Call to Worship:  Charity Children’s Home, Calcutta
Take time to think.
It is the source of power.
Take time to play.
It is the secret of eternal youth.
Take time to laugh.
It is the music of the soul.
Take time to pray.
It is the greatest power on earth.

Unison Prayer:  
Awaken us, we pray,
In mind and in spirit,
In faith and in hope.
Bless us with optimism,
Energy and excitement,
That we might praise you
And serve you with joy.  Amen.

Words of Assurance:  Psalm 127:3, Good News Bible
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil;
for thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen.

Opening Song: We the Kingdom, “Child of Love”

Scripture:  Mark 10:13-16, NLT abb.
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.  When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

Sunday Sermon

Today we will be celebrating our first baptism of the year, which was supposed to be our second baptism, but our first baptism will now be our third baptism, followed by a fourth, all in the next three months. This is an incredible blessing for our church: four children and five cakes!*

*one of the baptisms was delayed after the cake had been ordered

Today’s story has four main characters or groups of characters: the parents, the children, the disciples and Jesus. Adam and Caitlin, if you’re putting yourselves in this story, you are the parents; Ronan and all the other young people in our church are the children; anyone who doesn’t like children or who thinks they should be seen and not heard represents the disciples (BOO!) … and I get to play Jesus, no pressure!

This is one of those rare Scriptures in which the disciples are the bad guys. The good guys are the parents, who are only looking for a blessing for their children. They are obviously people of faith, and believe that Jesus has the power to bestow such a blessing. Some may be carrying their children; others may be holding them by the hand. This should be a happy moment. But the disciples ruin it. They scold the parents for bothering Jesus. But are they bothering Jesus?

Let’s have a quick review of what the Bible says about children before Jesus. There’s the famous “Teach a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they shall not depart from it.” That’s a good one. Then there’s “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” which is not so good, but it pales in comparison to the law about stoning children who are disobedient or disrespectful. Back then, childhood was a lot shorter, because as soon as a child could work, off they went to the fields, or if they were men, even to war; and by the time they were teenagers, they were having children themselves. So childhood lasted only a few years, which is very different from today, when according to a recent study, adolescence lasts until the early 30s, which is the subject of Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Manchild”!

So of course parents wanted blessings for their children. They wanted God in their children’s lives, as early and as often as possible. Given the fact that churches today all say they want young people around, it’s shocking to hear the disciples trying to get children to shoo. But when Jesus finds out, he is angry. He scolds the adults who are scolding the other adults! If any of the children were old enough to talk at this point, you can imagine how happy they must have been watching this unfold. When Jesus took their side, he probably made friends for life, because hardly anyone ever took a child’s side.

Fast forward to Palm Sunday, and the whole scene will repeat. Years have passed, and it’s easy to imagine that these are the same kids, just a little older, and they are making a holy racket when Jesus comes to town, and the Pharisees (but not the disciples) tell Jesus to tell the children to be quiet, and he tells them, “If they are quiet, even the stones will shout.”

In today’s story, Jesus does more than tell the disciples that they are wrong. He tells them that if they don’t change and become like children, they will never get to heaven! These are very strong words, and must have been shocking to hear. As Jesus starts blessing the children, the disciples are probably asking themselves what in the world he means. The words vary a bit depending on who’s telling the story, from “you must become like little children” to “receive the Kingdom of God like a child” to “whoever humbles themselves like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” to “whoever receives a child in my name receives me.” But no matter what the translation, there’s no way around it; Jesus is placing children above adults, the opposite of what adults are used to doing.

The implication is that we have something as children that we lose as adults, but that we can get it back if we choose. Paul writes that when he was a child, he spoke as a child, he thought as a child, he reasoned as a child; but when he grew up, he gave up childish ways. Jesus’ words make a distinction between the words childish and childlike. We all know how embarrassing it is when an adult acts in a childish way; but it’s a compliment to say that someone has the innocence of a child, or the openness of a child, or who grows up but still knows how to play. There will always be an adult telling us to get rid of our inner child, but their advice is wrong; just ask Jesus.

Last week I asked our Bible study to make two lists. The first is “Advice for Baby from Now Until You’re Our Age.” So Ronan, this advice is for you.
Listen without judgment.
Test your boundaries.
Be open to trying new things.
Be true to yourself; you don’t have to follow the pack.
Learn from failures; we all make mistakes.
Learn resilience.
Don’t dwell on the negative, accentuate the positive.
Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, the other is gold.
Find your joy.
Remember to play.

Our older Sunday School class will be compiling a list of their own, so you’ll hear things from a middle and high school perspective as well. (Note: they are turning this in during or after the service.)

The second list is “How to Be a Great Parent.” Adam and Caitlin, this list is for you.
Be a good listener.
Be present. One person told a story of a child who could never get their parent’s attention because they were always on the phone. The child said, “I need your eyes to look at me.”
Show your love through hugs and smiles.
Cultivate laughter and a sense of humor.
Be able to admit when you’re wrong, and apologize.
Be consistent.
Be trustworthy.
Help your children to feel safe.
And again, remember to play.

The short version, which matches the Scripture, is this: while you’re being a parent, rediscover what it’s like to be a child, and if you see anything good in the way Ronan approaches things, thinks about things, or responds to things, learn from this; change and become like this; realize that in becoming adults, we may purposely or even inadvertently leave behind some things we shouldn’t have left behind, which may include wonder, trust, joy and grace. In this new phase of your adulthood, be children and adults at the same time. Be the adults who bring your child for a blessing; be the children who receive the same blessing from the parent of us all.

God bless you and Amen!

Closing Song: Vineyard Worship, “Last Song”

The image above comes from P.D. Eastman’s Snow, which was one of my favorite winter books as a child. You may have read it too, and when you were older, you may have read it to your children. Adults tend to think of snow events as something to prepare for (as they should), but children look at snow with a sense of wonder. Some of us remember listening to the radio, hoping that our school name would be read in alphabetical order and we’d end up with a precious snow day: a day to make snowmen, snow angels and snow forts, to have snowball fights, to go sledding. If we were fortunate, someone else shoveled the driveway, but if it was us, we earned our fun and our hot cocoa!

We have a choice on how to regard a winter storm: it can be frightening and anxiety-producing, or an opportunity to reflect. Christian composers Jonathan and Melissa Helser have a wonderful take on “The Necessity of Seasons” ~ I won’t spoil it for you because it’s so beautiful. Watch the video below!

Now let’s add some snow! Here are Jonathan and Melissa on their back porch in North Carolina, singing a song about the winter as the precipitation falls and their breath makes tiny clouds.

Do we have the faith to sing winter? It’s all a matter of perspective. Last winter our book group read Kari Leibowitz’ How to Winter, which recognizes the fact that seasonal affective disorder peaks at this time of year. Some have even pinpointed a date: the third Monday in January (but sometimes the fourth), meaning right about now. The reasons include a post-holiday letdown, bills coming due and a feeling of isolation caused by cold weather and winter storms. If you haven’t yet read this book, it’s a great time to do so. Or try Katherine May’s Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times; or if you’re looking for something more fun, Sally Coulthard’s The Little Book of Snow.

Scripture contains at least 25 references to snow, the most famous being “though your sins be as red as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). Snow is a metaphor for purity; as it blankets the landscape, imperfections are covered, terrains smoothed. Falling snow cleans the air; snow on the ground protects fresh growth below. For all the talk of fallen limbs and power outages, there is an equal and perhaps even more powerful set of positive effects. In the wake of his greatest transgression, David writes, “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow;” he yearns for the Lord’s intervention, trusting that God has the power and the will to wash him clean.

The perfect hymn for today is Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter,” originally written as a poem; while it’s technically a Christmas-to-Epiphany hymn, the first verse is just like today’s weather. Here’s a short version by for KING & COUNTRY that contains only that first verse:

In like manner, the 37th chapter of Job contains a glorious passage about snow and ice that matches today’s forecast:

God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things which we cannot comprehend.
For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth’;
and to the shower and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
He seals up the hand of every man,
that all men may know his work.
Then the beasts go into their lairs,
and remain in their dens.
From its chamber comes the whirlwind,
and cold from the scattering winds.
By the breath of God ice is given,
 and the broad waters are frozen fast.
He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
the clouds scatter his lightning.
They turn round and round by his guidance,
to accomplish all that he commands them
on the face of the habitable world.
Whether for correction, or for his land,
or for love, he causes it to happen.

The passage encapsulates both the terror and the wonder of a winter storm. What can seem benign to those who are safe and warm, larders stocked, generators charged, can seem threatening and intimidating to those who are not prepared or who are caught off guard. Already today, the storm has left tens of thousands without power in areas unaccustomed to an overload of snow and ice. The peculiar last line of the Scripture sums up a myriad of feelings: “whether for correction, or for his land, or for love, he causes it to happen.” This is the Revised Standard Version; the New International is even more direct: “He brings the clouds to punish people, or to water his earth and show his love.” Like many things in life, it’s all a matter of perspective; a snow day provides an opportunity to reflect.

Here’s a lovely Christmas song that doesn’t mention Christmas, which makes it perfect for a winter playlist. Chris Tomlin and Audrey Assad sing that the Lord “came like a winter snow, quiet and soft and slow, falling from the sky in the night to the earth below.”

Eventually, the storm will pass; the cleanup will begin. This reassurance lies at the heart of the 147th Psalm: He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow. The sun will come out tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the next day. Hopefully by then we will all be able to say that we survived the winter storm, and if we can survive something so vast and fierce, what else might we be able to endure? If God can melt the snow, might God be able to melt a frozen heart, or clear a pathway to grace?

When the storm ends, look outside to see the skies clearing, the birds and squirrels foraging, the children playing, as the howl turns to a hush and finally to a happy purr. We wish the same for you: the blessing of safety, the promise of the returning sun, the wonder of a world transformed. May the same God who brings the storm be our shelter from the storm, and lead us to brighter days once the danger has passed. Amen.

P.S. Watch this video ~ it will make you SO HAPPY!