March 11, 2007

Spiritual Blindness: Self Important

Childlike Is Not Childish

Mark 10:13-16

Opening Words:” The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good then your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad then your whole body will be filled with darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness?” Those words were first spoken by Jesus. They are recorded in Matthew 6:22-23. Those are powerful words and act as a theme for this entire sermon series I have called Spiritual Blindness.

The truth is most are spiritually blind. Most people haven’t seen God at work in our world for a long time. We are in the middle of eight reasons why our spiritual eyesight is so poor. Each reason or sin acts like a filter, blocking out a little more light. The more filters are added to your life the less light is able to enter your eye. In the end, like the passage says, only darkness remains. This morning we look at our self-importance. This evening’s text is Mark 10:13-16.

Mark 10:13-16 13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When 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. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Last night my boy confessed to me:

Some childish wrong;

And kneeling at my knee

He prayed with tears -

“Dear God, Make me a man

like Daddy - wise and strong,

I know you can.”

Then while he slept

I knelt beside his bed,

Confessed my sins

And prayed with low bowed head,

‘Make me a child

Like my child here-

Pure, guileless,

Trusting thee with faith sincere.

That poem is called “Two Prayers.” It was written by Andrew Gillies and holds the theme of this morning’s message. Let us look at the text together.

It was the custom for mother’s to bring their children to rabbis for blessings. Not quite as structured as infant baptism, the blessing gave the child a divine touch for a good life. Mothers were bringing their children to Jesus for this reason. The gospel of Mark emphasizes the great crowds that were following Jesus so it is safe to say that many mothers brought many young children to Jesus to be blessed. The problem is Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. Everyone knows the great showdown is coming with the orthodox leaders of the faith. Jesus has become a controversial figure. Some love him. Others hate him. He is the eye of a great storm. The tone of those following Jesus has grown grime. The adults are able to recognize the seriousness of the situation but the children missed it. Mothers bring their children to Jesus for their blessing from this famous rabbi and the disciples don’t like it. One reason is the disciples are trying to protect Jesus. He has enough on his mind. The other reason is self-importance. They use the children as a way to throw their weight around. When Jesus identifies what the disciples are doing he does something truly amazing. With the eyes of his world on him, he stops and takes everyone’s value time to be with children, who are of no real importance to their world. Jesus knew that children are important. Our world knows that children are important. How many examples do you need?

One of the trendy things in our society now is American Idol. I do not know how you can exist within our society and not know about American Idol. It is a singing competition. Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell are the judges. The other night was their two hundredth show. They said it was time to give back. They decided to hold a fundraiser to help the poor internationally and nationally. They showed pictures of wonderful children in Africa, who have no hope. They showed poor American children, who are facing a mountain of problems. They showed those pictures of children because they know children are important to everyone. Children touch our hearts.

This summer I am hoping to be part of Kathy’s mission trip to Russia. This will be my fifth trip. This will be Kathy’s fifteenth trip. We will be going north of Moscow and work with orphans, who are handicapped. Through the years Kathy has tried to change the focus of her trips. She has tried to recruit people to help in homeless shelters and new church starts. The problem is people don’t respond to homeless shelters and new church starts. They respond to children. Children touch our hearts. She goes to Russia and helps children because children are important to people.

Children were important to Jesus. Verse 14 quotes Jesus. He said, “Let the little children come to me do not hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” In verse 15 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” So what can children teach us about the Kingdom of God?

This morning let us look at three great childlike qualities needed to get into heaven. These qualities will not save your soul. We are saved by grace and by grace alone. But these three qualities need to be cultivated in your life, if you really are a disciple of Jesus Christ. These three qualities exist naturally in the young but they are extracted from our lives the longer we are in this world. We need to reclaim these childlike qualities and prepare ourselves for eternity. So if you are ready say, “Amen!”

Childlike Quality Number One: Gratitude

The first childlike quality in your life that you need is gratitude. Adults tend to feel self-important. We tend to feel like we deserve everything we have. We work hard and long and take great pride in our accomplishments. That is not the story of children. Untouched, children are naturally humble and thankful for what they have.

Several years ago in a Midwestern town, a baby boy was born blind. His parents were devastated and prayed for a miracle. During those dark days the boy formed a special relationship with a little stuffed bear, which he had never seen. The bear was worn. It only had one eye but the boy didn’t care. It was at five years old the boy’s parents received some hope. During his annual physical examination, the doctor told the parents of the blind boy that he had heard about a doctor at the Massachusetts General Hospital, who preformed a new kind of surgery that might give sight to their son’s dead eyes. His office made the arrangements and several months later the five year old boy; with his one eyed teddy were flying to Boston. They met the doctor. The doctor met the one eyed teddy bear. The doctor examined the boy and the doctor believed the surgery would work in this case. The doctor wasn’t wrong. When the patches were removed from the eyes, the boy saw for the first time and the first thing he looked at was his one eyed teddy bear. The boy’s parents began to cry and the doctor just smiled. It was at that moment the boy did something extraordinary. The boy held out his best friend in the world, the one eyed teddy bear, toward the doctor and said, “I have no money to give you. Please take my teddy bear. He has a hard time seeing too! Thank-you!” They tell me on the tenth floor of the White building of the Massachusetts General Hospital there is a display case. Inside that display case is a one eyed teddy bear. In front of the one eyed bear is a card that reads: This is the highest fee I have ever received for my professional services rendered.”

Adults tend to feel self-important. We tend to feel like we deserve everything we have. Untouched, children are grateful. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The first childlike quality in our life we need to cultivate is gratitude.

Childlike Quality Number Two: Love

The second childlike quality in your life that you need is love. Adults tend to love selectively. Mother Teresa once said, “The greatest problem facing the world today is that we draw our family circles too small.” Untouched, children love everyone, even those individuals that we have forgotten.

Will Willimon is dean of the chapel at Duke University. He tells the story of one Christmas Eve. He was rushing his family into the car for the annual communion service. He was running behind and hurrying everyone along. Somewhere between their home and the church his youngest daughter, five year old, Harriet, got sick, the kind that requires a bucket! There was no time to go home. His wife was visiting her ailing father so he took his daughter and his other children to the service. He paced his sick in the last row of the balcony, far away from anyone. He placed his other children near the front. It was the best he could do. The truth is when the service began he forgot about them. He had important things to do. When communion was served he looked down and there was his youngest son, seven year old, William. He took the little wafer and a cup of juice. William then took a second wafer and little cup pf juice. Willimon was going to correct him but his hands were tied. He was in front a large crowd of very important people. William disappeared for a second but then he reappeared. However, he wasn’t near the front of the chapel. He was in the back row of the balcony sitting next to his little sister, giving her the wafer and the little cup of juice. He sat next to her and she placed her head on his shoulder. Seven year old William reminded the dean of the chapel of Duke University a very important lesson. No one should be forgotten. Everyone deserves some love. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” The first childlike quality in our life we need to cultivate is gratitude. The second childlike quality in our life we need to cultivate is gratitude.

Childlike Quality Number Three: Faith

The third childlike quality in your life you need is faith. Adults are more independent. We do our best to handle all situations and that is not all bad. However, there are times the problems we face are bigger then our resources. Untouched, children trust everyone. Martin Luther once said, “God our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.” And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the following inscription: "James Butler Bonham--no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom." No literal portrait of Jesus exists either. But the world should see Jesus in us. That is why we need to cultivate those childlike qualities in our lives. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”