This is a beautiful little passage with incredible riches throughout. Three simple lessons come easily to mind here. They include the nature of the Kingdom of the Spirit as well as the covenant relationship of the children of Christ's Church, and finally the responsibility of the true Church to put no obstacles in the way of those whom Christ is calling to Himself. We will consider them in reverse order as the gospel narrative first reports the simple events before us and then Christ Himself encourages us to think more deeply upon what He has done.

In the context of this passage, Calvin observes that "this narrative is highly useful; for it shows that Christ receives not only those who, moved by holy desire and faith, freely approach to him, but those who are not yet of age to know how much they need his grace. ... "Let the little children come to Me", He declares that he wishes to receive children; and at length, taking them in his arms, he not only embraces, but blesses them by the laying on of hand; from which we infer that his grace is extended even to those who are of that age. And no wonder; for since the whole race of Adam is shut up under the sentence of death, all from the least even to the greatest must perish, except those who are rescued by the only Redeemer".

It was for this reason that the whole evangelical church taught generations of American children to pray nightly that "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." Counting on grace alone we remember well our little ones who are unable yet spiritually to come before Him. In the same way should we invite the whole world to gather before our Lord and savior, letting no human obstacle stand in their way.

Kip Gregg reports that the little church which they attend in Southern Ohio, goes to the ends of the township to search out those might benefit from knowing Jesus Christ. I always remember the Sunday School ministry of my mother, who could find children for Sunday School where others were absolutely clueless. Over the years there was a regular cycle to the Sunday School crowd. Whenever the numbers dwindled, mother would be asked to be the primary superintendent for the year. Then when the rooms were overflowing and the teachers were tired of taking care of the many little ones, someone else would take a turn until the rooms were almost empty. Members of the family still meet grown adults who fondly remember how welcome they were at the old home church.

Of course we understand from this passage that it was not the worldly parents who came to Christ, but those from the Old Covenant Church who sought the spiritual blessing for their own little ones. Whereas the first group above represents the worldly many who too need Christ and must be searched out by the members of Christ's Church, there is still the closer tie that binds us to our own flesh and blood. For them and their future we give countless prayers and daily instruction with the fond hope that the Spirit of our God and Christ will come upon them at the proper time. Could we exclude them from the Gospel of Grace? Of course not.

Calvin observes that: "To exclude from the grace of redemption those who are of that age would be too cruel; and therefore it is not without reason that we employ this passage as a shield against the Anabaptists. They refuse baptism to infants, because infants are incapable of understanding that mystery which is denoted by it. We, on the other hand, maintain that, since baptism is the pledge and figure of the forgiveness of sins, and likewise of adoption by God, it ought not to be denied to infants, whom God adopts and washes with the blood of his Son. Their objection, that repentance and newness of life are also denoted by it, is easily answered. Infants are renewed by the Spirit of God, according to the capacity of their age, till that power which was concealed within them grows by degrees, and becomes fully manifest at the proper time".

I can personally attest that some time in my second or third year, that I still remember a spiritual experience. It was in the dark little classroom at the back of the basement. The lesson of the day was the simple little verse "God is Light". And we all got to take turns standing on the chair and flicking the light switch as we memorized it. When it was my turn, something else happened besides the click of the switch and the release of electrons into the bulb circuit. Of course it wasn't a full fledged confession which I only affirmed years later in my life, but it was a beginning. I was very fortunate to be born into a Covenant family which has served the Lord for at least seven generations.

My father once showed me a worn xeroxed report of an even more ancient print, of one Robert Forsyth, a common shepherd in Scotland, who upon being convinced of his conversion did cart wheels in the meadow where his little flock of sheep must have thought he had found some loco weed. Whether or not the new convert was a direct relative or not I cannot know, But with few exceptions, the children of several generations did indeed learn to know and love the only Son of our Father God.

In his service, it is not only our reward to grow up, but to grow old and gray. Even though I came late to be an ordained member of a Presbytery, I have always cherished the phrase of address, Fathers and Brethren with which the members are often greeted. In the last year is has begun to dawn upon me that the younger men are more often thinking Father than Brethren of me and as my public career winds down over the next year, I do hope to find the time and the resources to study further towards the honored title of Doctor in the faith. However, this is not an honor that must set one apart, but for service instead. We see in our passage the most important lesson of this text, as Calvin describes it: "taking occasion from the present occurrence, he intended to exhort his disciples to lay aside malice and pride, and put on the nature of children. Accordingly, it is added by Mark and Luke, that no man can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he be made to resemble a child". Dr Keener observes that "although Jewish people (unlike Greeks) respected humility, no one expected the kingdom to come by becoming powerless like children. The totally powerless can depend on no one but God."

Perhaps this is why the once ancient pillars of Western Civilization have and are being uprooted and thrown down, to remind us the Christ alone is King. Where once in this fair land we could depend upon our leaders and courts to defend the Judeo-Christian context of our government, that is no longer true. Yes, we do plan on voting for the very best characters for office, but it is still the nature of God's providence that He places people in power. Isaiah well observes that cursed is the nation ruled by a woman or a child. Sadly, it has been our eight year experience to have both in the White House, and if the Lord wills that their arrogance and pride of place be continued in their own anointed prince, than that will be the outcome of the election.

Yes, we read the weekly polls and cringe whenever the liar's club is ahead. But, we have to remember the Lord is still sovereign and as any political power once held by Christians lessens and evaporates - we are challenged to cling to Christ more nearly and more dearly. I still remember the sudden growth in our church right after the Ninety-two election, and I never got around to sending Ahab and Jezebel a thank you note for putting the fear of the Lord into those treasured members.

Now, I am not one to pray for the worst possible election scenario just to grow a congregation. But, it is still our challenge to come into Christ's Church for all of the right reasons. Jesus Christ is our Prophet, Priest and King alone. Let all worldly concerns be left behind as we become as little children, trusting only in God's grace and His providential care for all who belong to Him. Knowing full well that whatever happens in the course of world history - is within His plan and for the benefit of the Bride of Christ, the true church.

Of course, like Paul and all the other saints, we should leave childish things behind and be urgent in our spiritual growth to become adults in His word and wisdom. I keep remembering an article I once read about the difference between domestic dogs and wild canines. Our pets by conditioning remain puppies the whole life long. They are fed and pampered, loved and cared for. They never ever have to grow up and catch their own food. True, they love to chase other animals, but would hardly know what to do if they ever caught one unless they were attacked. In the public arena one of the reasons why the jockocracy is so cultishly courted is that the circus games of our day and age truly condition people to remain forever young. The entertainment industry also encourages a worldly teenage hormonal extravaganza into middle age. One of the most irritating things about advertisements on the tube is the growing number of aphrodisiacs being peddled to aging Baby Boomers. Even a former president who should know better has taken good money to peddle a product to keep the population forever young and irresponsible.

This is not the childish admonishment with which scripture is concerned. No indeed, a mature faith in Christ, which involves a thorough study of God's Word truly creates adults able to serve Him in a declining devolutionary society. A thorough knowledge of the word does indeed make the children of God dangerous to the normal crowd of aged overgrown teenagers who act like their brain is about thirty-some inches lower than it really is! As long as we are still trusting alone in God's power and Christ's Grace - we are responsible adults in the Kingdom of the Spirit until Christ comes again at the end of the age. May we all be challenged to work and study so that we put the milk and pabulum of baby food behind. May the Lord bless us each and every one with the full knowledge of His sovereign grace and the Kingship of His only Son so that we may truly serve Him in our time and place. Amen.