20^th Sabbath after Pentecost

October 12/14, 2007

Children’s Sabbath

Victor H. Nixon

AS A LITTLE CHILD

Luke 18:15-17

Luke says that parents were bringing their children to Jesus so that he could touch them.

Some of my earliest memories have to do with attending church. My family belonged to a small Methodist church with 107 members. I remember the exact figure because it was posted on a board that hung on the wall in front of the congregation for all to see, along with average attendance and previous Sunday attendance and other data. Most of the members were present every Sunday. People always knew when you were absent and said: I missed you last Sunday.

In addition to my parents and my younger brother, Ken, much of my extended family also belonged to the church. My Granddad and Grandmother Nixon, who lived nearby, frequently rode to church with us. My Uncle Herman, Dad’s twin brother, Aunt Lucille and my cousins, Gary and June, were there. My Aunt Ruby and Uncle Fred Spencer with cousins Robert, Hugh and Joanne were there. Robert became a United Methodist pastor and missionary in Brazil. My best friend, Bryan Snow was there along with his father Claude, the school superintendent, and his mother Mamie, a teacher. Like many of yours, my parents and others brought their children to church where we could be touched by Jesus and blessed by God’s grace.

We sang from the old Cokesbury Worship Hymnal, shaped note version. Mrs. Lucy Brewer pounded out the hymns on an old upright piano, slightly out of tune. Mr. E. E. Strang, the father of twelve children whose wife was a Pentecostal, led the singing in worship. When all the Strangs were present, he had his own personal choir, but we all joined in—adults and children.

One of my favorite hymns was No. 121, "The Church in the Wildwood," not in our current hymnal—though it should be. Some of you remember this hymn:

"There’s a church in the valley by the wildwood,

No lovelier spot in the dale;

No place is so dear to my childhood,

As the little brown church in the vale."

Then came the chorus with the bases and tenors leading:

"Oh, come, come, come, come, . . ."

Then sopranos and altos would join in:

"Come to the church in the wildwood,

Oh, come to the church in the vale;

No spot is so dear to my childhood

As the little brown church in the dale."

As a boy soprano I had to sing the melody, but I couldn’t wait till my voice changed so I could join with the men on the chorus, "Oh, come, come, come, come, . . ." I loved to sing that hymn. Still do.

Luke says that the disciples—of all people—attempted to prevent parents from bringing their children to Jesus. "Don’t bring those kids in here! Can’t you see we’re trying to have worship, for gosh sakes! How can we hear what he’s saying with all that crying and squirming going on!"

Can you imagine church folk saying such things? Actually, I’ve been in a few of those churches where children were not really welcome in "big church," as they called it. Instead, they were packed off to the nursery or to children’s church or simply kept home until they were older. What a terrible mistake! Of all the places that children should be welcome, it is in the church, in worship, with the extended family of faith where they can be touched by Jesus.

Sure, there are times when parents need to use the nursery. There were times when my parents had to take me out of church because I was causing a disturbance. That happens, especially with younger ones, and that’s O.K. When I was old enough to know better, it was not O.K. and the last thing I wanted was to be taken out of church because I knew that I was in for a severe scolding, or worse, for bad behavior. Like the time Bryan and I were sitting on the front pew, passing silly notes back and forth, and giggling during the sermon. I don’t remember what I wrote, but the last note sent him over the edge and he squealed out, doubled over in helpless laughter. The preacher stopped in mid-sentence and stared, along with the rest of the congregation, some of whom were laughing. I knew my parents weren’t amused. Knowing I was done for, I just got up and walked out of church!

But I returned the next Sunday because my parents required it and because I was wanted and welcome. Furthermore, I needed to be there, to observe my parents and others in the practice of faith, to be present in worship, to learn to pray and to sing, to hear the Word read and preached, to give and to serve, because that’s how Bryan and I and others got touched by Jesus. I just couldn’t sit on the front row with Bryan for a while!

Regardless of age, children are always welcome in worship here because we love children at PHUMC. And because, as Jesus says, "it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs."(18:16) That is to say, children come with nothing but themselves. They have no power, no money, no property, no knowledge. They don’t earn or merit what God or the church has to give; they just receive it. And, yet, Jesus says, the kingdom of God belongs to them. The reign of God extends beyond the church and includes the community, the world and the universe and belongs to our children, says Jesus. I believe that.

Our children will inherit the creation we leave for them—and I want it to be in better shape than when I entered it. Furthermore, I want our children to be the highest priority, not only in God’s government but ours as well. If the State of Arkansas and our nation belong to our children, then they must be a high priority of government. If we really, really believed that I doubt that Arkansas would rank 45^th in the nation in measures of child well-being including low birth weight, infant mortality, access to proper pre-natal care, safety and accident prevention, high-school dropouts, teen death, and teen birthrate. If we really believed that children are our highest priority I think we would be very concerned that nearly one in four of all children (23.4%) in our state (over 160,000) live in poverty.(1)

Jesus doesn’t stop with that. He goes on to say, "Truly, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." He isn’t saying that you should become like a child or be childish. He is saying that in the reign of God it’s all about receiving. The only condition for entering the kingdom of God is receiving, like a child. It’s about grace. It’s about blessing. It’s about making sure that Jesus can touch every child, including the child in you and me.

Thanks be to God. Amen.