September 22, 2024 "Let The Children Show Us What Greatness Looks Like"

ReNew Ames Messages

I'm gonna talk about who the best people in church are. No spoilers, you'll have to wait. There's a story where Jesus says that whoever welcomes a little child welcomes God. Whaaaat? What did he mean by that? I have three suggestions: 1) Maybe Jesus said it because kids teach us that our imaginations can help us understand the things of God. Jesus tells his followers that he will suffer and die and rise after three days. Jesus invites them to imagine a world where death doesn't have the last word, a world where the hardest suffering can lead to unthinkable joy. But the disciples can't seem to imagine it. Can we open up our imaginations? How can the world be different? How can we make it different - more just and generous for everyone? 2) Maybe Jesus said it because kids teach us to ask the hard questions. Again, Jesus tells them he'll suffer, die and rise again. They didn't understand and were afraid to ask. You know who isn't afraid to ask questions? Kids. They'll ask all the hard questions. Good questions lead to a deeper understanding of the divine. 3) Last one - I think Jesus said that about children because they show us what divine power and greatness look like. Children are completely vulnerable - in every place in the world they're vulnerable. Power and greatness are found in vulnerability. Greatness is defined by serving others and sacrificing ourselves so that others might flourish. We know this in the deepest parts of ourselves. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Mark 9:30-37 http://bible.com/events/49322529