Welcoming Children (Friday Devotional)

Then children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

- Matthew 19:13-14

Every night this week, I had two responsibilities at our church’s Vacation Bible School. First, during the opening and closing rallies, I put on a glow-in-the-dark costume and served as “The Illuminator,” a silly character whose jobs were to hype the kids up and to recap the Bible lessons from the week. In between those rallies, I led the recreation time for each class, facilitating everything from Capture the Flag to cup stacking to a hula hoop toss.

For a pastor, this was far from a typical week. Yet inevitably, it is always one of my favorite times of the year. Why is that? The answer, I believe, comes straight from the Bible.

In his ministry, Jesus was often confronted with a familiar complaint: he wasn’t falling in line. Sometimes that was because he was choosing compassion over law. Sometimes it was because he was looking more to the spirit of the law than to its letter. Sometimes it’s simply because he was paying too much attention to people that society said weren’t worthy of it.

One of those times was when a group of parents brought their children to Jesus to be blessed. If you’ve ever been around a group of kids, you’ll know that they’re far from orderly—undoubtedly some of the kids were screaming, some were running around, and some were utterly unimpressed by the Messiah. As such, Jesus’ disciples were ready to send these children on their way so that the Savior could attend to more important matters. However, Jesus would have none of it. Speaking sternly to his disciples, he demanded that the little children be brought to him, “for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Now as then, we are quick to dismiss children. They’re cute, but so loud. They’re innocent, but so unpredictable. They’re beautiful, but ultimately secondary to the important work of adult ministry.

Jesus saw things differently. He valued children in all their boisterousness. He didn’t see them as a nuisance, but as a blessing. Indeed, he said God’s kingdom belonged to them.

So today, we ought not regard children’s ministry as the minor leagues, but as crucial work. Dressing up in silly costumes is not an inconvenience, but an opportunity. Crafts and games are not trivialities, but tools for gospel ministry. Vacation Bible School is not an event to trudge through, it is a revival to be celebrated.

Jesus welcomes the little children, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Are you welcoming them too?