“Whoever shall receive one such child in my name receives me and ultimately the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:37 paraphrased) In the twenty-first century, this example of a child loses some of its significance, but according to biblical scholars, a child during Jesus’ time was an insignificant part of an adult-oriented culture. Children were without status or honor or power, so serving a child would be without gain and inconceivable to the people of Jesus’ time. Therefore, this example of the child challenges us to see the socially invisible as perfect stand-ins for Jesus.
Fred Craddock, a famous Disciples preacher, compiled a book of his favorite stories. One of those stories takes place during a vacation he and his wife had in Gatlinburg. During a dinner one night, a man came to his table and began to ask the couple several questions. Upon learning that Fred Cradock was Disciples minister, he proceeded to tell them a childhood story that had taken place in a Disciples church. “I grew up in these mountains,” he said. “My mother was not married, and the whole community knew it. I was called an illegitimate child. In those days, that was a shame, and I was ashamed. When I went into town with her, I could see people staring at me, making guesses as to who my father was. At school, the children said ugly things to me, and thus I had very few friends growing up. In my early teens, I began to attend a little church in the mountains. It had a minister who was both attractive and frightening. I went to hear him preach, and over time, it began to do something for me. However, due to my illegitimacy, I was afraid that I was not welcomed, so I would get there just in time for the sermon and leave just before church was over. One Sunday, some people blocked the aisle, and I was stopped. Before I could make it to the door, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. As I turned around, I knew it was him. At that moment, I knew what he was going to do, he was going to make a guess at who my father was. A moment later he said, ‘Well boy, you’re a child of….’ And he paused there. I knew what he was going to say. I knew I would have my feelings hurt, and this would be the last time I would attend this church. He said ‘Boy, you’re a child of God. I see a striking resemblance.’ Then he swatted me on my bottom and said, ‘Now you go claim your inheritance.’” As the man finished the story, he introduced himself as Ben Hooper, and gingerly walked away from the table. As Fred and his wife sat there digesting the story, Fred recalled his father talking about an illegitimate child who had been voted twice governor of Tennessee.
As Christians, we are called to welcome everyone as a child of God or, as Karl Barth, a noted 20th century theologian, describes it, “radical acceptance of others as the basis of Christian ethics – to think of every human being, even the oddest, most villainous or miserable, as one to whom Jesus Christ is brother and God is creator.” This idea drives home the point of what we as Christians are called to do: to serve whether others have social standing or no social standing. As a congregation full of God’s people, we must ask ourselves two questions: 1) Are we proclaiming the Gospel of God? 2) Are we making a difference in our community? Today, and every day, our calling as Christians is to share that kind of selfless love through service with anyone who we may encounter, whether it is a child, a person experiencing homelessness, or any minority shunned by our current society. God is with them, and so should we.
Youth of Geist Christian Church 