17th Sunday after Pentecost 9/7/08 Text: Matthew 18:1-6 Title: Who is the greatest in Heaven.
17th Sunday after Pentecost
09/07/08
Text: Matthew 18:1-6
Title: Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
This morning, on Rally Sunday, I would like to talk to you about the first 6 verses of our Gospel reading. It appears that the disciples were having a lively discussion concerning who of them was going to be the greatest in God’s new kingdom. Who was it going to be was the question of the day.
Jesus does not say a word, at least to them. He simply calls over a toddler, that is what the Greek word means, to come over to him. Now toddlers were no different when Jesus was walking the earth than they are today. He or she, it does not make any difference, was probably playing in the area, just enjoying life as only a child that age can.
Anyway Jesus calls the toddler over, picks him up and puts him down right in the middle of the disciples. When Jesus did this, they were probably thinking, “What in the world is this child doing here, it does not belong here among us. We are talking grownup talk.” They were probably reacting the same we would if, we were doing a Bible study and a toddler came into our midst. “Hey, come get this child, we can’t talk.” we shout out as we looked for the mother or father.
Jesus knew what their reaction would be. That is why he did it. He turns to the disciples and says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Now I am sure that got their attention, for they were thinking more along the lines of only the powerful and influential; those on the inside would get into the new kingdom that Jesus was setting up. To become a child, well that was almost as crazy as when Jesus said that you must be born again.
Who would want to be a toddler again, for children of this age were on the lowest rung of the social ladder? They had no social worth; women and slaves were above them. They were totally dependent on others for their care.
Now that he had their attention and they were questioning their own thinking, he continues with, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of God.” That had to strike them, for in one quick movement of having this toddler come into their midst, disrupting man talk, Jesus turned their upside down world right side up. In that act of having this child stand there in their midst he showed them that their thinking was wrong headed. Jesus’ kingdom is not one of getting ahead and having power or control over others. His kingdom is about humility and service. It is about following the will of God; that is walking in fellowship with him and doing good for others. That is Jesus’ kingdom.
But he does not stop there, for he continues to tell them that these children, these totally dependent toddlers are so important to him that if anyone causes these toddlers who believe in him to sin, it is better that that person be drowned in the ocean.
That is a strong statement, but one that needs to be said. As I read those verses I began to wonder if we, as individuals, and as a congregation, are guilty of causing a child that believes in God to sin. Think about it for a moment, for I believe that it is quite possible that what we do, or do not do, can cause one of God’s children to sin.
This is what I mean. Have we as a congregation always welcomed families with young children or for that matter with teenage children into our midst? Have we always made sure that children are a priority in our congregation? Have we set an example for the children of our congregation by living as Jesus would want us to live?
You say, “Wait a minute pastor that is the job of the Board of Christian Education. They are to make sure that our children are taken care of and taught the faith.” And in a sense you are right. That is their job, or as I would rather say, their way of serving the Lord. Not everyone here is good with children or is capable of teaching our children, but everyone here still has the responsibility of seeing that our children are loved, cared for, and nurtured in the love of Jesus.
You see it is not just about making sure that our children memorize Bible verses, as good as that is, it is about showing Jesus’ love to our children through our word and deed.
It is about each one of us becoming humble, for as Jesus says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of God. Humbleness is an elusive thing, for as soon as you begin to see yourself as being humble you are no longer humble. Humbleness is about putting our children before our selves, not grudgingly, but happily recognizing their worth before God.
Now living your life in a humble manner is going to look awful stupid to those who are not living a humble life. It is not going to come easy, for you cannot live the life that Jesus wants you to live until you have come to the realization that you have no reason to be proud before God or anyone else for that matter.
This morning in the late service we are going to install our youth leaders and teachers of our children. During their installation I am going to ask the congregation if they are willing to support their service to the Lord. I am not looking for a response that does not mean anything. I am looking for the congregation to make a pledge before God that this congregation has decided to put our children first.
And in doing so, I am asking this congregation to take seriously what Jesus tells us in his Holy Word, “Do not cause one of these little ones to sin.”, for we must realize that by our not teaching our children the Word of God, by our not supporting the Board of Education, by our not taking part in our children’s Christian education we are causing them to sin.
That is a problem for Jesus tells us in verse 6, “It would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea.” That should give us all pause, for how well have we in the past taken care of God’s children, especially his little ones? How good of an example have we set? How well have we encouraged our young families to bring their children to worship and Bible time?
We have failed pretty miserably, at least since I have been here. Only 25% of those attending the worship services on Sunday morning attend a Bible class of any kind. That does not even count the other 50% of our congregation that are not in worship on Sunday. We have had times when we could not have a children’s class because of the lack of teacher. There have been times when nonmembers have stepped forward and taught our children because none of the congregation would. I give thanks and praise to God for that. I am afraid that, if we want to be honest have, for the most part not done well, but thank goodness for God’s forgiveness on account of Jesus.
What can we do from this time forward? We can humble ourselves like a little child, confess our sinfulness, receive the forgiveness waiting for us, and then start doing what we are suppose to be doing as a kingdom congregation of God. We can do it for we have the power of God behind us and when you are doing God’s work there is nothing that is impossible for God. Amen
09/07/08
Text: Matthew 18:1-6
Title: Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
This morning, on Rally Sunday, I would like to talk to you about the first 6 verses of our Gospel reading. It appears that the disciples were having a lively discussion concerning who of them was going to be the greatest in God’s new kingdom. Who was it going to be was the question of the day.
Jesus does not say a word, at least to them. He simply calls over a toddler, that is what the Greek word means, to come over to him. Now toddlers were no different when Jesus was walking the earth than they are today. He or she, it does not make any difference, was probably playing in the area, just enjoying life as only a child that age can.
Anyway Jesus calls the toddler over, picks him up and puts him down right in the middle of the disciples. When Jesus did this, they were probably thinking, “What in the world is this child doing here, it does not belong here among us. We are talking grownup talk.” They were probably reacting the same we would if, we were doing a Bible study and a toddler came into our midst. “Hey, come get this child, we can’t talk.” we shout out as we looked for the mother or father.
Jesus knew what their reaction would be. That is why he did it. He turns to the disciples and says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Now I am sure that got their attention, for they were thinking more along the lines of only the powerful and influential; those on the inside would get into the new kingdom that Jesus was setting up. To become a child, well that was almost as crazy as when Jesus said that you must be born again.
Who would want to be a toddler again, for children of this age were on the lowest rung of the social ladder? They had no social worth; women and slaves were above them. They were totally dependent on others for their care.
Now that he had their attention and they were questioning their own thinking, he continues with, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of God.” That had to strike them, for in one quick movement of having this toddler come into their midst, disrupting man talk, Jesus turned their upside down world right side up. In that act of having this child stand there in their midst he showed them that their thinking was wrong headed. Jesus’ kingdom is not one of getting ahead and having power or control over others. His kingdom is about humility and service. It is about following the will of God; that is walking in fellowship with him and doing good for others. That is Jesus’ kingdom.
But he does not stop there, for he continues to tell them that these children, these totally dependent toddlers are so important to him that if anyone causes these toddlers who believe in him to sin, it is better that that person be drowned in the ocean.
That is a strong statement, but one that needs to be said. As I read those verses I began to wonder if we, as individuals, and as a congregation, are guilty of causing a child that believes in God to sin. Think about it for a moment, for I believe that it is quite possible that what we do, or do not do, can cause one of God’s children to sin.
This is what I mean. Have we as a congregation always welcomed families with young children or for that matter with teenage children into our midst? Have we always made sure that children are a priority in our congregation? Have we set an example for the children of our congregation by living as Jesus would want us to live?
You say, “Wait a minute pastor that is the job of the Board of Christian Education. They are to make sure that our children are taken care of and taught the faith.” And in a sense you are right. That is their job, or as I would rather say, their way of serving the Lord. Not everyone here is good with children or is capable of teaching our children, but everyone here still has the responsibility of seeing that our children are loved, cared for, and nurtured in the love of Jesus.
You see it is not just about making sure that our children memorize Bible verses, as good as that is, it is about showing Jesus’ love to our children through our word and deed.
It is about each one of us becoming humble, for as Jesus says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of God. Humbleness is an elusive thing, for as soon as you begin to see yourself as being humble you are no longer humble. Humbleness is about putting our children before our selves, not grudgingly, but happily recognizing their worth before God.
Now living your life in a humble manner is going to look awful stupid to those who are not living a humble life. It is not going to come easy, for you cannot live the life that Jesus wants you to live until you have come to the realization that you have no reason to be proud before God or anyone else for that matter.
This morning in the late service we are going to install our youth leaders and teachers of our children. During their installation I am going to ask the congregation if they are willing to support their service to the Lord. I am not looking for a response that does not mean anything. I am looking for the congregation to make a pledge before God that this congregation has decided to put our children first.
And in doing so, I am asking this congregation to take seriously what Jesus tells us in his Holy Word, “Do not cause one of these little ones to sin.”, for we must realize that by our not teaching our children the Word of God, by our not supporting the Board of Education, by our not taking part in our children’s Christian education we are causing them to sin.
That is a problem for Jesus tells us in verse 6, “It would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea.” That should give us all pause, for how well have we in the past taken care of God’s children, especially his little ones? How good of an example have we set? How well have we encouraged our young families to bring their children to worship and Bible time?
We have failed pretty miserably, at least since I have been here. Only 25% of those attending the worship services on Sunday morning attend a Bible class of any kind. That does not even count the other 50% of our congregation that are not in worship on Sunday. We have had times when we could not have a children’s class because of the lack of teacher. There have been times when nonmembers have stepped forward and taught our children because none of the congregation would. I give thanks and praise to God for that. I am afraid that, if we want to be honest have, for the most part not done well, but thank goodness for God’s forgiveness on account of Jesus.
What can we do from this time forward? We can humble ourselves like a little child, confess our sinfulness, receive the forgiveness waiting for us, and then start doing what we are suppose to be doing as a kingdom congregation of God. We can do it for we have the power of God behind us and when you are doing God’s work there is nothing that is impossible for God. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 3:13 PM
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