Sunday July 14th Service_transcript.txt

[0.00 --> 14.78]  One more time. Let's do that. Good morning, everyone. There you are. There you are.
[16.12 --> 22.00]  Well, as Pastor Sid mentioned last week, we're going to preach all summer a series called
[22.00 --> 28.42]  The Hard Sayings of Jesus. And what's behind this series is basically the recognition that
[28.42 --> 34.14]  if you read through just the gospel accounts of Jesus' ministry and Jesus' teaching, there are
[34.14 --> 39.40]  going to be many moments where you are moved and you see the beauty and the richness and the goodness
[39.40 --> 45.52]  of Jesus' teaching. But it's very likely there's going to be things that Jesus says that bother you,
[46.06 --> 51.78]  that ruffle your feathers. And you're thinking, like, why would He say that? And why would He say
[51.78 --> 55.90]  it like that? And when we come across these passages, and we all do in one way or another,
[55.90 --> 60.16]  the goal is not to ignore it. Sometimes that's what we do as Christians, like, hey, that's not
[60.16 --> 65.12]  in the Bible. Let's not talk about it. Or we want to race past it and not know what to do with it. We
[65.12 --> 71.80]  actually want to sit with and listen closely to the hard sayings of Jesus, recognizing that He is the
[71.80 --> 77.94]  smartest, wisest person. He is the living Word, and we want to listen to even the things that we find
[77.94 --> 82.92]  difficult. And so, because it's summer camp celebration, in the 9 a.m. service, we had a zillion
[82.92 --> 88.94]  kids up here, and it's very loud and wonderful. I picked a passage that's connected to children,
[89.06 --> 93.64]  where Jesus teaches on children. So, if you have your Bible, digital or physical, turn with me to
[93.64 --> 97.82]  Matthew chapter 18, and we're actually going to read verse 1 to 7, not 1 to 5.
[97.82 --> 107.20]  At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
[107.96 --> 114.66]  Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a little child whom He placed among them,
[114.76 --> 122.64]  and He said, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter
[122.64 --> 129.32]  the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place, becoming like this child, is the
[129.32 --> 136.14]  greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
[137.22 --> 142.74]  If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me, to stumble, it would be better
[142.74 --> 147.74]  for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were drowned in the depths of the sea.
[147.74 --> 154.22]  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble. Such things must come,
[154.30 --> 160.10]  but woe to the person through whom they come. It's a heavy teaching, isn't it?
[162.44 --> 167.60]  Well, when you become a parent, it's almost inevitable that people will come up to you and
[167.60 --> 173.20]  give you advice, quotes about parenting or golden nuggets, whether you ask for them or not.
[173.80 --> 177.14]  Brittany and I are one of those couples, and over the years we've heard a lot of good wisdom
[177.14 --> 181.42]  and teachings and quotes, and I'm going to share just three things that we've heard over the course
[181.42 --> 188.98]  of our life as parents. The first one is this, parenting is like hiking. The walk can be grueling,
[189.04 --> 193.56]  but the view is beautiful. The second one, there's a little more dark humor for you.
[194.46 --> 199.36]  When you become a parent, you can finally understand why some animals eat their young.
[200.88 --> 207.04]  Told you, I warned you it was dark. And yet we get it, right? And finally, more seriously,
[207.62 --> 213.44]  children can be our greatest teachers if we have the humility to learn from their lessons.
[214.06 --> 217.38]  And that last one actually resonates a lot with the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 18.
[218.68 --> 223.34]  Now, Jesus never had his own biological children, but when we read the Gospels,
[223.42 --> 230.94]  we see regularly that as he's teaching, children are drawn to him. And I think it's worth pausing just to
[230.94 --> 236.48]  imagine and think about how this happens not just once, but on a regular occurrence as he teaches in
[236.48 --> 242.54]  crowds. There's something about him that draws the children. In fact, they're so drawn and magnetized
[242.54 --> 247.72]  to the person of Jesus that the disciples think they need to intervene by pushing the kids away.
[247.82 --> 254.82]  And Jesus rebukes his disciples saying, let the children come. The kingdom belongs to these children.
[254.82 --> 264.86]  Like, Jesus saw them. He loved them for who these children were. And he wanted to bless them. Like, that's Jesus.
[265.00 --> 272.10]  He really had a deep and beautiful view of and relationship with children. And I don't know about you,
[272.18 --> 277.24]  but as I think of my own life as a parent and all the rest, there's something in me that celebrates
[277.24 --> 286.12]  worshiping a king who truly loves children. And in this passage, Jesus gives some very strong teaching
[286.12 --> 292.84]  on children. The first half of Matthew 18, he says, first, we must become like them in vulnerability
[292.84 --> 298.02]  and more. I'll say that more in a minute. And the second half, he says, we must do everything in our
[298.02 --> 303.70]  power to enable them to flourish and to protect them. And we're going to look at both of these sides
[303.70 --> 309.12]  this morning of Matthew 18. Now, one piece of important context before we get into this passage
[309.12 --> 313.70]  that's helpful to note is that every culture has a view of and relationship to children.
[313.82 --> 317.12]  When you grow up in a society, there's just a way we understand the role in society,
[317.44 --> 323.60]  how we relate to kids. Canada's no exception. And you need to know that in the first century of Jesus' day,
[324.58 --> 329.82]  kids were not that important. It's actually a very tough life for kids. A lot of them,
[329.82 --> 334.82]  they were seen as property. They didn't often get named because they first wanted to make sure the
[334.82 --> 339.60]  kid would survive. And they didn't really have any social value until they could work and provide
[339.60 --> 343.94]  money for the family, or they could get married and have kids. Kids were usually seen, especially
[343.94 --> 349.26]  young kids, as property, not as people. And you have to keep that in mind because what Jesus says is
[349.26 --> 355.44]  punchy and strong in our context, but it is especially challenging and strong in His own.
[355.44 --> 360.60]  And so with that in mind, we'll dive into this passage, which starts with a question,
[360.72 --> 364.06]  a question that makes me smile. The disciples come up to Jesus, and what do they say to Him?
[364.70 --> 369.94]  Jesus, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? I just love that question. They've asked
[369.94 --> 374.90]  this in more than one place. And maybe they're expecting a story of some, like, spiritual hero
[374.90 --> 380.88]  from the Old Testament. Or maybe, this is my likely guess, they're trying to figure out how they
[380.88 --> 385.42]  climb to the top. They're like, okay, how do I get to the top of spiritual greatness? How do I
[385.44 --> 390.12]  become someone who's great in your rule and your kingdom? And Jesus just totally flips the script
[390.12 --> 396.46]  on them. What does He do? He draws their attention to a child. And by the way, I love how Matthew
[396.46 --> 402.24]  includes the detail that Jesus, like, planted the child in the audience. And He draws their attention
[402.24 --> 405.86]  to this child that He places there, and then He says these words. And by the way, if you've got a kid
[405.86 --> 411.56]  around you or a child around you, I want you to look at that child and hear me read these words again
[411.56 --> 421.02]  from Matthew 18. Truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will
[421.02 --> 426.62]  never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of a child
[426.62 --> 435.26]  is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Isn't that a fascinating teaching? And maybe you've got some
[435.26 --> 440.30]  questions, you know, like, I will be honest with you as a parent, and I've had, I have four kids,
[440.30 --> 445.50]  and I remember when they were young. There have to be ways where Jesus is not thinking that we must
[445.50 --> 450.44]  become like children. Like, let's just be honest. I see one person nodding, like, this can't be true
[450.44 --> 456.88]  in every way. Kids can be painfully selfish. Tell me I'm wrong. They can be hard. It's hard for them to
[456.88 --> 462.88]  control their emotions. They can't be trusted with a great deal of responsibility. They break things.
[463.54 --> 467.20]  My home is like, there's so many broken artifacts around my house.
[467.20 --> 473.06]  So these are not the ways that Jesus is referring to children. In fact, in verse 4, he hints very
[473.06 --> 479.76]  directly at what he's getting at. He talks about the humble, lowly position of children. And commentators
[479.76 --> 484.04]  will all say that the way that Jesus is getting at becoming like children is in vulnerability,
[485.32 --> 491.94]  dependence, and trust. And if you are around kids, you've got kids, you get this. Kids are painfully
[491.94 --> 500.98]  vulnerable, incredibly trusting, to a fault, and very, very dependent. Maybe if you've got kids or
[500.98 --> 505.62]  you're around kids, you'll know that they'll walk into the most dangerous situation. And as long as
[505.62 --> 510.70]  you're somewhere nearby, how fitting to have a child cry right now. This is perfect. You can walk,
[510.76 --> 514.52]  the kid can walk in the most dangerous situation, but as long as you're around as a parent or the
[514.52 --> 518.86]  adult, they're like, I'm good. They're here. Even if you have no idea what you're doing, the kid is fine
[518.86 --> 524.50]  so long as they're near you, right? And there's so many times where you just see how vulnerable they
[524.50 --> 529.70]  are on their own, right? The risks they take without realizing it, all the things that they
[529.70 --> 535.40]  will do that could end their life if they don't have a parent intervening. But you also know how
[535.40 --> 540.42]  needy they are. Like if you're a parent, you're going to resonate with this one. Think of how many
[540.42 --> 547.02]  times in one day kids will ask for your help. One day. You sit down, mom, can you do this?
[547.02 --> 551.70]  Kids say, dad, can you do this? Like it's like endless. I mean, parents talking after the 9 a.m.
[551.72 --> 556.66]  service, this was a conversation. Like so many things. Help me brush my teeth. Help me get dressed.
[557.00 --> 560.74]  Help me get this food ready. Change my diaper. Or if they're really young, they just point. They're
[560.74 --> 567.76]  like, yeah, needs attention right here. Kids need help. And the punchline, don't miss this,
[568.08 --> 572.18]  Jesus draws attention probably to a little girl, let's say, in this group where he's teaching.
[572.18 --> 579.08]  And he says to the adults, that's what you need to be like in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.
[580.46 --> 586.58]  That's a hard teaching. Especially if you grow up in a Western society like ours that prizes
[586.58 --> 592.88]  and forms us, even in ways we don't realize, to become self-sufficient, self-dependent,
[593.44 --> 598.06]  independent people, right? The goal of most of our lives, whether it's told to us or not,
[598.06 --> 603.16]  it's like you need to take control of your life, make your own decisions, make your own leadership,
[603.56 --> 607.74]  make your own way, all the rest. And Jesus says, I want you to be like a child,
[608.52 --> 614.02]  dependent, vulnerable, and trusting. That's really hard for us.
[615.58 --> 619.56]  I read this quote a few months ago, but I'm coming back to it again this morning. It's from Tim Keller,
[619.92 --> 624.42]  and he writes in one of his books, he said, accepting Jesus requires humility
[624.42 --> 632.14]  humility because we will need to admit that we cannot save ourselves by our own means.
[633.14 --> 639.18]  And I just want to underscore how true that is. It takes humility to be part of the church. It
[639.18 --> 644.30]  takes humility to accept Jesus. And one of the things I've learned as I've been pastoring at Hope,
[644.76 --> 648.24]  as I've heard different testimonies on the stage or people coming to become Christians,
[648.24 --> 656.74]  their story always includes a season or a moment of God humbling them. You ever notice that? And
[656.74 --> 660.16]  maybe that's true of your life too. It's like God has a way of saying, you think you're something,
[660.54 --> 664.80]  you think you know how to run your life, now it's going to get tough. Now this is going to happen.
[664.88 --> 668.42]  I'm going to allow you to experience this, and it's going to humble you, and then you're going to be
[668.42 --> 673.86]  in the place where you're willing to say, I can't run my life. I don't know how to do this.
[673.86 --> 681.66]  And I'm willing to ask for help. I'm willing to ask for grace. I'm willing to allow Jesus to take
[681.66 --> 688.60]  control. It takes humility. And many of us, it takes years sometimes, we realize at some point
[688.60 --> 695.16]  or another that our looks, our finances, our job, our competency, the intelligence we have,
[695.24 --> 701.34]  the followers we have on social media, all the friends we have, none of that matters to get us
[701.34 --> 708.92]  into the kingdom of heaven. It is vulnerable, dependent trust. It's becoming like a child,
[709.04 --> 716.66]  and man is that hard. And I would add, not only does it take humility and vulnerability and trust
[716.66 --> 722.10]  to get into the kingdom, is what Jesus is saying, but as God takes hold of your life as you follow
[722.10 --> 729.12]  Jesus, the goal of God and His discipleship of our lives is to make us humble, to follow the way of
[729.12 --> 735.64]  Jesus. If we're following Jesus, the way He's going to lead us is the path of humility. Or as Pastor Sid
[735.64 --> 739.82]  has often said behind the pulpit, I think it might be one of his favorite passages, echoing the words
[739.82 --> 745.70]  of John in the Gospel of John chapter 3, where he says, as he looks at Jesus, he must become greater,
[746.82 --> 755.08]  I must become less. There's something about following Jesus that requires all of us to take a tight
[755.08 --> 764.00]  fist and slowly unclench it and allow Jesus to have control. Handing over the reins, asking for His help,
[764.32 --> 770.06]  trusting that He loves us and He leads us. That is the journey of a Christian. And by the way, if you're new
[770.06 --> 776.66]  to the faith or you're exploring the faith, this is where Jesus will take you. And guess what? It's a beautiful
[776.66 --> 784.18]  path. I mean, that vulnerability and that trust of a child is exactly what Jesus wants in us. And as we
[784.18 --> 789.62]  live with that dependence, as we live with that vulnerability, He shows up in provision, He shows
[789.62 --> 797.66]  up as a heavenly Father, and He leads us in the way of life. That's the first half of this passage,
[798.18 --> 802.56]  becoming like children. And now I want to turn to draw our attention to what I think are a very,
[802.56 --> 808.58]  great. This is a very hard teaching of Jesus, and that is in 6 and 7. Let me read it for us.
[808.68 --> 815.16]  If any one of these little ones, those who believe in me, if, sorry, if anyone causes these little ones,
[815.24 --> 819.80]  those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung
[819.80 --> 826.76]  around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things
[826.76 --> 831.50]  that cause people to stumble. Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come.
[831.50 --> 835.68]  Now, that is a hard teaching. Wouldn't you agree? It's kind of teaching you're like, wow,
[835.80 --> 843.52]  why did Jesus say that? That's a strong statement. And He wants us to be struck by it. He wants to grab
[843.52 --> 849.06]  our attention. He wants us to stop and take a good hard look at the children He's entrusted to us and
[849.06 --> 854.88]  ask, how are we raising them? How are we teaching them? How are we discipling them? How are we modeling
[854.88 --> 863.08]  life in Jesus in front of them? Now, the image of being drowned by a millstone is a severe image,
[863.64 --> 868.08]  and if you read any commentary, they'll all say that Jesus is speaking in what's called hyperbole.
[868.58 --> 875.50]  He's exaggerating to make His point as forcefully and strongly as He can. There are, as Jesus is
[875.50 --> 881.28]  putting it, consequences to messing with His children. There are consequences to abusing children.
[881.28 --> 886.64]  There are consequences to taking advantage of children for one's own gain. There are consequences
[886.64 --> 895.20]  to destroying their innocence because they belong to Jesus. And there is a day when every single one of us
[895.20 --> 901.66]  has to stand before Jesus Himself and give an account not just for our own lives, but our lives
[901.66 --> 907.04]  with the kids He entrusted us to, the people He put in front of us to disciple, to train, to teach,
[907.04 --> 914.96]  to love. We will have to give an account. And it's worth teasing out even what He means by causing to
[914.96 --> 920.36]  stumble. That can take many different shapes. Causing children to stumble can be abuse, physical,
[920.60 --> 927.52]  emotional, mental abuse, manipulation of kids for our own gain. It can be neglect, allowing them to be
[927.52 --> 931.30]  raised by someone other than you, allowing them to do their own thing on their devices and allow that
[931.30 --> 936.68]  be their formation rather than you. It could be wickedly behaving in front of them and never telling
[936.68 --> 941.80]  them the way that they should live. And this week in my reading, I realized that a lot of historical
[941.80 --> 949.08]  teachers on Matthew 18 have said, a key piece is also false teaching. And our words, we have to
[949.08 --> 952.96]  remember our words and our lifestyle have so much power. And when we tell a child, this is how you
[952.96 --> 958.30]  should live, and that is not true, that is a very dangerous thing. Or when we withhold from them the
[958.30 --> 963.32]  right way to live, that is also a very dangerous thing. Our words and our influence have tremendous
[963.32 --> 969.44]  power over our children. And I learned in my reading this week that in the Jewish time of
[969.44 --> 975.74]  Jesus' day here, that one of the worst sins in the Jewish mentality was not just sin you committed,
[975.86 --> 983.00]  but it was enticing another person to sin, causing another person to stumble, being the temptation for
[983.00 --> 988.16]  another person, having sort of a responsibility in the downfall of another person, particularly
[988.16 --> 997.72]  those who are vulnerable. And now I want to pause and just recognize that most parents, as we hear
[997.72 --> 1002.80]  this, we feel that weight, right? We all know as parents that we fail our kids in one way or another.
[1002.92 --> 1008.04]  We all know that we've inherited generational sin, and we often transfer that down to our children,
[1008.14 --> 1011.70]  whether we see it or not. And often when we see it, it's too late, and our kids are grown up, and
[1011.70 --> 1015.46]  they have all the same dysfunction that we have. Anyone else had that? Where you're like,
[1015.46 --> 1018.64]  I'm never going to do this. And then you do it. You're like, how did I do that? These are my kids.
[1018.66 --> 1023.88]  I thought I knew better. But let me emphasize what Jesus Himself emphasizes in His ministry,
[1024.60 --> 1030.32]  that there is grace that is abundant for our sin. And it is never too late to repent of sin
[1030.32 --> 1034.48]  towards our kids. It's never too late to say those powerful words to our kids, which is,
[1034.88 --> 1039.52]  I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me? Whether they're still young or they've grown up and hold that
[1039.52 --> 1043.86]  resentment towards you for the way you parented. It's never too late to ask for that grace
[1043.86 --> 1048.86]  and to receive it both from our Heavenly Father, who has done all the work through Jesus Christ,
[1049.04 --> 1054.14]  and to ask that grace from those who we've hurt in one way or another as we are adults.
[1056.22 --> 1062.52]  Jesus intends for us to feel the weight of that passage, to recognize that these little people,
[1062.66 --> 1068.68]  even in our church this morning, are a gift He places under our care, and it is our task
[1068.68 --> 1075.18]  to care for them, to train them, to love them so that they know the good way of Christ.
[1075.68 --> 1080.68]  That's a heavy responsibility, not to be taken lightly, not to be done flippantly.
[1083.50 --> 1088.04]  And now, between these two verses, maybe you notice this, there's the beginning of this passage
[1088.04 --> 1092.28]  where Jesus says, you must become like a child to enter the kingdom. He says, you must do everything
[1092.28 --> 1096.26]  in your power to protect and care for these children. Right smack dab in the middle of these
[1096.26 --> 1101.92]  two passages is verse 5, which has been just drawing my attention all week, and I'll read it for us.
[1102.24 --> 1112.26]  Jesus says, and whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Isn't that such an intriguing
[1112.26 --> 1119.82]  little line? Anyone who welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Now, there's a number of people
[1119.82 --> 1124.04]  who, like, illustrate this in different ways, but the main point of what Jesus is saying is,
[1124.36 --> 1131.48]  He identifies with our children. If you go forward seven verses, you'll see that Jesus identifies
[1131.48 --> 1136.26]  with the person in prison, with the lowly, with the poor who need care and help, and now we see
[1136.26 --> 1142.06]  in this passage He says, I identify with your vulnerable children, and when you welcome them,
[1142.06 --> 1151.62]  you welcome me. So now as we hold this passage, the one that invites us to become like children,
[1152.08 --> 1157.08]  to protect and love children, and then to receive and welcome children, what is it that Jesus Christ,
[1157.40 --> 1164.36]  the teacher of this passage, wants to give us as we listen as the church today, 21st century Canada?
[1165.00 --> 1169.66]  Let me suggest just a few things that have been weighing on me and working around in my heart as
[1169.66 --> 1176.74]  I listen to this passage. The first thing that hits me is just what a heavy responsibility we have
[1176.74 --> 1184.86]  as a church. God has entrusted a lot of children into our care. You know, just a few stats to share
[1184.86 --> 1191.96]  with you. Last I checked in our church between both services, we have 80 children under the age of eight.
[1192.54 --> 1197.08]  Did you hear that? 80 children under the age of eight. I'm aware that there's a few more on the way.
[1197.08 --> 1204.28]  That's a lot of kids. Just this year alone, with Tot Romp and Storytime, two of our children's
[1204.28 --> 1212.04]  ministries in our community, we had 315 children this year participate in our ministries who are not
[1212.04 --> 1217.00]  part of our church but getting to know us through these ministries. In the last two weeks, we had well
[1217.00 --> 1222.70]  over 100 kids from our community participate in our summer camp. That is a lot of children
[1222.70 --> 1234.60]  that God places under our care. This is a big deal. And interestingly, earlier this year, as our
[1234.60 --> 1237.84]  leaders were talking about sort of where we want to take the church in the next number of years,
[1238.32 --> 1243.38]  two people pointed out there's a natural skill that every church has, a natural strength. And one of the
[1243.38 --> 1249.34]  natural skills our church has is caring for children. It always seems to be the case that we have the
[1249.34 --> 1253.86]  volunteers we need, the help we need, new ministries often emerging organically that care for and
[1253.86 --> 1258.34]  enfold children. And we praise the Lord for that. It's a natural gift of our church. It's sort of a
[1258.34 --> 1264.38]  muscle we flex easily, and it blesses our neighborhood. Think of just all some of the
[1264.38 --> 1268.22]  ways that we do that. We do it through Tot Romp and Storytime, which are drop-in ministries for our
[1268.22 --> 1273.50]  community. We also do it through summer camp, which we celebrated today, and through our cornerstone
[1273.50 --> 1279.24]  ministry where kids are upstairs every Sunday. It also includes things like fostering and adoption,
[1279.24 --> 1283.64]  and there's a number of families in our church that care for kids whose parents are going through
[1283.64 --> 1289.04]  a tough time or have adopted children who needed a home and made space in their own home and family.
[1289.84 --> 1293.56]  This is also, by the way, why this year we've partnered with what's called Safe Families BC.
[1294.36 --> 1297.74]  That is a ministry where people in our church, even now, they come alongside families in our community
[1297.74 --> 1302.36]  whose parents might be going through crisis, mom and dad are struggling, and we help the kids,
[1302.44 --> 1306.10]  we help the family so the parents can get healthy, and then we reunite the family at the end.
[1306.10 --> 1311.70]  But this is just another way we're trying to serve and care for families. And here again now,
[1311.70 --> 1320.18]  Jesus saying, whenever you welcome one of these children in my name, you welcome me.
[1322.02 --> 1325.86]  And I think there's a lot of parents, a lot of grandparents, a lot of family members,
[1325.86 --> 1331.70]  a lot of people serving even at the daycare in our church. There's a lot of tired and difficult days,
[1331.70 --> 1337.30]  and hear the encouragement from Jesus himself, you welcome me, you receive me,
[1337.30 --> 1339.54]  as you receive these children in my name.
[1341.78 --> 1345.78]  But the way that that responsibility is real, and I think this is where I'm going to name a temptation,
[1345.78 --> 1352.10]  a temptation for Western people in general is that we just do our own thing and we let other people
[1352.10 --> 1356.66]  do their thing. We don't take responsibility for other people's kids. Sometimes we don't even take
[1356.66 --> 1361.14]  responsibility for our own kids, right? We give them devices, we keep them busy, we keep them
[1361.14 --> 1366.10]  distracted. Sometimes, I'll even get closer to home, we try to offload the responsibilities of
[1366.10 --> 1370.34]  parenting on this program, that program, this school, that school, rather than saying, hey,
[1370.34 --> 1375.86]  I'm the one that God has entrusted with this child. I am going to be the primary person that disciples,
[1375.86 --> 1383.06]  loves, teaches, and cares for this child. Taking that responsibility, being part of their story,
[1383.06 --> 1386.90]  and I just want to say, I'm not just speaking to parents here. I just think as a church of Jesus
[1386.90 --> 1394.10]  Christ, God entrusts all of us with children. And whenever we baptize a baby, we have everyone
[1394.10 --> 1398.58]  stand up and you know, I'll say, will you bless this family? Will you care for this family? As God
[1398.58 --> 1402.66]  gives you opportunity, and you say, yes, we will, God helping us. Those are important words.
[1403.78 --> 1410.10]  And maybe this is not true of every family, but I have a huge family. I always had relatives that I
[1410.10 --> 1414.34]  called uncle or aunt that were not my biological relatives. Is that true in any families here?
[1414.34 --> 1418.58]  You've got that uncle or aunt? Oh yeah, I see one over there. I had an Aunt Carol. I still don't even
[1418.58 --> 1423.62]  know how our family got to know Aunt Carol, but she was part of all the birthday parties. She was full
[1423.62 --> 1428.66]  of love. She was one of the safest people you could talk to about anything. And I praise the Lord for
[1428.66 --> 1434.90]  Aunt Carol. And you don't have to have kids or be biologically related to someone to be that adult in
[1434.90 --> 1441.30]  the lives of the children around you. And I'll share with you the findings from a book called
[1441.30 --> 1445.46]  Sticky Faith. If you're a parent or you're involved in the life of a kid, this is a great book. Ten years
[1445.46 --> 1452.10]  old by now. They did this exhaustive study on children as they believe, children of believers who sort of
[1452.10 --> 1455.30]  went through high school with all the challenges, went through universities with all the challenges,
[1455.30 --> 1460.02]  and ended with a sense of, I believe in Jesus and I want to follow him. They interviewed and studied
[1460.02 --> 1464.34]  those children. They asked like, what were the ingredients that led to what they called
[1464.34 --> 1470.42]  resilient faith? And you know what the most common thing that was discovered? That in those children's
[1470.42 --> 1478.02]  lives were five adults, not the parents, five non-parent adults who cared for them, loved them,
[1478.02 --> 1483.14]  listened to them, showed up, celebrated with them, and just made themselves available.
[1484.34 --> 1489.78]  And the practical pastor brain here is like, that's not very complicated. You get to show up to birthdays
[1489.78 --> 1494.98]  and celebrations and holidays. You get to just be there as a someone who loves and cares for and
[1494.98 --> 1500.82]  listens to. What a gift it would be. And I hope even now as you're listening, the Spirit might be
[1500.82 --> 1505.86]  just putting people on your mind, your heart, maybe as a sort of the adopted grandparent or aunt or uncle
[1505.86 --> 1513.78]  or friend or family member to come alongside kids and love them to life. Allow God to use you as one of those
[1513.78 --> 1518.90]  safe people who really do want to see that child flourish and grow up to use the gifts that God has
[1518.90 --> 1524.50]  given them and flourish as a follower of Jesus as they get older. I can speak on behalf of young parents
[1524.50 --> 1530.10]  who would love for people in our church to come alongside them in the journey of parenting their kids
[1530.10 --> 1534.74]  because most parents are struggling in one way or another and they want the help.
[1534.74 --> 1542.50]  Let me finish with a story that I heard a number of years ago. It's a story about a girl named Kendra.
[1544.10 --> 1549.30]  Kendra was born with so much of life stacked against her. She was born with more than one physical
[1549.30 --> 1554.74]  disability as well as a cognitive disability. The basics of life were hard for her. Speaking was
[1554.74 --> 1558.58]  difficult. Moving was difficult. There's a lot of assistance from the very beginning she needed from
[1558.58 --> 1564.66]  the medical community. And her educational life was not easy, right? The classroom was an exhausting
[1564.66 --> 1569.54]  place and that's not even to mention some of the complex social dynamics that come with being the
[1569.54 --> 1576.26]  student who needs a little more care in the classroom. In grade two, Kendra entered Miss Lowry's class
[1577.14 --> 1582.98]  and Miss Lowry was one of those teachers who just saw her. You know, we all have that teacher who just,
[1582.98 --> 1588.42]  they are so good at their job. And Miss Lowry from the very beginning who saw this girl, Kendra,
[1588.42 --> 1595.14]  come to her class, wanted to teach her and love her as best as she could. On one particular occasion,
[1595.14 --> 1599.06]  there was Valentine's Day. And this is a number of years ago. And so I think nowadays, at least in my
[1599.06 --> 1603.62]  kids' classrooms, everyone writes everyone a card. That's not the case here. People only wrote
[1603.62 --> 1608.82]  Valentine's cards to the person they liked, that boy or that girl. And Kendra, of course, did not receive
[1608.82 --> 1615.06]  many Valentine's cards. But she did receive a little card from Miss Lowry and it had one sentence
[1615.06 --> 1621.38]  written in it that changed her life. You know what that sentence was? All she wrote was this,
[1621.38 --> 1632.90]  I wish you were mine. True story. She held on to that Valentine's card for years. She first stuffed it
[1632.90 --> 1637.22]  into her little pencil case, then later it was in her backpack, and then later as an adult she kept that
[1637.22 --> 1644.82]  in her purse because those words changed her life. The words that represented a teacher who saw her
[1644.82 --> 1651.62]  and said, I'm going to welcome Kendra. She's going to receive the best care I can give her. She's
[1651.62 --> 1656.50]  going to read the fullness of my teaching and my love and the season I have with her. She is welcome
[1657.14 --> 1665.54]  with me. And let me ask, who are those people for you? It's hard for me to imagine many of us not having
[1665.54 --> 1672.18]  any children in our lives, any possible connections that we can grow and build and sustain. Who are the
[1672.18 --> 1677.06]  people where even as you listen now you're like, yes, this is the child, the grandchild, the family,
[1677.06 --> 1683.46]  the neighbor kid that I can invest in and be the kingdom influence for, that safe person that they
[1683.46 --> 1695.54]  see the love of Jesus in. Christ invites us to become like children and He warns us to protect children.
[1695.54 --> 1705.46]  And then He says, when you welcome them in my name, you welcome me. Would you join me in praying for our children?
[1712.66 --> 1720.02]  Father, we begin by thanking you for every child in this church family. We praise you because they are
[1720.02 --> 1727.86]  fearfully and wonderfully made. They are a gift from you, so thank you. And we pray that your blessing
[1727.86 --> 1734.58]  would rest on them, that you would give us everything we need from the energy to the strength to the
[1734.58 --> 1741.46]  perseverance to the love to care for them, to teach them, to model faithfulness before them.
[1742.58 --> 1745.62]  We pray, Lord, that you would protect them from the evil one,
[1745.62 --> 1752.26]  from all the temptation that entices them at every season of life. And we ask, Lord, that these children
[1752.26 --> 1762.18]  you've entrusted to us would thrive as children in your kingdom. Lord, finally, I ask that you would
[1762.18 --> 1770.02]  teach us to learn from our kids, that we would learn from their vulnerability, their humility, and their
[1770.02 --> 1776.58]  trust what greatness in your kingdom looks like. And we pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
[1779.22 --> 1784.66]  We're going to sing a loved song by children as our song of response, and you're never too old to sing
[1784.66 --> 1787.46]  This Little Light of Mine. So let's stand and sing it together.
[1788.90 --> 1791.30]  1 Thessalonians 5 verse 5 says,
[1791.30 --> 1792.98]  You are all children.