Let the Little Children Come to Me
We experienced a horrible tragedy at New City last week. One of our families unexpectedly lost their precious 3-year-old daughter Hattie in a terrible accident. We are all devastated and grieving. I have experienced loss before, but this one has rocked me. I’m weeping as I type this.
This is not the way it’s supposed to be. This is not how God intended it to be. When He made the world and people, it was good. There was no death. There was no loss. This is not what we were created for.
But when sin entered the world, through the choice of Adam and Eve to believe in lies instead of believing in what God had told them, death and suffering entered the world too. And sin has continued to wreak havoc and cause pain and tear us apart.
But God…
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” Eph. 2:4-5
God did not leave us in our brokenness. Instead He sent His son Jesus to live perfectly, fulfilling for us what God requires that we could never do ourselves. He bore our sins on the cross, taking the punishment that sin demands from a holy God. He rose again, overcoming sin and death, then ascended to heaven and the Father, where He is now interceding for those who believe. And He has promised He will return and wipe away every tear from every eye.
This is the gospel, and this is why we have hope. And the reason I’m writing this is because Hattie was beginning to understand this in her tender little heart. As much as a 3 year old can, she loved Jesus and knew that He loves her. I attribute this first of course to the work of the Holy Spirit in her, but secondly to her parents who were faithful to tell her of Jesus, to speak of Him in their home, to sing songs about Him and what He has done. Because of that, her parents have the hope and comfort of knowing their precious girl is in the arms of her Savior.
In addition to her family, there were other people telling Hattie about Jesus – her teachers at New City and her MMO program. This is why kids ministry in the church matters.
I’ll admit that as the Children’s Director, I can easily get caught up in the details of the job, and forget that what actually matters most is that we give our kids the gospel. I think volunteers can sometimes view serving as babysitting the kids so mom and dad can go to church, but it is so much more than that.
All those who knew and loved Hattie, who told her about Jesus on Sunday mornings, played a part in the work God was doing in her heart. They helped her learn the name of Jesus. They helped teach her the songs she knew about Him. They prayed with her and for her. And they loved her. They held her for the few minutes she would cry after her mama left. They listened to her stories. They laughed at her silliness. They enjoyed her.
Those seemingly small investments in her little soul on Sunday mornings turned out to be huge. We see that clearly when a child so young goes home to Jesus. We see that every opportunity matters. We understand that even the babies need Jesus. We realize that there isn’t a moment to lose. The work of bringing the little children to Jesus is one of the most important things we do for each other in the family of God.
We aren’t having our kids’ classes now because of COVID, but we will again one day, hopefully soon. And when we do, I’m praying for new volunteers, those who have never served with kids to see what an incredible opportunity it is. I’m praying for current volunteers to feel a renewed joy in leading the kids to Jesus. And I’m praying we will all take every opportunity, not just on Sunday mornings, to share the good news of Jesus with the lost and broken around us, especially the little ones.
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’” Matt. 19:14