What about the Children?

This week we will celebrate our children with a special service. The future of every congregation will be determined by what it is doing to reach children. Children's ministry has to be priority one. What happens in childhood unfortunately doesn't always stay in childhood. Many live today with the scars of suffering experienced in childhood. Jesus reminds us in Luke 18:16 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  Even the smallest gesture of love makes an impact on a child.

A free-lance reporter from the New York Times was interviewing Marilyn Monroe years ago. She was aware of Marilyn’s past and the fact that during her early years Marilyn had been shuffled from one foster home to another. The reporter asked Marilyn, “Did you ever feel loved by any of those foster families with whom you lived?”  “Once,” Marilyn replied, “when I was about seven or eight. The woman I was living with was putting on makeup, and I was watching her. She was in a happy mood, so she reached over and patted my cheeks with her rouge puff … For that moment, I felt loved by her.”

Marilyn Monroe had tears in her eyes when she remembered this event. Why? The touch lasted only a few seconds, and it happened years before. It was even done in a casual, playful way, not in an attempt to communicate great warmth or meaning. But as small as the act was, it was like pouring a bucket of love and security on the parched life of a little girl starved for affection. [Gary Smalley and John Trent, The Blessing (New York: Pocket Books, 1986), 48]

There are countless Marilyns in our community needing the love of God shown to them.  I challenge us as a congregation to open our eyes to the children and determine in our hearts to make Little Paint Church a place where children are welcomed, loved, and brought to an understanding of the great love of God for them.  Will you join me?

Pastor Jeff