Turn the page!
by Sonia Hulme
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Mark 10:14).
My current work involves supporting a class of five-year-olds in their first year of schooling. To mark the Easter journey, their teacher shared the crucifixion story from a colourful children’s Bible. Many months later, I am struck by how many children wander over to those Bibles to flick through the 400 pages until they find the story again. One little boy, who comes from a family with no real faith background, seems especially caught up in the story. It’s a regular occurrence to be met with him pointing vehemently at the picture of Jesus on the cross and exclaiming in his high-pitched five-year-old voice, ‘Look! It was the saddest day’. Their lovely teacher also did share the resurrection story with them, so we leaf through the pages until we find a picture of the risen Jesus and remember together that Jesus didn’t stay dead, and the story has a happy ending. Satisfied for the moment, he wanders off, clutching his Bible. Tomorrow, we’ll probably do it all again!
In today’s reading, children are being brought to Jesus to be blessed, and his comments are intriguing. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. You must receive the kingdom like a child if you wish to enter it. What kingdom qualities do children possess that make Jesus stop and talk to his grow up followers about? Part of it is their utter dependence. The children in today’s passage could not even come by themselves; they had to be brought and maybe even carried. But was Jesus also speaking about their forgetfulness? Children need constant reminding about many things. Did he know part of the childlikeness lay in the fact they would need this constant reassurance, that they would get stuck in the sadness of life and all the things that had gone wrong, forgetting what had been accomplished on the cross and the great hope they had because the cross is not the end of the story?
So, my five-year-old friend, I am not so different to you. It’s healthy to acknowledge the sadness and struggle in my life and the lives of those I love. It’s okay to feel it – like you do when you look at the picture of Jesus on the cross. It’s okay to sit with the injustice of it. Like you, though, I need regular, daily reminding to turn the page and remember. Jesus didn’t stay dead. He lives with us now. He accompanies us now in our sorrows and joys, and he is leading us into a glorious future with him in eternity. Thank you for reminding me.
Sometimes I am like a little child, Lord, stuck in the crucifixion story as I observe the death and injustice all around me. Help me to notice it, be moved by it, and then turn the page to be reminded of your resurrection hope. It’s not just hope for my future with you, but in my current circumstances as well. Help me to be part of your resurrection hope in someone’s life today. Amen.
- Click here to read previous devotions.
- We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
- Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.
