No Children in the Room?
Scripture Reading — Matthew 18:1-5
He called a little child and had him stand among them. Matthew 18:2
On the tenth floor of the bank building was a spacious room with a long wooden table. In this room, major decisions were made about loans that would or would not be granted. Decisions were also made about opening new offices in certain neighborhoods. The decision-makers sat around this big table on the tenth floor—well-dressed, wealthy, “successful” people. There were no children in the room.
A church I served also had a room for decision-making. It was downstairs, and the people who gathered there sat around four ordinary classroom tables. I remember a council meeting in which a young elder held his three-year-old son in his lap. He was waiting for his wife to wrap up another meeting in a neighboring room so that he could “hand off” the child to her. It seemed that the council was unwilling to begin the official business of the meeting while this little one was present.
Perhaps we had it wrong.
When Jesus’ disciples asked important questions about the kingdom, the first thing Jesus did was bring a child into their midst. Jesus reminded them—and us—of our need to come to the kingdom with innocence, trust, simplicity, and freedom from pride.
These are the marks of childlike faith that our heavenly Father desires.
Father, bless each child, of whatever age, that is reading or hearing these words today. Whatever our age, may we always come to you with childlike faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Fred Bultman
Fred Bultman began a “second career” as a pastor in 1997, after a first career in the banking business. He served as pastor to congregations in the U.S. and Canada. In retirement, he continues to enjoy sharing in the ministry of the churches in and around his home in Fremont, Michigan.
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