Like A Little Child

By Marilyn Paarlberg, Executive Director, Room For All

It had been at least ten years since I last told “Jesus and the Children” using the Children and Worship model . I knew the program’s potential to engage adults in biblical stories as deeply as the children for whom it is designed; still, I was caught by surprise on a recent Sunday afternoon.

I had agreed to introduce Children and Worship at my home church, and decided this would be an appropriate story to demonstrate, given its clear message of love for God’s little ones.

I had always experienced the “drama point” in the story to be when the children try to approach Jesus as he is teaching his disciples. The directions cue the storyteller to simultaneously bring the two adult figures close together to block the children’s access to Jesus. The words and action are blunt and unequivocal: “No! Don’t bother Jesus! He has important work to do.” This is near the end of the story, and the rest is rote. Or so I thought.

A week earlier, I had been in another classroom—this time with five LGBT seminary students. I had come away filled with admiration at their conviction and courage, but on the long drive home my impressions were tempered by feelings of sadness, knowing that they may face stiff opposition from the very church they feel called to serve in Jesus’ name.

A few days after that, I had heard from two pastors who are in spiritual struggle over the fact that their church leaders are rigid in their refusal to welcome LGBT persons, insistent that to do so is neither what Jesus would do, nor want them to do—especially not at the risk of making anyone in the church uncomfortable.

Back to the story. After the disciples’ confrontation with the children, the directions read:

“Turn the disciples so children can pass between them to Jesus. Move children to Jesus one at a time. Have Jesus take them in his arms and bless them… move Jesus forward to the disciples. [Say:] Jesus said, ‘It is true. Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’”

Talk about engaged! At that moment, after that week, the wooden figures might have been real people. I experienced the story not as a sweet affirmation of Jesus’ love for children, nor even as a metaphor for marginalized people being made welcome. Rather, it is a rebuke; a strong challenge to followers of Jesus who, if we would understand and participate in the beloved community, need to take a lesson from children.

And what are children like? They accept others until taught to judge; trust until told to fear. They see infinite possibilities until we constrict their horizons. And they understand with winsome humility that God is God. May we in the church be given the child-like grace to turn, trusting in God to populate God’s realm beyond our knowing or control, receiving all as we would be received.

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Image courtesy of Room For All