying, and were afraid to ask. Have any of us ever tried to put Jesus in a box of our own making? Do we fail to ask questions of him for fear that he might tell us something we don’t want to hear, or tell us to do something we don’t want to do? Do we like his disciples then argue, verbally pushing and shoving each other to establish a pecking order? Trying to make sure we get our way, our agenda? That other folks think like us, act like us, and maybe even look like us? Jesus is walking ahead in silence while his straggling disciples, then and now, argue to establish the order of the procession behind him. Contrast Jesus’ humility with those who follow him desiring distinction and recognition. Jesus who speaks of surrendering his life while his followers speak of fulfilling their lives. Jesus who counts the cost of discipleship as they count its assets. He asks them what they were talking about and they say nothing. If he asks us what we are talking about, what will we have to say? That we want to be first and we’re fighting for the honor? Do we really hear what he tells us – if you want to be first, you must be last, servant of all? Do we know in our hearts, do we want to know in our hearts what he is telling us? We who are like children ourselves are also to be like Christ, embracing not only children but one another, including all who are little and insignificant in the eyes of the world – children, homeless, jobless, infirm, elderly, those who have challenges with alcohol, drugs, abuse. We like Jesus are to embrace them, welcome them, all of them, no exceptions. We welcome, we receive Jesus when we do so. We welcome, we receive the Father when we do so. We who do not live under the law but under grace are to receive others with the same love and grace we ourselves have been given. Love God, love neighbor, love one another, saved by grace through faith. It’s that simple! AMEN Rev. Bruce Hammen, Associate Pastor
Lutheran Church of the Cross, Nisswa, Minnesota |
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