When I was a child I loved the protective way Jesus upheld the value of “the little ones”. It wasn’t until I took a deeper look in seminary that I understood that Jesus was speaking protectively about his newest disciples and followers. There’s freshness, awe, and vulnerability in those newly in love with life’s possibilities, a freshness not unlike the beginning days and weeks of falling in love. It’s a tenderness that helps parents, children, and lovers to establish an enduring bond of kinship. When Jesus warns against putting any impediments in the way of new disciples, the word he uses for hell is “Gehenna”, a valley near Jerusalem that had been a place where children were sacrificed to appease the gods. It is a stern reminder of what must be overcome by their entire culture.
Lord, help us to open to the blessings of your kingdom with the hearts and minds of children and to welcome every person and every challenge we encounter, as we would welcome you.
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