Sermons
“AN IDLE TALE” EASTER 2019
LUKE 24: 1-12
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
“IDLE TALK”
“Idle talk” is a technical term—medical language for the wild talk of delirium. It comes in many flavors, such as: coprolalia, which is dirty talk; echolalia, which is repeating what others say; palilalia, which is compulsive repetition of one’s own phrases; aphasia, which is the condition wherein one misunderstands language completely or in part; gibberish, which is nonsense talk—a possible symptom of aphasia—and I would be wrong not to include glossolalia, which is the official term for “speaking in tongues.” Idle talk, more simply understood, is the stuff of idle tales, which is what the Disciples call the first witnesses to the empty tomb.
UN-DISCIPLES
The Disciples were not prepared to believe in the Resurrection. The Christian faith cannot be said to be the result of the Disciples’ wishful thinking—their imaginative last resort to honor Jesus. No, these were basically reasonable men who, with no real evidence to go on, called the women’s testimony nonsense, idle talk, an “old wives’ tale” (and yes, in the sexist sense. The testimony of women—even several—did not constitute a credible witness in ancient Jewish trials).
Plenty of modern people assume the story of Jesus’ rising from the dead is an idle tale—a story made up by the Disciples to honor their deceased master, but all textual evidence is to the contrary.
•They were not strong believers.
•They had no concept of resurrection.
•They had no great loyalty or faithfulness.
•They were afraid.
•They were ashamed.
•They had nothing to gain, everything to lose.
Why Didn’t the Disciples Believe?
The Disciples—the eleven (Judas is out, remember) who would spread the Gospel to the world—do not believe the good news of the Gospel when they first hear it. What? Wouldn’t they of all people be the first ones to jump up and shout for joy? These, to whom it had been announced that Jesus would be handed over, suffer, die, and be raised again? If these were not predisposed to believe, then who would be? And if they don’t, why should anyone else?
The first preachers of the Gospel—these women who witnessed angels and an empty tomb—share the good news with the Disciples and they don’t buy it! Wouldn’t they, of all people, believe the women and be the first to celebrate the announcements?
It’s hard for us to understand the mindset of these disciples because we are so quick to remember the resurrection, but at this point they were not there at all.
We’re going to consider six reasons the Disciples did not believe.
1. NO NOTION OF RESURRECTION
Jesus died. He really died. This wasn’t suspended animation or an imitation of death; this was death like we and all people know death. No one doubted then that Jesus really died and no one ought to doubt or minimize it today.. And lest there be any doubt about it, the early Church Fathers were careful to add the phrase “He descended into Hell [Hades].” Make no mistake about it: when Jesus died he died for real—as real as death can be. This is the first reason the disciples thought it an Idle Tale. Dead people are not raised.
Yes, there were old myths of gods and demigods returning to life in the springtime—Osirus, Adonis, and so forth—but not stories of real human beings dying and coming back—not from a death like the one Jesus suffered. It didn’t happen to men, to human beings, not to people who you walked, talked, ate and travelled with. Ancients were exposed to death on a daily basis, far more than we are today. They never saw a man who was dead as Jesus was dead restored to life.
But you’re thinking, “Wait a minute; what about Lazarus? They saw him resurrected, didn’t they?” You’re thinking this because you’re smart.
Two things: First, Lazarus wasn’t resurrected, he was resuscitated. There’s a difference. When Lazarus came from the tomb, he was wrapped up in the same cloths and people were there to unwrap him and get him something to eat. This is resuscitation—he came back to the same life he had left, apparently to live the rest of it out in normal biological terms. Resurrection is something very different. Jesus was not resuscitated, but appeared [later] to the Disciples as the Lord of Life. His form was and is and remains mysterious.
He makes sudden appearances and exits into thin air. He eats fish and bread with a real, physical body, lest he be confused with some kind of vivid ghost. His disciples—even Thomas—see him and can no longer doubt. But at this point with the Disciples, it was still unthinkable—just idle talk, an idle tale.
Secondly, with Lazarus, how long do you think it took even for the Disciples to say to themselves: “Do you think Lazarus was really dead? Isn’t it possible he just kind of passed out and people stuck him in the tomb out of hysteria?”
The Disciples disbelieved because they had no notion of resurrection, and neither did the world. Resuscitation yes; resurrection, no. What happened to Jesus in being raised to new life had no categories in human history, literature, thought or imagination. It wasn’t anything anyone could expect, and no one had dreamt of it before. This was a new thing—a unique thing—and therefore very easy to doubt and to call an Idle Tale.
2. UNRELIABLE SOURCES
Three officers of the Disciples’ Women’s Auxiliary group—Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, Joanna—went to the tomb and who knows what really happened. They report back to the disciples but for some reason were not considered credible. This is terribly insulting, but I can imagine young men having an attitude: “Oh really? Is that what your Mother told you to believe?” It is patently unfair, but probable.
3. THE CONTEXT OF FEAR
The Jews were out to get them. When pretenders to the throne of Israel were crucified by the Romans, they tended to include all their followers in the crucifixions. The Disciples would have known this. No doubt they feared they were next in line. The followers are always targeted after the leaders of any insurrection are taken down. They looked at each other and wondered not so much what they were going to do next, but rather how were they going to get out of Jerusalem alive.
4. THE CONTEXT OF SHAME
The Disciples of Jesus had become the laughing stock of Jerusalem. Whatever public exposure they had since the arrest of Christ, we know it had to be negative. Those that taunted Jesus would surely have taunted the Disciples. Their life-investments (remember, they had left everything to follow Jesus) were proven to be wrong and in vain. Can you imagine how hard it would have been to have for them to say: “Alright, I guess you Pharisees were right all along and we were wrong.” In Jewish parlance, this was a time for “sackcloth and ashes”—humiliation—God had not favored them. They probably felt like the world’s biggest losers.
5. STATE OF SHOCK
Let’s remember this was still fresh news and the Disciples were still in shock—still trying to believe Jesus is actually dead! They were likely harboring denial in spite of what they had seen and fighting depression on top of it all.
6. pain can be blinding
Surely, they were hurt that Jesus was gone and frustrated at their inability to do anything about it they weren’t seeing straight. Their beloved friend and trusted leader had been unjustly and unfairly taken away and killed. All their hopes had been dashed with him. Israel’s much-expected “Messiah” was again a vain dream. The Disciples were now absolutely sure they would never rule in the kingdom and never have a special place at the Messiah’s table. Furthermore, whatever pride they had was destroyed. Whatever personal ambitions they dreamed of sharing (with Jesus) were shattered.
Even beyond this, they had to feel they had been abandoned by The Father as well: God had let them down. They were leaderless and without direction.
Pain can turn our eyes inward, disabling us from seeing what is real and true. The Disciples’ pain may have kept them self-absorbed and unwilling to hear the good news.
Conclusion: The story of Jesus being raised—one which they heard from Jesus himself—was nonsense, an Idle Tale.
DISCIPLES NOW
But today is Easter! It has been Easter for almost 2000 years and the news that Jesus is risen affects lives today just as it did the women at the tomb, and later, the Disciples who gave their lives for the gospel.
Plenty of people today disbelieve for the same reasons as the Disciples. They may have heard the story of God’s love in Christ, but feel it comes from unreliable sources.
Scriptural authority is right out for them. Likewise, they misunderstand the idea of resurrection, dismissing its factual claims as simply symbolic or mere allegory.
And certainly fear, shame, shock, and pain can come together in any combination to make people predisposed toward dismissal of the good news.
Others have been immunized against Christianity by overly pushing family, friends, or neighbors, such that they never taste the goodness of the good news. They reject faith the same way they would telemarketing calls.
Others are—in the words of Pink Floyd—comfortably numb, anesthetized by chemicals, technology, or they are preoccupied being entertained to death.
The question posed by the man in dazzling clothes is equally relevant today:
"Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
In time, the Disciples all came to believe and all died for the Easter message. Moderns accuse these of inventing or constructing this Idle Tale. Jewish theologican Pinchas Lapide makes a striking observation:
This band of disciples was beaten and weary, yet almost overnight it transformed itself into a victorious faith movement. If this had occurred simply on the basis of auto-suggestion and self-deceit, it would have been a much greater miracle than the Resurrection itself.
—Pinchas Lapide, Jewish theologian (1922–1997)
Would David Copperfield’s backstage crew endure torture and death over the false reality of his illusions? No! Would David Copperfield himself die for the thought that these were anything more than tricks? Of course not. Why would originally-disbelieving disciples die for the truth of the resurrection if it was merely their fabrication? If they invented it, why would they portray themselves in their earthly relationship with Jesus as such clueless boneheads? What did they have to gain by worshipping one who was humiliated and killed by this world?
IT IS FINISHED
The Angels’ message is just as fresh today:
•“Why are you seeking the Living One among the dead?”
•“He is not here, but is raised”
•“Remember what He told you?”
By being raised, we know that everything Jesus said—especially the things that seem crazy or difficult for us—are true and reliable. We know above all that he was who he claimed to be and the things he said about himself are reliable.
The risen Christ, mysteriously alive and mysteriously embodied in multiple dimensions is Lord, King, Master over all.
Today you may bring some of the Disciples’ more worldly qualities—incredulity, fear, shame, shock, pain—and these things may be keeping you in a state of disbelief. The good news is that these things will not last either for you or for the world.
We live in a new kingdom. The evidence for it is an empty tomb and the largest, most significant world movement ever—one that is still going, growing, and I daresay glowing.
Every day, ordinary folks like you, me, and the original disciples come to experience the miracle of faith. Lives change deeply, permanently, because God’s Holy Spirit breathes new life into dead matter, transforming what is dead and decaying into a new being, a new humanity, and new communities that now live in the love he intends for all humankind.
Because he is risen, we too can rise.
Because he lives, we too can live.
Because he is Lord, Death too will die.
And we are here to tell you that the story is trustworthy and true.
†
“FAILED RECOGNITION”
Luke 19: 36-44 nRSV
36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." 40 He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out." 41 As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44 They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."
THE BOTTICELLI
A painting dismissed as an imitation of Sandro Botticelli's Madonna Of The Pomegranate has actually turned out to be the real thing. The more famous and much larger version is displayed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
For years it was thought that the smaller version, painted in 1487, was a copy by an unknown artist. There are details that differ slightly from the larger work and more than a century of yellow varnish concealed the quality of the painting underneath. But the truth about the 15th century masterpiece, which shows Madonna and Christ Child with four angels, was revealed when English Heritage conservators started to clean it.
They stripped off the dirt and varnish and used x-rays, infrared and pigment analysis. Experts at the National Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum were also consulted and all of the information points to the painting being the original from the famous painter's Florence workshop.
In short, they didn’t know what they had right in front of them. This is the reality of Palm Sunday. The people parade Jesus in as king and messiah, but they didn’t know anything about his actual kingship or messiahship.
Comedian Demetri Martin has a great comic one-liner that carries this further:
“I was walking in the park and this guy waved at me. Then he said, “I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else. I said, “I am.” This is also Palm Sunday.
The question is should we be celebrating Palm Sunday at all? It looks very Easter-ish, if you know what I mean. Bright colors, a children’s parade, happy Hosannas—am I wrong or are we celebrating Easter a week early? What happened to Lent? Where is that dark self-examination that characterizes the forty days before Easter?
In fact, Palm Sunday is every bit as dark as Good Friday, for it is the account of the people’s failure to recognize Jesus as king and messiah. Yes, they shouted Hosanna, and they proclaimed, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” which was the very patent phrase for the Messiah, but they didn’t know it was actually the Son of God, God in the flesh, returning to his rightful rule. It’s more likely they were just caught up in the holiday’s Messiah Fever.
MESSIAH FEVER
The disciples all parade Jesus into Jerusalem as though he were king and Messiah, but this was not something new. For 400 years, Israel had avoided idolatry and yet awaited a Word from God in the form of a prophet. The much-anticipated Messiah would be a prophet, priest, and king in the image of David—a conquering hero who would rescue Israel from the oppression of other worldly powers and establish an eternal earthly reign.
Many followed Jesus. They saw him heal and believed he was a prophet “like those of old” with a special relationship to God. While these things are true, it’s a bit like saying, “Jeff Bezos has some money.” I have some money—$13.00 in my wallet as I speak—but Jeff Bezos has 160 billion dollars. If each dollar were a grain of sand, it would fill the bed of a large pickup truck.
The Pharisees were wary of Messiah Fever—very much so—so they tell Jesus to shut his disciples up:
"Teacher, order your disciples to stop."
The Pharisees knew their history. They saw that no good can come of calling anyone “Messiah.” Why? Because it had happened before, perhaps many times, but we’ll talk about three.
Simon of Peraea (4 BC)
Jewish historian Josephus writes:
“Simon had been a slave of king Herod, but in other respects an attractive person, of a tall and robust body; he was one that was much superior to others of his order, and had had great things committed to his care. This man was elevated at the disorderly state of things, and was so bold as to put a diadem on his head, while a certain number of the people stood by him, and by them he was declared to be a king, and he thought himself more worthy of that dignity than any one else.
"He burnt down the royal palace at Jericho, and plundered what was left in it. He also set fire to many other of the king's houses in several places of the country, utterly destroyed them, and permitted those that were with him to take what was left in them for a prey. He would have done greater things, but care was taken to repress him immediately. [The commander of Herod's infantry] Gratus joined himself to some Roman soldiers, took the forces he had with him, and met Simon. And after a great and a long fight, no small part of those that had come from Peraea (a disordered body of men, fighting rather in a bold than in a skillful manner) were destroyed. Although Simon had saved himself by flying away through a certain valley, Gratus overtook him, and cut off his head.”
What, never heard of Simon of Peraea? Why not? Because he and all of his followers were killed by the Romans.
Athronges (4-2 BC)
Josephus writes:
“Athronges, a person neither eminent by the dignity of his progenitors, nor for any great wealth he possessed. For he had been a mere shepherd, not known by anybody. But because he was a tall man, and excelled others in the strength of his hands, he was so bold as to set up for king. A thing to do more than ordinary injuries to others, that, although he risked his life, he did not much care if he lost it in so great a design.
“He had four brothers, who were tall men themselves, and were believed to be superior to others in the strength of their hands, and thereby were encouraged to aim at great things, and thought that strength of theirs would support them in retaining the kingdom. Each of these ruled over a band of men of their own (for those that got together to them were very numerous). They were every one of them also commanders; but when they came to fight, they were subordinate to him, and fought for him. After he had put a diadem about his head, he assembled a council to debate about what things should be done, and all things were done according to his pleasure. So, this man retained his power a great while; he was also called king, and had nothing to hinder him from doing what he pleased.
“Together with his brothers, he slew a great many of both of Roman and of the king's forces, and managed matters with the like hatred to each of them. They fell upon the king's soldiers because of the licentious conduct they had been allowed under Herod's government; and they fell upon the Romans, because of the injuries they had so lately received from them. But in process of time they grew more cruel to all sorts of men, nor could anyone escape from one or other of these seditions, since they slew some out of the hopes of gain, and others from a mere custom of slaying men.
“Once, they attacked a Roman company at Emmaus, soldiers who were bringing grain and weapons to the army, and fell upon Arius, the centurion, who commanded the company, and shot forty of the best of his foot soldiers. The other Romans panicked after this slaughter, left their dead behind them, and were saved by Gratus, who came to their assistance with the king's troops that he commanded. Now these four brethren continued the war a long while by such sort of expeditions, and they much grieved the Romans; but they did their own nation also a great deal of mischief.
“Afterwards they were subdued; one of them in a fight with Gratus, another with Ptolemy; Herod Archelaus took the eldest of them prisoner; while the last of them was so dejected at the other's misfortune, and saw so plainly that he had no way now left to save himself, his army being worn away with sickness and continual labors, that he also delivered himself up to Archelaus, upon his promise and oath to God to preserve his life. But these things came to pass a good while afterward."
The rebellion of Athronges against the Roman authorities may have lasted for almost two years. Josephus states how the four brothers met their fate, but he is silent on the end of Athronges himself.
What, never heard of Athronges? Why not? Because he and all of his followers were killed by the Romans.
Judas of Galilee (6 AD)
Judas of Galilee, or Judas of Gamala, was a Jewish leader who led resistance to the census imposed for Roman tax purposes by Quirinius in Judea Province around 6 AD. He encouraged Jews not to register and those that did had their houses burnt and their cattle stolen by his followers. He began the "fourth philosophy" of the Jews which Josephus blames for the disastrous war with the Romans in 66–70 AD. These events are discussed by Josephus in The Jewish War and in Antiquities of the Jews and mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.
In Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus states that Judas, along with Zadok the Pharisee, founded the "fourth sect" of 1st century Judaism (the first three being the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes). Josephus blamed this fourth sect for the First Jewish–Roman War of 66–73 AD. Judas and Zaddok's group were theocratic nationalists who preached that God alone was the ruler of Israel and urged that no taxes should be paid to Rome. [info from Wikipedia]
What, never heard of Judas of Galillee? Why not? Because he and all of his followers were killed by the Romans.
The Pharisees were wary for good reasons. The people had waited 400 years for a Messiah and the fever was on and on high.
FAILED RECOGNITION
Jesus weeps for Jerusalem like a mother weeps for a murderous son on the way to the gallows. “You could have been so much more!” she cries.
Twice our text uses the word recognize.:
"If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! v.42
…you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God. v.44
The people failed to recognize the true king and true heir of the throne of Jerusalem, the earth, and the cosmos. His disciples called out the correct words, so truth was named even if it were not understood, but it remains the case that Palm Sunday is not a happy day or a positive occasion.
The irony is that they called him Messiah without knowing what kind of messiah to expect. They called him King without a clue as to what his actual kingdom looked like.
The failure to recognize continues anywhere Jesus is reduced to convenient definitions or limited roles. To say, “He was a great teacher,” or “He was a prophet of God,” remain pathetic oversimplifications of the reality. I confess, that even when I say that Jesus is the Son of God, Lord of all, High King of Heaven, perfect Master, and God Almighty—I may be correct, but I call Jesus names I have no way of fully understanding. We too may sing, “God is good!” but what do we know of real goodness? Our best praises are sin-stained and as limited as our earthly sight.
We do our best to embrace humility in every aspect of our life and worship. We are right to humbly worship and to resist all attempts to reduce or simplify our knowledge of God.
Who he is is who he self-reveals to be. He is who he is—it’s just that simple. Demetri Martin has it right:
“I was walking in the park and this guy waved at me. Then he said, “I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else. I said, “I am.” This is Palm Sunday.†.
“RECEIVING”
TEXT: Luke 18: 15-17 nrsv
THE PLAYERS
The salvation of God is received simply by receiving. That is the sermon.
Our text gives us three players in a microdrama that illustrates how God saves and how we appropriate God’s grace. There are the Toddlers, Jesus the Rabbi, and the Hinderers. Let’s look at each as we seek to find our own lives mirrored by the text.
THE TODDLERS
Today, we tend to think that all children are delightful, but it wasn’t always the case. In many cultures—and this is true of the ancient middle east—only your own babies were delightful. So “delightful to you” did not translate to “delightful for everyone else.”
We are more likely today to understand this in terms of pets. You may absolutely love and adore your extremely high-strung mini-doberman-pincher. You may insist that she “loves everyone,” but the cat lovers and folks with dog allergies are unlikely to share your opinion. They think, “adorable to you, maybe, but you ought to keep your pets either on a leash or at home.”
This was the attitude about infants and babies in general. Don’t inflict a face that only a mother could love on everyone else expecting that same delight from others.
Jesus says, “Bring ‘em on, because I love them all!” But Jesus is different. He is a different kind of Rabbi.
JESUS THE RABBI
Rabbis were highly-valued and most highly-respected in Jewish culture. They were the source of wisdom for all of Israel—the backbone of the nation—and their opinions on all matters were sought for enlightenment and direction. Jesus, though controversial, was a respectable rabbi. The people all understood this, though some of the religious leaders disapproved of him. Even these always approached him with great respect—at least publicly—for to undercut his professionalism would have been to undercut their own.
Rabbis were respectable leaders—we might compare this today to captains of industry or long-grounded senators—men and women who have tremendous influence and cultural power.
So now imagine a high and mighty red carpet event. Limosines and glitzy gowns pulling up to a curb with a mob fans and photographers behind the velvet ropes. We see Warren Buffet and his wife, smiling and waving to the gallery, Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Cook, Nancy Pelosi, Melania Trump, Tom Hanks, Lebron James, Rachel Maddow and Tucker Carlson—cultural A-listers. Now imagine up that carpet a few yards beyond the paparazzi, groups of young mothers on both sides of the aisle, holding their babies out over the ropes to touched, kissed, blessed, or otherwise adored by the stars.
Would Bill Gates recoil a bit? Can you see Tim Cook wince? Can you imagine the celebrities drawing themselves in toward the center of the carpet, shoulders up to their ears cringing like germaphobes running the gauntlet in a leper colony?
That’s why so many of them have body guards, private security details, or the secret service—buff dudes with handguns and Oakley sunglasses keeping the crowds back. All Jesus had was a dozen ragtag apostles.
THE HINDERERS
It is they who say, “C’mon, lady—he’s a Rabbi! He doesn’t need your drooly, stinky baby in his face! Back up!”
These hinderers are just trying to do the right thing as they see it. They’re protecting Jesus from the pressing crowd and trying to honor his rabbinical dignity. They are—to the best of their thinking—trying to honor their master.
Who are today’s hinderers? Were I to ask, “Who today, by trying to honor the glory and majesty of Christ, actually hinder little ones from coming to him?” I think we can imagine several versions:
I think of the very high church, with its strict separation of clergy and laity. Any church with “High priests only” areas, or anything that separates the children of God from full access to the Table of Christ—that is a form of hindrance attempting to honor God but excluding the children.
In short, a church that does not welcome children is not the church of Jesus.
Contrast that attitude with the current Pope. When children have wandered up to his papal seat, they have not been whisked away by the Pope’s personal gophers. No one has scowled at the children’s mothers with that look that says, “Can’t you control your kids? This is the pope!” A few years ago, that would have been the case.
Another hindrance comes from the American zeal to appear fair, balanced, and unbiased. We have all but entirely removed Christianity from our schools, which is a pointless and countercultural gesture in the name of impartiality—a false god that many of us would argue does not actually exist. We have become so paranoid of wielding undue Christian influence that we have opted for policies of total, absolute hindrance.
CHILDREN BELONG
What do we say of this? Without exception and without qualification, we say that First Presbyterian Church of Upland will welcome and encourage the children to come to us. With our Preschool, we will continue our commitment to partner with parents in giving young children the best possible start to life. We will continue our commitment to staff a Children’s Ministry and bolster our outreach and programming for children and their parents. And let us as well continue our commitment to provide staff and programming to children right up through graduation in order that we assist them into adulthood and gear them on a path to Christian Maturity.
It’s costly. It’s messy. Children still burp, drool, spill, and break things. Youth ministry can be expensive. Stuff gets broken. Holes appear in walls and strange stains appear in carpets everywhere. And it can be frustrating for those among us who want to serve the dignities of Presbyterianism.
And yes, we will have our moments of saying things like, “Hey lady—get your kid away from that, we just painted it!” or “Yeah, you! No eating in there!” That’s okay. It does take a village to raise a child, and part of leading a child right includes them getting hissed at in church from time to time, but the larger message must be—and will be:
Child, you are welcome here!
Child, you belong here!
Jesus loves your babies and so do we.
We too are welcomed only as children.
RECEIVING
The core truth of the gospel is found right here. Jesus says,
“Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."
How does a child receive? In short, quite easily.
Offer to a small child say, a cupcake—moist and covered with shiny yellow frosting with rainbow-colored sprinkles—and how will they receive it? Easily, and quickly. What child would say:
I have done nothing to either earn or deserve this treat—so I’m sorry, but I cannot receive it.
It looks good, but I don’t want to be in your debt by taking it.
What strings are attached? How do I know it isn’t poison? Would you be willing to sign a contract guaranteeing that you’ll take full responsibility in the event of my indigestion?
So you and I must not question the offer of Grace through Christ.
It is a gift from God. Our job is not to earn or deserve it. We can’t.
There are no required calisthenics or contracts.
We are simply to receive. Easily. Quickly.
No strings attached.
Jesus’ words from the table are the words of grace. Take. Eat.
We receive it all—Heaven and Earth—by simply receiving all that God gives. †