The Little Children and Jesus

                                                                                            (the Denninger Michigan grandloves)

Matthew 19:14 and the KJV

“Suffer the little children to come unto me.”

What do you miss most about ‘in person’ worship services? What do you think your pastor misses the most?

I’m quite certain that some pastors will admit to missing the children’s sermon, especially those minutes when the children approach the front of the church. There was one congregation where the kids regularly raced to the front. John (my husband) loved it. He loved the excitement and the just plain fun of leading the children’s sermon. He even enjoyed the moments when an innocent question produced an answer that did not match the desired response. I know congregations love those times as well. Their giggles give them away.

Here is where I quarrel with the language of the KJV as it encourages us to ‘suffer the little children’. Congregations and clergy alike seem to feel obliged to suffer the children, especially their noise, in the midst of the service. Even the more benign translation, let, almost makes the presence of children in worship services a burden rather than a blessing.  I suspect that Jesus was really saying, ‘Come on people, let me have some of the fun, let me hold your children close and hear their songs of praise.’

Teachers and pastors both have hard jobs, however, the joy of seeing or hearing a child accept the good news of God’s love makes it all worth-while. This opportunity is just not there in ‘streamed’ services. 

So come on, children of God, for heaven’s sake, let your pastor know when you rejoice to hear the word of God. Send an electronic ‘Amen’, a smile, a ‘Hosanna!’, or an ‘Alleluia!’ Parents, you are part of the children of God, you need to ‘Give God the Glory’ too. Make sending a thank-you card a family project. It can be electronic or hard copy, email, snail mail, or voice mail. And then, do not expect an answer. Your pastor still has to visit the sick, prepare for the next week, plan for the year, and comply with a raft of government restrictions. But know that you will be part of your pastor’s prayers of thanksgiving.

Thanks to contributing writer 

Natalie Grace Hartwig for this devotion.

Our Daily Struggle

Matthew 16: 21-28

The struggle between heart and head         Is a constant one for all of us What we feel and how we think         Are often in conflict   This was obvious in Peter’s life         His heart wanted to follow Jesus His head thought it knew what that meant         Yesterday’s gospel revealed the tension   It would not be Peter’s last bold confession Followed by hesitance and even betrayal From his call as disciple to the end of his life         Peters heart and head struggled to believe   His faith journey reminds us of our own         There are moments when our hearts are certain And equal moments when our heads wonder         As we try to faithfully follow Christ   The good news is that God’s intentions are always clear         Through the scandalous love of the cross We are embraced by God as beloved child         In a way that nothing and no one can change   Embracing the courage of our baptismal identity         We persist in following the heart’s calling Pushing aside the hesitance of our head          Living more by love than by logic   As we incarnate that hopefulness     We invite others to live more by faith than by sight So they may know the certainty Of God’s love for themselves  A Devotion by Rev. Donald Schaefer Southeastern District Northern Region Facilitator

Blessed Assurance

BLESSED ASSURANCE DURING THE PANDEMIC

8/22/2020

We are still in the midst of the pandemic. The crowd gathering outside for Saturday evening worship grows weekly. What was once the adopted step-child parish of a much larger worshiping family is becoming the largest option for corporate worship for Trinity. God is indeed working a blessing in this time of trial. Thanks be to God.

Tonight, we heard blessed assurance in the lessons for the day. The pastor reminded us of where Christ and the disciples stood when Christ asked, “Who do people say that I am?” They were in the largest urban setting of pagan worship in what we now call the holy land. Here, also, Christ asked who they, the disciples, said he was. Peter’s confession follows. Our pastor led us through that portion of the gospel lesson to Christ’s statement that the very gates of hell could not prevail against the Church that would be built on the truth that Jesus is the promised salvation sent by God to restore the relationship between God and all the earth.

Then, in answer to the question, “What is the church going to look like after this pandemic?” he said, “Since Christ promises that the gates of hell can not prevail against the Church, neither can a pandemic.” We sang Built on the Rock, not in hushed voices blurred by masks, but with the freedom and gusto that being outdoors allowed.

We held up the sacramental elements as the pastor spoke the words of consecration. We ate and drank together.

I came home and listened to Sing for Joy from St. Olaf’s and heard Blessed Assurance. 

Jesus is mine!

Thanks to Journeys of Faith contributing writer-

Natalie Grace Hartwig.

Devotion- Resilient Confidence

 

Matthew 15

 

She, a gentile woman

        Sought help from a male Rabbi

Her aching plea was met with silence

And then being labeled a dog

 

Her response to all of this 

        Shows a resiliently deep faith

She doesn’t disagree or walk away

        But answers with words of trust

 

When our life falls apart 

We too petition God

Sometimes the response we receive

        Feels like cosmic silence

 

Our heart aches while waiting

But we are willing to believe

That in some way and time

        God hears and God will respond

 

Living this way seems risky at best

        And to some even foolish

Because the answers that we get

        Are often not what we expected

 

However it is the love revealed 

        On a lonely cross

Which encourages a resilient confidence

        In God’s caring presence

        

When our wondering and asking here is done

        God’s answers will be revealed

In a place without tears and without pain

        And joy will be ours at last

A Devotion by Rev. Donald Schaefer, 

Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator