All of God’s Children Have a Place

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

~ Matthew 19:14

Perspectives on children have changed over time. Some of us grew up hearing things like: “Children are to be seen and not heard” or “Children are only to speak when spoken to.” Sometimes adults say things like these in order to exercise some control over their environment along with the accompanying noise and activity. While biblical times were not known for their care and nurture of children, perhaps a universal claim about healthy parents is that they care for their children and want a good life for them regardless of the year – 2017 A.D. or 30 A.D.

In Matthew 19, parents were responding in faith. They may not have completely understood who Jesus was or what He was about, but they knew there was something special about Him – there was a power and presence in Him that was unlike any other. They wanted their children to be blessed by Jesus, so they brought their children to Him. Jesus spoke very clearly to His disciples, who were trying to keep the children from Him. Perhaps they thought the children should not disturb what Jesus was doing, or maybe they were messy, or maybe they thought Rabbi Jesus was too important for these children to come so close to Him.

Bethel is beginning a theme that will shape all of our ministries from August 2017 through July 2018 as we will continually say “All of God’s children have a place.” Yes, we can say that all who claim Christ are children of God, but we will specifically focus on children 6^th grade and younger. This will challenge us to be disciples of Jesus as each of us declares: “Let the little children come … and do not stop them.” We pride ourselves on being a place of welcome to many community groups. We do not see our church building as a museum, but as a mission outpost – a place from which we go out to do the work of God. Of course, we do not neglect other parts of our ministry, but the particular focus is on children. Whether or not you have children this age, as a congregation, we make promises to the children who are baptized and their families. I hope this theme helps us also focus on enriching families also as they provide the fertile soil for their children to grow in faith.

I ask the congregation to join me in praying for, supporting, and come together as we assure all children that they have a place at Bethel and at the feet of Jesus.

In Christ,

Pastor Jeff