Populus Zion -- The Second Sunday in Advent, 2009
Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16
Preached at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Burlington, Wisconsin, on behalf of Pastor Rob Bohling while he recovers from surgery.
St. Nicolas Day
He must have been a big man, this Saint Nicholas – strong and full of energy. He had to be, if the stories are true. He once wrestled down the executioner to save three wrongly convicted prisoners from death. Another time, he punched out a heretic-bishop named Arius for saying that Jesus was not God from eternity. For that indiscretion, he was removed from office, but only for a short time. He was too good of a bishop to be removed forever.
Nicholas never sought the office of bishop. Around A.D. 300, the bishop of Myra died. This took place on the southern coast of what today is called Turkey. The neighboring bishops met to choose a successor. Someone said he had heard a voice telling them to ordain as bishop the first person to come for morning prayer.
Nicholas knew nothing about this. He was on his way home from a pilgrimage to the holy land. He had stopped in Myra and woke early to pray in the church before he continued home. Unknown to him, the local bishops were waiting.
Poor Nicholas! He couldn’t have known what was happening. He comes only to pray, and strangers lay hands on him. Can you imagine? On your way home from a holiday to the holy land and you never make it back! The rest of your life would be dedicated to the Christians and the people of that community. There would be no looking back, no going home.
Some men would be bitter about this. After all, a bishop’s job is not easy. He lives close to the Sacrament and close to the poor. His heart and his door are open to everyone. Like Christ, he bears the burdens of all those around him. To be a good bishop, you also must be willing to bear crosses and suffer all things, even torture and death, for the sake of Christ.
Nicholas’ cheap knock-off, whom we know of as Santa Claus, still wears red, the color of martyrs. Martyrs are dressed up in the color of their own blood. Nicholas’ blood was mixed with theirs when he was tortured and imprisoned for the faith. Released, he bore the scars for the rest of his life.
Nicholas was known for his love of prisoners and children. He himself had been a prisoner, which is a picture of dependence. Prisoners depended on friends to bring them food and clothing. They needed friends because they were in a place where they could not help themselves.
Among the dependants of this world, there is no one more weak and defenseless than a child. A fetus, an infant, a small boy or girl: these are the real dependants. Nicholas had a sacrificial love for those who had no rights or claims to respect and love.
One example from his life makes the point. Pirates had blockaded the harbor of Myra. They demanded the children as payment or they would starve the city.
Nicholas knew that the people eventually would have to give in. He knew that the pirates would sell Myra’s children as slaves.
So he gave the treasures of the church as their ransom: the monies reserved for the sick and the poor, the liturgical ornaments, the brocaded robes – all of it. Rob the altar guild and social welfare fund, slash the budget for heat and lights and repairs, and give it to thieves. The pirates took the money and sailed away. The children were safe. For Father Nicholas, they were worth every penny. He saw them as Christ sees them. He saw them as his own. For this reason, the Church on St. Nicholas Day hears these words from Christ:
Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for such as these belong to the Kingdom of God.
If this text teaches us anything, it is that the little children belong in the Kingdom of God. Jesus wants them to be part of His Body because He created them. He came to die for them on the cross, because He knew death and sin had blockaded them from Him. He bought them back, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious Blood and His innocent suffering and death. He became their true ransom so that they could not be taken away from their true home, the heavenly city, Jerusalem. As the giver of resurrected life, He forbids them to be sold as slaves to sin and death.
There are only two times when Jesus is consumed with anger in the Gospels. This is one of them. The other is when He cleanses the temple of the money changers. He places such a high value on children that he warns anyone who damages their faith in Him it would be better to drown himself with heavy stone. Beware of taking these little ones away from Him. Jesus is watching over those who are least. To seduce them away from Christ is a terrible sin.
Parents who baptize but never bring their children back to church, beware. You have starved the faith of these little ones. So beware. Beware if you refuse through laziness or carelessness to teach God’s Word and pray daily with your children. You are opening them up for Satan’s attacks when you should be bringing them to Christ. Beware. Beware lest you take them to the soccer game or the mall or the sleepover or deer hunting instead of worship services. You are seducing them away from Christ. Beware and repent. We see here how Christ is furious with those who block His access to these little ones. He is talking to us.
But this text isn’t only about warnings. Jesus also is telling us about how we can enter the Kingdom and have a life with Him. He says we need to become as little children. This is what you need to know to be a little child in the Kingdom of God.
A child in the ancient world had no rights or claims. Listen carefully. To be a child in God’s eyes means we come without any right or claim to deserve His Kingdom. Only those who are like this can enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The result of this will be the cessation of all self-justification or praise. You can dispense with any claims you might have to the Kingdom. This isn’t like the workplace, where our résumés and time cards are evidence of our value. There is no getting into heaven or into God’s good graces because of some virtue we have or some task we have performed. The whole thing about how good we are as people is quite overblown. Ask anyone who really knows you. You’re not as good as you think. Stop asking God for a reward.
Children are an apt picture to help us understand this. They cannot demand anything from us. They haven’t earned it. How then do they get anything from us?
It’s because they are ours and we love them.
A friend of mine has a young son who had been terribly naughty all day long. After the boy got up for the third time from bed to get a drink of water, my friend finally lost his cool. His son started to cry and begged for forgiveness. My friend was so angry at this point he asked for a reason why. “Why, why should I forgive you?” he screamed.
“Because you love me and I’m yours,” sniveled his son.
There is no other answer worth giving -- to our earthly fathers, or our to our heavenly Father. To enter the kingdom of heaven, you must become as a little child.
To be a Christian, to enter the Kingdom, is nothing but to trust that the cross is ample proof of God’s love for you. To be a child in the kingdom of heaven simply means that your claim to the Kingdom is found in your place at His holy supper or Christ’s hand upon your head in absolution. We know that we are His because we have been baptized, and therefore both His Name and His Spirit rest upon us. We are all the children of God in the Church and it is Christ who wishes to touch and embrace us. This is why Nicholas could love children and prisoners and so many others so well. He knew what they meant to Jesus.
It’s Advent. We look forward to Jesus’ return in glory very soon. On that day, the little children shall come to Him and His words will be fulfilled, “Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not. For such as these belong to the Kingdom of God.” “And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. We, your children, await your embrace.
Amen.
The Reverend Sean M. Smallwood
cruxprobatomnia -- the cross tests everything
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