03 Aug Allow the Children to Come to Me

Dear Westwood family,

This coming Sunday August 6th, Pastor Diana and I will be speaking in The Loft about the role and importance of creating a community where all people – including our children – feel like they belong. In my preparation for this Sunday I was reminded of Jesus’ admonition to his followers who didn’t want him to be “distracted” by the needs of children. Jesus responds to them in Matthew 19:14-15 saying: “Allow the children to come to me… Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children.” Then he blessed the children and went away from there.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children. I have thought a lot about what Jesus meant by that statement. To be completely transparent, my thoughts have evolved since having a child of my own! Is Jesus saying that we should be trusting like children who grow up in functional homes are? Is Jesus saying we should love unconditionally in ways that remind us of a child’s love for their caregivers? Or is Jesus saying that we should be honest and transparent in ways that only children seem to be able to?

In this saying, I believe Jesus meant to encompass all I have suggested and much more. There is so much that we can learn from children if we choose to slow down and pay attention to how they live their lives. Looking at the world from their perspective, we realize how narrow our adult view of the world can be. Stepping into the wonder of their world rather than encouraging them to “see” everything as they “should” as an adult can transform how we have come to know the Sacred.

If there is one thing that I have learned through my time working in churches and with children, it is that all too often, adults are hyper-focused on what we believe we need to teach children, and we lose sight of what we ought to be learning from them.

What does it look like for Westwood UMC to create a community where children and young people feel like they belong? How might you help create this community at Westwood? How might we create a community that encourages the children to come to us?

Love and Solidarity,
Rev. Dr. Carter