There are many times when the wisdom required in being a parent
is quite similar to the wisdom required in being a parish priest.
In both cases, you sometimes have to tell people things which they
don’t want to hear. Such was the case in today’s Gospel reading.
Our Lord Jesus told His disciples that He would be delivered to the
hands of men who would kill Him and that He would rise again on the
third day. Our Lord could not have been more clear and explicit.
And yet, the disciples were simply not ready or willing to hear
this. Instead, as they make their journey to Capernaum, they begin
debating with one another about which of them was the greatest
disciple. It was as if they were trying to sort out the matter of
who would get which cabinet post in our Lord’s new regime.
Our Lord asked the disciples what they were discussing. They
were afraid to tell Him. He then brought the twelve apostles to His
side and explained that whoever would be first among them would be
last and the servant of all. He then held a young child in His arms
and announced that whoever receives one such child in His name
receives both Him and the one who sent Him.
We are told that the disciples were afraid to ask Jesus about His
declaration that He would be arrested and killed, and rise again.
We are then told that they were afraid to tell Him what they had
been debating among themselves. You see, they had their own ideas of
what should happen in our Lord’s ministry. They had their own
notions of how the new Kingdom would be brought about and organized.
They were afraid to hear the word of the Lord on these matters.
They were afraid that the word of the Lord would contradict their
own image of the way things should be. They were afraid that the
word of the Lord would burst their bubble and confound their
notions. The word of the Lord does that sort of thing. God’s word
does not allow us to pick and choose the parts which fit in with our
plans while ignoring the rest. It is not our place to adapt God’s
word to our current circumstances and plans. Instead, our duty is
to adapt our present circumstances and plans to God’s word. We are
not called to see how we can adopt God’s will to our own vision.
Instead, we are called to form our vision around God’s will and
word. This is the ongoing challenge of the church and of each
Christian. This is also the reason it is important for us to give
time regularly to Divine worship, to ensure that we keep our
priorities straight – that’s God’s word and will is given the
preeminence in our lives.
Our Lord took a child up in His arms. His love of children, and
indeed His severe warning to anyone who would harm children, is well
known. It must have confounded the disciples that our Lord Jesus
used slaves and children as His examples of what a Christian ought
to be. He used the images of those who were powerless, who were
under the authority of others. This was a shocking thing to the
disciples who were imagining themselves as CEOs, not servants.
Their failure to comprehend what Jesus had said about His death
ties in directly to their debate about who would be the greatest.
They were not prepared to see Jesus as the suffering servant. They
were not prepared to see themselves as suffering servants either.
And yet, the moment we forget our call to be suffering servants is
precisely the moment when we lose sight of the real mission and
calling of the church. We are called to worship and adore the Lamb
slain to redeem fallen humanity. We are called to praise and serve
the crucified and risen Savior who requires that we love those who
hate us, help those who don’t appreciate it, turn the other cheek,
and minister to those least able to fend for themselves, always
remembering that whoever receives one such child in Jesus’ name
receives Jesus himself and his Heavenly Father. All of this is well
worth bearing in mind as we prepare to dedicate our new children’s
facilities. On behalf of the parish and all those who will make use
of and benefit from these new facilities, I want to express sincere
thanks to all who have supported this project by their prayers and
financial contributions, especially those who provided such
leadership in their giving. We and our children and the children who
are to come are blessed in your generosity and vision. Our thanks as
well to the members of the Building Committee; Cindy Hazelwood,
Terry Prather, and Tina Beal. And then one gentleman in particular
is to be thanked and congratulated for his assiduous care and
attention to supervising and chairing this project every step of the
way. He said to me the other day that this is one of the most
satisfying and rewarding things he has ever done. Such sentiment is
in no way surprising to hear from Elby Beal. Elby thank you – the
transformation downstairs is magnificent and says clearly and
vibrantly (wait till you see the colors!) that we have a real and
imaginative commitment to the children’s ministries of our parish.
We believe that ministry to children is of vital importance. We
do not think this simply because children are the future of the
church. No, we minister to children because they are members of
Christ’s body now. We minister to children because it is what our
Lord has commanded of us. It is the duty of the church. And, we
are thankful that duty can be such a joyful thing. It is a joy to
see children taking part in the life of this parish. It is a joy to
watch children process each Sunday morning as they prepare for
children’s chapel and Sunday School. It is a joy to hear their
voices as they sing praises to the Lord who loves them and gave His
life for them. It is a joy to know that our parishioners care so
much for the Lord’s children that we have been able to renovate our
facilities in a manner which best aids us in teaching them God’s
word and ministering to them here in this place.
The Epistle lesson tells us that God resists the proud but gives
grace to the humble. Let us therefore imitate children in knowing
that our calling is to obedience and in knowing that all we have and
all we are is a gift from God. Let us give thanks this day for all
of God’s gifts, and most especially for the gift of children. Let
us treasure this gift knowing that it pleases our Lord. Let us
never fail to do all we can by God’s grace to teach, cherish, love,
guide, and minister to those whose young lives have been placed in
our care. Let us always recall the words of our Savior: “Whoever
receives one such child in my name receives me.”
