Lately, I’ve been preaching from the Gospel of Matthew. I’m drawn to Matthew because the church community that was inspired to write it (around the year 80 AD) was committed to Jesus’ vision of the world transformed into the Kingdom of God. Members of the Matthean Church knew that God needed their help in building that Kingdom. Matthew’s Gospel is, more than all else, about how the faithful function in the process of construction.

In the early part of the first century children were not revered. It must have been astonishing then for the earliest church to consider Jesus’ countercultural demand that children populate God’s Kingdom. The disciples were aggravated by children when Jesus stopped them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” (Matthew 19:13-14)

Functioning as Kingdom builders both then and now, disciples are right to welcome children, to care for them, protect them, and even revere them as God’s precious and perfect creation. If we can’t welcome them, then according to Jesus we had better at least get out of their way.

So many children in the world who neglected or subjected to struggles that they should never know. As you read this I am coming to the close of my mission trip to Rwanda, Africa where I’ve spent considerable time with children who face enormous challenges. AIDS and genocide have robbed them of parents, mentors, teachers, and defenders so they face life on their own. Every 14 seconds a child in Africa is orphaned by AIDS. Children turn to prostitution in order to rescue their siblings from starvation.

I understand that we can’t change the entire world, but that part of the world that is touched by any and every disciple of Christ changes for good. We know that to be true because we know the transformational power of God’s love. So it is then that we accept the sacred challenge to rebuild portions of God’s Kingdom. On the Sunday before I left for Rwanda, thanks to the foresight of Jim Adams and our Program Council, we had a special offering for the ZOE Ministry. That’s the United Methodist mission that I have been working with. Together, we gave $9,150. I will be so very excited about telling you how your amazing generosity will provide children with hope, knowing that they are loved by people on the other side of the earth. You are, we are, Kingdom builders touching the lives of children.

I will have given the quilt that you prayed over to a newly established family of children who now have the opportunity to be self-sustaining and who are learning themselves how to help God refashion their world into the Kingdom of God. Our support in prayer, presence, gifts and service is the essence of discipleship. Thanks be to God! 

Shalom,

Jack