04-24-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 24, 2024
Fred Rogers from Mr. Rogers fame said, “I don’t think that the basics that kids need have changed in 10,000 years.” In a world where new scientific discoveries are happening on a daily basis and new technology is coming into our lives as fast as we are willing to spend the money, Mr. Rogers is once again correct in his analysis. Children need the essentials of life, and along with food, water, shelter, healthcare, clean air, and regular sleep, there is a need for security and unconditional love that build self-worth, friendships, self-differentiation, self-determination, and creativity. When Jesus said, “Let the children come unto me,” I do not believe he was suggesting that children 20 feet from him be allowed to step forward and be within six inches of him. It was an invitation for the world to make sure every child had access to the fullness of life. This begins with the basics. Otherwise, the Jesus those children would be meeting would be more of a mascot for a worldview that says children (or certain children) are not as valuable in actuality as they are in the hypothetical.

Today is the day to make children an absolute priority, whether those children are playing in the neighbor’s yard, trying to get adequate healthcare in rural Georgia, seeking shelter along our southern border, going about daily tasks just inside the border of Israel, or searching for a place that won’t be bombed in Gaza. Not one of these children, Merciful God, should ever be collateral damage in the political struggles of adults. And if we think we can excuse one, then no child is safe. Give us the courage to find a way that may not yet be visible to us—a way that you have been revealing to us for at least 10,000 years. Amen.