Matt. 18:1-20
Facebook Live: Be childlike in faith and love!
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Last year after I finished one of our Sunday services, I was standing in the Narthex greeting the people by the door as they came out of church. It was a time of joy and laughter, hugs and handshakes as was the norm for that time. As I stood there, little four year old Atarra Rich walked out, looked at me, waved and said, “Hi Jesus!”
It’s funny. I laughed as did those who heard it. But in reality Atarra didn’t see me - Russ or even Pastor Tkac. In the robe and stole she saw the one called to be Christ’s under shepherd, here at Peace. She saw Jesus and heard his word proclaimed. Though she might have not heard and understood all that was proclaimed. God, by the working of his Spirit as one baptized and marked as God’s redeemed, she recognized Jesus by faith.
Today in our lesson we learn of this faith and that to be a true Disciples of Christ one must first:
Be childlike in faith and love!
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Last week we talked about being a disciple of Jesus and picking up our crosses to follow Him. The bearing of one’s cross can in this life lead to death, or as Jesus said:
“… whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
But, the disciples start talking among themselves wondering who, among them, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The work of Satan and their own sinful pride were at work as well as the pride of life. Though they had been discussing this privately Jesus knew what had been going on and in the gospel of St. Mark asks them specifically in chapter 9:
“What were you discussing on the way?” Mark 9:33b
So, Jesus, as has been his way teaches again the disciples an important lesson. He calls a little child to himself so as to illustrate the point in a very tangible way. St. Mark goes on to say that Jesus took the child in His arms [Mark 9:36] and we could understand the Lord’s comfort to this little one as he places the child in their midst saying,
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
To this we need to be reminded to be childlike in faith and love!
Sinful pride can become arrogance.
Ill.
During the Battle of the Wilderness in the Civil War, Union general John Sedgwick was inspecting his troops. At one point he came to a parapet [which is a low protective wall or earthen defense along the top of a trench or place of concealment for troops], over which he gazed out in the direction of the enemy. His officers suggested that this was unwise … and perhaps he ought to duck while passing the parapet. "Nonsense," snapped the general. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--." And as his words fell silent … General Sedgwick fell to the ground, fatally wounded.
Today in the Word, August 30, 1993.
How too our own sinful pride can drop us once again to the ground of dirt and sin back into our own filthy rags from which we have been washed clean and made righteous in the blood of the Lamb. Pride can cause us to look at who we are in the Kingdom, and what status we hold or to even look at others with prideful arrogance. Jesus says that:
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
Those who trust Christ with simple faith have Jesus and receive all that Jesus has promised.
Luther says,
Consider Christ himself, how he draws little children to him, how urgently in Matthew 18 he commends them to us and praises the angles who wait upon them, in order to show us how great a service it is when we train the young properly.
LW Vol. 45 pg. 372
As we consider our regular worship, social distancing, pandemic, school and all that our normal life use to be and we hope will be again, we also need to get back to the holy work God has given us to do,
To, train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6
The responsibility even from the time of infancy calls parents of those who have been brought to faith in baptism to not let these little ones who believe in me to fall … back into the sinfulness they were born into … before being called to faith in Jesus Christ by the working and power of the Holy Spirit.
You have a Godly calling as a parent to raise your child in the faith, especially if they are baptized and to make sure that they are brought to God’s house for worship, where Christ gives his gifts of word and sacrament.
Also, the good work available in VBS this year was a take home program for parents and guardians alike to see to it that these little ones stay connected to Christ.
We all have, in Christ, a Godly calling to keep children connected to Jesus and his word.
Paul says in Ephesians 4:
27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Eph. 4:27-32
Be childlike in faith and love!
By childlike faith, God in Christ has given you faith in Him and life!
He has lifted you up as a little child giving you comfort and peace in him.
He has placed you in the midst of the world as his disciple to shine the light of Christ.
He has given those under your care the joy to teach them about Jesus and his love.
He will bring forth, by faith, those who believe in him to confess as the church confesses … “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God!”
May you be comforted and joyful as little Atarra was who sees in God’s church, word, and gifts, Jesus!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Last year after I finished one of our Sunday services, I was standing in the Narthex greeting the people by the door as they came out of church. It was a time of joy and laughter, hugs and handshakes as was the norm for that time. As I stood there, little four year old Atarra Rich walked out, looked at me, waved and said, “Hi Jesus!”
It’s funny. I laughed as did those who heard it. But in reality Atarra didn’t see me - Russ or even Pastor Tkac. In the robe and stole she saw the one called to be Christ’s under shepherd, here at Peace. She saw Jesus and heard his word proclaimed. Though she might have not heard and understood all that was proclaimed. God, by the working of his Spirit as one baptized and marked as God’s redeemed, she recognized Jesus by faith.
Today in our lesson we learn of this faith and that to be a true Disciples of Christ one must first:
Be childlike in faith and love!
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Last week we talked about being a disciple of Jesus and picking up our crosses to follow Him. The bearing of one’s cross can in this life lead to death, or as Jesus said:
“… whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
But, the disciples start talking among themselves wondering who, among them, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The work of Satan and their own sinful pride were at work as well as the pride of life. Though they had been discussing this privately Jesus knew what had been going on and in the gospel of St. Mark asks them specifically in chapter 9:
“What were you discussing on the way?” Mark 9:33b
So, Jesus, as has been his way teaches again the disciples an important lesson. He calls a little child to himself so as to illustrate the point in a very tangible way. St. Mark goes on to say that Jesus took the child in His arms [Mark 9:36] and we could understand the Lord’s comfort to this little one as he places the child in their midst saying,
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
To this we need to be reminded to be childlike in faith and love!
Sinful pride can become arrogance.
Ill.
During the Battle of the Wilderness in the Civil War, Union general John Sedgwick was inspecting his troops. At one point he came to a parapet [which is a low protective wall or earthen defense along the top of a trench or place of concealment for troops], over which he gazed out in the direction of the enemy. His officers suggested that this was unwise … and perhaps he ought to duck while passing the parapet. "Nonsense," snapped the general. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--." And as his words fell silent … General Sedgwick fell to the ground, fatally wounded.
Today in the Word, August 30, 1993.
How too our own sinful pride can drop us once again to the ground of dirt and sin back into our own filthy rags from which we have been washed clean and made righteous in the blood of the Lamb. Pride can cause us to look at who we are in the Kingdom, and what status we hold or to even look at others with prideful arrogance. Jesus says that:
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
Those who trust Christ with simple faith have Jesus and receive all that Jesus has promised.
Luther says,
Consider Christ himself, how he draws little children to him, how urgently in Matthew 18 he commends them to us and praises the angles who wait upon them, in order to show us how great a service it is when we train the young properly.
LW Vol. 45 pg. 372
As we consider our regular worship, social distancing, pandemic, school and all that our normal life use to be and we hope will be again, we also need to get back to the holy work God has given us to do,
To, train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6
The responsibility even from the time of infancy calls parents of those who have been brought to faith in baptism to not let these little ones who believe in me to fall … back into the sinfulness they were born into … before being called to faith in Jesus Christ by the working and power of the Holy Spirit.
You have a Godly calling as a parent to raise your child in the faith, especially if they are baptized and to make sure that they are brought to God’s house for worship, where Christ gives his gifts of word and sacrament.
Also, the good work available in VBS this year was a take home program for parents and guardians alike to see to it that these little ones stay connected to Christ.
We all have, in Christ, a Godly calling to keep children connected to Jesus and his word.
Paul says in Ephesians 4:
27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Eph. 4:27-32
Be childlike in faith and love!
By childlike faith, God in Christ has given you faith in Him and life!
He has lifted you up as a little child giving you comfort and peace in him.
He has placed you in the midst of the world as his disciple to shine the light of Christ.
He has given those under your care the joy to teach them about Jesus and his love.
He will bring forth, by faith, those who believe in him to confess as the church confesses … “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God!”
May you be comforted and joyful as little Atarra was who sees in God’s church, word, and gifts, Jesus!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
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