People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
“Play is the work of childhood.” Mr. Fred Rogers
We can either reject or receive kids - Jesus received kids. He didn’t want to see anything get in the way of them coming to faith. When his disciples tried to stop the children, Jesus was “indignant.”Jesus values children’s ministry and was willing to invest his own time init.
One of the ways we receive kids today is through play. I love play. It’s fun, refreshing and life-giving. But for some reason, I don’t do it enough. Far too often I reject my kids’ requests to play. While it is tragic to see the harm this virus is causing around the world, I am looking forward to more time than usual to receive my kids through the language they speak: play.
Jesus says we need to receive the kingdom of Godlike a little child. Little children are curious, innocent, and trusting. They are not cynical, they are not guilt-ridden, they are not too busy to play. They show us the way to God.
