Who are these children?
by Faye Schmidt
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‘Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:15,16).
Read Mark 10:2–16
Can you see yourself as one of these children, wrapped in Jesus’ arms and receiving his blessing?
In baptism, God declares that we are his children, co-heirs with Christ. In Galatians 3:26,27, we read:
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
At baptism, we are gifted with the ability to pray the Lord’s Prayer and call on God as our ‘Father’.
As such children, we can place ourselves in this image of having a close relationship with Jesus, our Saviour. This is not a remote relationship, or one held at arms-length, but close, in his arms with his hands upon us, blessing us.
We also recognise from this text that we are part of a family. The plural is used. We are not an ‘only child’ in a relationship with a God who focuses just on us. We are part of a family. When Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer, it begins, ‘Our Father … ’. It is not about ‘me’ or ‘my’. As the children of God, we live in community, in a family.
There is a saying, ‘You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your relatives’. It is not us who choose the members of this family. God established it through Jesus; it is God who says, ‘You are mine’. God claims us and places us in this family. We recognise and endorse this family as we confess our faith together in the words of the Nicene Creed: ‘We believe …. ’
We have been created as individuals, unique – our DNA and fingerprints are ours alone. As individuals, the Holy Spirit seeks to bring each of us to faith and into God’s family, where we are united to form one body.
We give thanks that we can come to you as our Father, knowing it is your will that each of us knows you love us as your children, heirs with your Son, Jesus Christ, to eternal life through your grace. May the Holy Spirit renew and refresh our faith in you daily as we worship and serve you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board and currently as chair of her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others and responding to needs.
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