Message from Tim

The child in the midst

Jesus got up from where he was sitting at home and gently picked up one of the little children in the room. He set the infant down to stand in the midst of his twelve disciples, and bent down to give the child a hug. ‘Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me,’ he told them, ‘and whoever welcomes me, isn’t just welcoming me – they are also welcoming the one who sent me’ (Mark 9:36-37).

Can you picture the scene? Jesus makes the child the centre of attention. The disciples, who had been arguing about which of them was the most valuable member of the team, were all put in their place. When we talk about ‘looking up’ to those in authority, the imagery we use reflects the universal tendency to place important people on some kind of pedestal to befit their exalted status. But, addressing grown men three or four times the size of the little child in their midst, Jesus turns everything upside down. The greatest person in the room is actually the smallest, and to welcome this child in his name is to welcome God.

Was Jesus making a point by putting the child in the middle, or at the centre, of the group? Could this mean that Jesus wants us to place children at the centre of our agenda as we resume meeting for worship and all the other activities associated with church? I can guarantee that if you are reading this, then you are not a little child! So how do you feel about putting the children first? Does the idea put your nose out of joint a bit? Does it expose an assumption on our part that church ought to suit those of us who are members, and who have faithfully supported the church for years, if not decades, with our money, our time, and our practical support? Which of us is the most important? Can you get just an inkling of how the disciples must have felt when Jesus pulled the rug from under their feet like this?

Jesus was always very good at making people feel uncomfortable. If what he says doesn’t challenge us, then we are probably applying a filter to block anything too controversial, or airbrushing away those features of his teaching that are too awkward or disconcerting to contemplate in comfort. So perhaps I should not shy away from posing a provocative question – what would putting a child at the centre of our life together look like? I’m not sure about the answer, though I am certain that it does not entail reducing our worship on a Sunday morning to a diet of silly games and action songs. I recoil from the idea of dumbing everything down in order to try and keep children entertained! But if we want to ensure that our worship and teaching are readily and equally accessible to children, their families, and the whole church family, that may well mean changing how we allocate our resources, or changing the way we ‘do church’ in the future. How would you feel about that? Many of us feel threatened by change; we instinctively prefer sticking with what is tried, trusted and familiar. But then, what else did Jesus say? ‘Unless you change, and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 18:3).