First Presbyterian Church of Winchester

Serving Christ and Neighbor in Winchester and Beyond since 1800

  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Service Times
  • Are You New?
    • Service Times
    • Directions & Parking
    • Accessibility
    • Child Care
    • Sunday School
    • Membership
  • About Us
    • Beliefs
    • History
      • Boyd Memorial Chapel
    • Affiliations
    • Baptism
    • Communion
    • Weddings
    • Request to Use the Facilities
    • Church Leadership
    • Staff
    • Employment
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Ministries
    • Children’s Ministry
      • CM News
      • Kids Sunday School
      • Child Care
      • Safe Sanctuaries
      • Sign up for the Weekly CM Email Blast
      • Vacation Bible School
    • Youth Ministry
    • Adult Christian Education
    • Weekday Preschool
    • Mission and Outreach
    • WATTS
    • Care and Compassion
    • Prayer
    • Music
      • Children’s Choirs
    • Worship
      • Watch Worship Online
      • Worship and Discipleship Council Collaboration
      • New Stone Gathering
    • Stewardship
      • Make a Pledge!
      • Questions and Answers About Pledging
      • Planned Gifting
      • Automatic Withdrawal
        • Printable Form
      • Frequently Asked Questions About Donating Online
      • Donate
  • News & Events
    • View Online Worship Services
    • Coronavirus-Related Communications
    • eNotice
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe to Weekly eNotices
    • Member Directory
  • Sermons
    • Dan McCoig
    • Amanda Thomas
  • Donate
  • WATCH WORSHIP
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / February 8, 2015 Sermon: “Those All Important Children”

February 8, 2015 Sermon: “Those All Important Children”

February 8, 2015 by Todd Bowman

February 8, 2015

“Those All Important Children”

The Re. Maren Sonstegard-Spray

Mark 10:13-16

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Look at the painting on the bulletin cover – is that how you picture this story?  Clean, beautiful children, gazing adoringly at Jesus, while he stares adoringly back.  What was wrong with the disciples that they would want to stop such a heart-warming scene?  Is Jesus saying that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children like this – innocent and eager, delighting to be embraced by God?

What if it didn’t look this way?  What if the scene was quite different?  First of all, picture it louder and busier.  We are told just before this story that Jesus had traveled to a new area in Judea beyond the Jordan.

And even as he went crowds found him, and surrounded him on all sides, eager to hear him speak.  He would have sat down in the position of a teacher while people sat or stood around him, straining to hear his voice.

And Pharisees come then and ask him questions.  They want test him, to see if he really knows the law – perhaps they can even trick him, and they can get him to say something that they can use against him.  But they are not there to learn.  They are not there to hear something new

Then come the children.  We are not told where Jesus is when this happens.  If he is inside, picture a crowded room.  If he is outside, picture a crowd around Jesus, sitting or standing.

And through these crowds come parents carrying their children.  The text tells us that they are bringing their little children to Jesus that he might touch them.  There are some commentators who point out that every other time the word “touch” (apto) is used in Mark’s account, it is part of a healing.

Could it be that these parents are desperately pushing their way to Jesus carrying their sick, dying and disabled children, begging for healing?

When I was growing up a family moved in around the block who had a little girl who was deaf.  My sister and I would go play at her house and she and her mom would teach us sign language which we thought was awesome.  My sister and I learned how to sign our names, and we learned a little more with each visit.

I remember when the mother was teaching us how to say “child” and she said her daughter hated the sign for “kid.”  The sign for child is as if you are patting the head of a child in front of you, but the sign for kid looks like a kid with a snotty nose.

Maybe we can understand why the disciples did what they did.  There would have been snot, and vomit, and diarrhea, and coughing and crying, so much crying.  It would have been chaotic and messy.

I remember getting off the plane in Cairo, Egypt during a trip with seminary classmates and heading towards customs and the mass of people trying to make their way through, and there were no lines, no ropes, no dividers, no wait-your-turn and definitely no “please you go ahead, you were here first” – you pushed your way through, squeezed yourself in where you could- it didn’t matter how long the people had been waiting behind you. Our guide said that was just part of the culture.

I imagine that was what it was like when people want to get to Jesus.

Perhaps the disciples are thinking that they are being noble – how can Jesus teach with all this noise and disruption?

Perhaps they even thought that Jesus had more important things to do then tend to these sick children after all 60% of first century Middle Eastern children died by their 16th birthday.

Already in Mark’s account we have read about the synagogue leader’s daughter who had died of illness, the syrophoenician woman’s daughter who was ill, and a man’s son who was demon-possessed.  Perhaps, they thought, it was a waste of Jesus’ time.  Perhaps the felt like they already knew what God cared about.

Culturally speaking, children were not valuable, they were vulnerable. I remember hearing that for the first time in seminary, while studying the New Testament.  In our time of helicopter parents and hallmark commercials and fertility treatments for people who want a child so badly, it is hard to imagine children being so devalued.

But there are places in our world where children are the most vulnerable – places where children are sold, where extended family cannot afford to take in the orphans, where the child mortality rate is much higher than it should be.

Children were the weakest and had the least amount of power.  They were seen as a liability, especially to impoverished families.  They only meant something when they could contribute to family resources rather than just consume them.  And to the disciples, perhaps, the children mattered least of all, in all the concerns of Jesus.

Jesus rebukes them.  “Rebuked”, in the Greek epitimao, is a strong word, one often used against demons and demonic powers in Mark.  Discovering the disciples turning the children away, Jesus was indignant, in the Greek aganakteo, also a strong word.  It meant displeasure, annoyance, strong irritation, and is used only here in Mark’s gospel.

This is not the first time Jesus has rebuked the disciples from stopping something from happening, and not the first time he has spoken to them about children.

Just a chapter before the disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest among them, and Jesus takes a little child in his arms and says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

In the kingdom of God, which we live out even now, children are not to be turned away just because they are small and powerless.  Turn away any who are weak and vulnerable and you are not in the kingdom.

Jesus then says, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

Whenever Jesus says “Truly I tell you” that is our signal to pay close attention.

So what do we take away from all this?

First, that we must be careful not to deem something or someone too unimportant for God’s attention.  The disciples thought they knew what mattered and they thought they knew who mattered and even tried to figure out who among themselves mattered most.  And God in Jesus Christ tells us over and over, that God is on the side of the most vulnerable.

Second, Jesus draws out attention to what we must be like to enter the kingdom, to be a part of the kingdom – humble.  Be like a child who has no strength or ability or power to win salvation or earn God’s love, but can only receive the blessing, in the end, that Jesus gives.

Author Mark Yaconelli writes about his wife blessing their children: “Every morning in our home my wife calls my two sons over to the couch, put her arms around them and holds them.  She talks softly to them, strokes their hair, and rubs their backs. I often notice this morning ritual but never asked her why she did it.

One recent morning we were late to an appointment.  Just as we were about to go out the door, Jill called the boys over to the couch and began her normal routine of slowly holding them and stroking them.  I quickly began to complain, emphasizing how important it was for us to get out the door.  My wife stopped me in midsentence and said, “Listen, if these boys don’t start the day being held and loved, they won’t be able to be themselves for the rest of the day.”   To enter the kingdom of God as a child means that we find ourselves only when we know God’s embrace, God’s blessing.

The longer I am at this the more I am convinced that our path towards greater intimacy with God and greater wisdom is not towards self-confidence or self-importance or absolute assurances.  Our path is to become more humble – in the face of the awesomeness of God, in the face of the mystery of God, to know our own weakness, our own vulnerability and to know that our strength is only in Christ.

To be childlike in this context does not mean simple or innocent, it means full awareness of our precarious state, of our vulnerability, of our lack of status.

In the first century Middle Eastern culture, the child was radically dependent on their father – the father decided if the child would even be accepted into the family.  So to receive the kingdom like a child refers to the radical dependence of the child on the father for any status, inheritance, or for life itself.  Jesus was telling us and the disciples that we are radically dependent upon God’s grace.

We do not enter the kingdom based on the success of our family lives. We do not enter the kingdom because we know all the answers, and have done everything right, or because we pray well or enough. We do not enter the kingdom of the basis of our greatness or success at anything.  The trick it seems is to be less concerned with ourselves altogether. God brings us into the kingdom. We cannot make it happen otherwise.  Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Serving Christ and Neighbor in the Heart of Winchester and Beyond

View Online Worship Services

Facebook Feed

firstpresbyterianwinchester

First Presbyterian Winchester
Come fly a kite with us at 2 PM Sunday, April 25 a Come fly a kite with us at 2 PM Sunday, April 25 at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Worship with Us this Morning at 9AM! Click link in Worship with Us this Morning at 9AM! Click link in bio to select your preferred online platform for worshipping with us virtually.
eNotice- Our Livestream is 9AM this Sunday . . . a eNotice- Our Livestream is 9AM this Sunday . . . and don't forget to submit YOUR spiritual story! We want to hear from you! We will also pass out kite flying kits after worship services this Sunday and the 18th for our Kite-Flying event on the 25th. Click link in bio to see this week's eNotice edition!
Tell us YOUR Story! And don't forget, Pastor Dan's Tell us YOUR Story! And don't forget, Pastor Dan's study starts TONIGHT via Zoom. Click link in bio and you can choose either "FPC News" or "Rising with the Spirit" to read on.
As we safely re-gather for worship, we are in need As we safely re-gather for worship, we are in need of ushers and greeters. Can you help? We have in place COVID-19 protocols to keep our volunteers, worship leaders, and worshipers safe. If you have questions, please contact Deb Carper or Paige Lineweaver. You can sign-up online now at fpcwinc.org/usher or click the link in bio. #pcusa #worship #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester #easter
Our Eastertide Season is "Rising with the Spirit". Our Eastertide Season is "Rising with the Spirit". One of the hallmarks of this season is "Telling Our Spiritual Stories". Starting this week, we will be offering a seasonal study with Pastor Dan of Spiritual Storytelling, and we want YOU to submit YOUR story! Click link in bio to download or view this PDF with enabled links. #eastertide #pcusa #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester #fpcwinc
Worship with Us this Morning at 11 AM! Click the l Worship with Us this Morning at 11 AM! Click the link in the bio and choose your preferred online worship viewing platform.
This week's eNotice . . . continue to the end of This week's eNotice . . .  continue to the end of the Holy Week with us, and worship the Resurrection of Our Lord with us this Sunday! All inside this week's edition of the eNotice. Click link in bio. #pcusa #easter #holyweek #eastervigil #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester
Good Friday Virtual Prayer Service at NOON through Good Friday Virtual Prayer Service at NOON through Zoom.  Click link in bio. The meeting ID is 542 757 9196 and the passcode is 7qiMqs  #holyweek #goodfriday #pcusa #winchesterva
Worship with us from your home. Maundy Thursday Wo Worship with us from your home. Maundy Thursday Worship Tonight at 7:00 PM. Click the link in bio to access your preferred online worship platform: Facebook, YouTube, or our website.
If you still want to register for worship services If you still want to register for worship services, please do so now (click link in bio). We will need to close preregistration for Sunday worship services on Fridays at 2 PM to give our volunteers adequate time to prepare. For Easter Sunday, the 7:30 AM and 9 AM worship services will be held outside and do not require preregistration to attend (unless the weather is inhospitable, then the services will be relocated in Fellowship Hall which does require preregistration). 11 AM worship is in our Sanctuary, which does require preregistration. #pcusa #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester #easter #worship
Take the night off from cooking dinner and support Take the night off from cooking dinner and support the Weekday School! We're teaming up with Claudio's Pizzeria for individual and family meals. Go to fpcwinc.org/claudio to order - the deadline is April 14, pick-up is April 21. Details on the online order webpage. #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester #pcusa #fundraiser
We ALL have a story. By sharing each other’s st We ALL have a story.  By sharing each other’s stories, we can connect and heal.  This past year has been a burden, but it does offer lessons and healing. 

Over the 7 weeks following Easter, we are going to be sharing our stories, listening to each other, bearing witness to the miracles we have experienced over this past year and connecting with each other on our journeys. We will be videoing our stories, telling them from the pulpit, reading them out loud, printing them in the e-notices and even sharing them around a bonfire (with S’Mores!!!) one evening. 

Think about this year or other times in your life when God was so amazingly present. Please tell us your story.  Join us by speaking, writing, singing, or videoing your story. Your stories are about Rising with the Spirit.  We can’t wait to hear them.
 
More details to follow (but if you can’t wait, send your story to chrisgentili1@gmail.com)
#pcusa #easter #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester #fpcwinc #storytelling
Worship with us virtually at 10 AM! Click link in Worship with us virtually at 10 AM! Click link in bio and select your preferred online worship platform. There is no outdoor worship in our parking lot today due to weather.
The Palm Sunday Outdoor Service is Cancelled The Palm Sunday Outdoor Service is Cancelled
eNotice-Palm Sunday is coming, and you can pick up eNotice-Palm Sunday is coming, and you can pick up your own palms at the church on Saturday! And we are looking for help as we re-gather for worship. AND our Weekday School is doing another drive-thru dinner fundraiser in April! All in this week's eNotice. Click the link in bio and click "FPC News".
Tomorrow, Saturday March 27, 10 AM-NOON, our Lente Tomorrow, Saturday March 27, 10 AM-NOON, our Lenten Easter team will distribute palms as we prepare for Palm Sunday. Palms will also be available at our 10 AM parking lot worship service (weather permitting). #pcusa #holyweek #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester #fpcwinchester
Holy Week with First Presbyterian Church. Link in Holy Week with First Presbyterian Church. Link in bio. #lent #holyweek #easter #pcusa #winchesterva #olddowntownwinchester #fpcwinc #fpcwinchester
Worship at home with us this morning! Click the li Worship at home with us this morning! Click the link in bio to select your preferred virtual worship platform. You can read the entirity of this e-mail by clicking the link in bio, then select "FPC News".
eNotice - Happy Friday! Click link in bio to read eNotice - Happy Friday! Click link in bio to read this week's eNotice. #pcusa #winchesterva
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Return to top

First Presbyterian Church of Winchester | 116 South Loudoun Street | Winchester, Virginia, USA, 22601

Tele. No.: 540-662-3824 | Fax: 540-662-8498