Outsiders Become Insiders

This is the sermon one of my parishioners, Trish Pecuch,  preached on Sunday, 9/22 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text was Mark 9:30-37. I was home with COVID.     

 

After Jesus had taught the disciples, he gives them a demonstration. He takes a small child to illustrate what he is trying to teach them. Our response is, “Oh, how sweet!” Our ideas of children and childhood are far different from those of first century Palestine.  

Parents loved their children, but in general, small children were considered non-persons. The Greek word used by Mark indicates a young child.There was no reason to interest oneself in serving a small child. There was nothing they could do for you. Children represented “the least.” By embracing a child, Jesus is demonstrating his love of the unlovable. 

 

Now the answers to who is the greatest. The first answer Jesus gives the disciples is “Whoever wants to be first must be least of all and the servant of all.” It is servant leadership that is the path to greatness. In contrast to the disciples’ ideas of greatness, Jesus identifies greatness with service and empathy. It involves humility and the willingness to serve rather than be served. Spiritual greatness is revealed in God’s willing participation in the mess of human suffering. 

 

Jesus’ second answer was, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” As usual, Jesus turns everything upside down. In the kingdom of God, everything is backwards from the Roman system of patronage. 

 

The path to God’s power is to open your arms to the powerless. Professor Micah Kiel of St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA says, “Saying that the way to gain honor is to receive those who are without honor goes against the logic of the ancient society. The Kingdom of God assesses and assigns value differently than the human realm. God will receive those who receive the child. This will give access to true power, the power of the one who sent Jesus.”

 

In what ways does this apply to us today? For one thing, American public policy neglects millions of children at home and abroad. Howard Thurman observed that one of the most tragic effects of poverty is the loss of imagination among children. There are national leaders who seem content with children of undocumented immigrants being separated from their families. Programs that promote children’s health and welfare are deemed optional. Tax cuts for the wealthy trump care for vulnerable children. 

 

We middle-class American parents are concerned for our children, which is demonstrated in the rise of child-rearing books, after-school sports and wall-to-wall activities to help them get ahead in the world. But what about their deepest needs? 

 

How many times have you been in a restaurant and seen a family waiting for their food to arrive? What are they doing? Are the parents engaging their children in conversation? Are they looking at each other as they talk? Or, are they all looking down at their phones? Sometimes you will see people texting to each other rather than talking to each other. Our children need us to engage them in conversation and tell them how much we care about them and how much Jesus loves them. 

 

When our children were baptized, we promised to:

     

     live with them among God's faithful people, bring them to the word of God and the holy supper,

teach them the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, place in their hands the holy scriptures,and nurture them in faith and prayer, so that [our] children may learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace. (ELW, Holy Baptism)

 

 

As a congregation, we do our best ministry with children when we make sure that the children of our church and of the community know that God loves them, that we love them and that their lives are full of possibilities. By doing so, we are awakened to the spiritual encounters we may have with them. 

 

What weight do Jesus’ words have to us as we look at the refugee crisis in Syria, the families at the border, or children who are hungry in the local school? We do well at taking care of our children in our local school, but can our concern and love extend beyond the borders of our county? Can we look at these other children through the eyes of Christ, through compassion and love of the other? 

 

In the coming months, we will have a Refugee Sunday, so that we may be better educated about the situation of refugees and learn more of what we can do to help.

 

In the meantime, how shall we work to alleviate the grief and despair of those ignored by so many? We can cry out for justice for the little ones to our elected representatives. We can support various agencies that care for the least of these. In our own area, we can help at St. Susan's, UCAN, or other ministries whose mission is to work with those on the margins of society. 

 

The child Jesus hugged as an object lesson was representative of the lowest, least-esteemed in society, yet Jesus showed his love. Who are the least esteemed of society? All we have to do is open our eyes to our neighbors around us. We can help feed the hungry, clothe the naked and house the homeless in Jesus’ name. In fact, if we are to be followers of Christ, we must do so. 

 

Amen.

 

Resources

 

Bruce G. Epperly, christiancentury.org

 

Micah Kiel, workingpreacher.org

 

Robb McCoy and Eric Fistler, pulpitfiction.com