Spare Change - July 2023
The Joy of Children
Part of my job and calling at Oakhill is to be the Children's Pastor. I love this part of the job because I love kids! Kids are so much fun! From squishy babies to precocious toddlers to funny older children, they are all a marvel of God. I love to see them learn and grow, especially in the context of growing in the Lord. This is a special blessing of being involved in the children's ministry. I am positive the other volunteers at Oakhill feel the same way.
I am thankful that at Oakhill we love children. Our love is modeled after the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that the gospel writers inspired by the Holy Spirit
included the story about Jesus interacting with children in Mark 10:13-16:
“And [Parents] were bringing children to [Jesus] that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”
At this time in Jesus’ ministry, He was ministering to a great many people. I can imagine a long line of people waiting to speak to Jesus. This group of parents, knowing that their children were a most precious gift, brought them to Jesus to be blessed. The disciples saw this as a waste of Jesus' time. They probably thought, "look at all these people that need Jesus' help, these children are just taking up his time". As I said, I'm thankful we get this glimpse into our Lord's thinking about children. He rebuked His disciples and pulled the children in close. We get the picture that Jesus might have put them in His lap as He blessed them. This shows us that our Savior loved children!
First, he knew that these were potential future followers. If these parents believed in Jesus and taught their children to do the same, then these children would be the future for the church. He wanted them to feel welcome in His church. Second, Jesus wants us all to approach Him with childlike faith. This type of faith doesn't mean immature or devoid of theological thinking. It means that we have simplicity in our faith. We need to trust Jesus like a child trusts a parent. Children with loving parents don't have to wonder if their parents will take care of their needs. They know their parents are going to protect them. They just simply trust, it's almost thoughtless, like a reflex. We need to have the automatic reflex of faith in every stage of life.
I am sure that this experience with Jesus left an indelible mark on the children He blessed. I hope that many of them followed Jesus and learned to obey all that He taught. Children are a great example of how we need to live in awe and wonder of our Savior. As children grow in faith, they are like little sponges that are constantly amazed by all they are learning. I pray we can all retain this attitude into adulthood. We should continue to approach Jesus daily with awe and wonder.
If we want to honor our Savior, then we will be like Him and make room for children in the church. We will seek to love and disciple them. Most of all, we will bring them to Jesus. We will share the good news of the gospel. We will be living examples of the gospel to the children. I'm thankful that Oakhill is a church like this!
