Sermon Tone Analysis

Series Overview

The flagship passage for this series has been from the book of Acts, after 3000 people come to Christ.

It’s based on the response of these 3000+ people and the community they formed which we now call “the church”

Over these summer months we have been looking at the seven key disciplines that the church has practiced since it’s inception.

Seven key disciplines that shape the church for mission, these disciplines shape the church so it can be the presence of Jesus in our broken world.

For the sake of those who have missed a sermon here are the seven disciplines that we have been exploring:

The discipline of:

Being with the “least of these”

The Lord’s table

Reconciliation

Proclaiming the Gospel

The Kingdom Prayer

The Fivefold Gifting

Being with Children

Today we are going to learn about the final discipline of the seven.

This discipline I believe to be one of the most important for our churches community, both present and future.

If a church doesn’t have kids, the church is in trouble.

How we parent our children, and how the church works with kids has changed over the years.

Some of the changes are for the better, but some of the changes I don’t understand.

As I have grown older I have caught myself saying these words “kids today lack respect for their parents”.

Parents have changed over the years, as each generation becomes parents there seems to be a shift in approach that happens.

But some of the shift has more to do with our society and the perspective on parenting.

We Protect Our Children

In David Fitch’s book titled “Faithful Presence” the author shares a story from the Washington Post that resounded with me.

A story that I feel will help us understand where our society functions in regards to the topic caring for Children, Fitch writes:

“In spring 2015, parents in a Washington, DC, suburb viewed children wandering alone in the local parks.

These adults were not happy.

Where were the children’s parents?

they asked.

Didn’t they know these children were in danger?

They reported these children to the police.

On another day, some of these onlookers captured the young children on video walking home from school hand in hand, but again left unattended by adults.

The onlookers reported them to the police.

How dare their parents disregard the dangers of children walking home from school alone?

A few days later, the Today Show did a story on police picking up children unattended in the neighbourhood and giving them over to Child Protective Services until the parents could prove they were indeed responsible.

The show called this phenomenon “free-range parenting.”

The parents protested the accusation.

They had carefully thought through the dangers and decided to give their children some independence in going to the park and returning home from school.

They narrated how a practice that was common everyday life in the United States fifty years ago was now viewed as irresponsible parenting.

Nonetheless, in order to give their children back, these parents had to prove to the authorities they knew the world was dangerous for their children.

They had to show they were capable parents in a dangerous world.”

Our World is a Dangerous Place

The world has become a dangerous place, many parents tell me, so we need to obsess as parents about everything that could go wrong with our children.

It’s true, our society is obsessed with keeping our children safe, and giving them the best options in life.

We obsess over their education and their ability to compete in the world marketplace for a job.

So we push them in school to get good grades.

We obsess about protecting our children from any possible challenge.

If it’s to hard for them, we can do it for them.

We spend more per capita educationally in the United States and Canada than anyplace in the world.

We fund more sports, art, music, and tutoring programs for children than any other society in the world.

And yet actual parental time spent with our children is at an all-time low.

To Pay for the best sports programs, schools, household comforts etc, the average family must have two incomes.

There are now more two-income households in Canada and the United States than at any time in history.

As a result of all of this our children are shuffled from one thing to the next at breakneck speed.

Families struggle to eat dinner together.

Sixty years ago the average dinner time was ninety minutes; today it is less than twelve minutes.

The high divorce rates exacerbate this reality.

The harder we work, the less space there seems for parent and child to be present with each other.

Children Yearn For Presence

My son Tate has taught me how important it is for parents to actually be present with their children, not just in the room, looking at a computer, or cell phone, but actually present, paying attention to what they would like to talk about.

Several times a week, Tate and I go to the gym together.

Tate loves to go to the gym, his sisters come on occasion as well, but often it’s just me and Tate.

This time together is important to Tate, I can tell, it’s my opportunity to be present with Tate.

I don’t find the gym fun, I don’t like going, but I go so I can have this time with him.

I make a sacrifice and do something that I don’t really want to do.

But really should do, so I can be present with Tate.

Yet, this time together doesn’t just benefit Tate, I really get a lot our of it as well.

Nothing affects a child more then when a parent is actually interested it what they have to say, and let me tell you it’s amazing how God’s presence works through this parent child presence.

This presence that Tate like so much isn’t just me being a good parent, who does what my child likes.

Being present for your kids is actually biblical.

Historically the Church Practiced the Discipline of Being with Children

Historically, the practice of guiding children has always been a central fact of life in the church.

Most churches have some sort of children ministry.

The church, ever since it’s inception has practiced some sort of baby dedication, or baptism that represented the parents presenting their child with the promise to raise them with the knowledge of Christ.

At this early stage it’s the parents who are dedicating themselves along with the support of their church family.

The church has traditionally viewed their young people as precious and important.

This is why we dedicate them and raise them with the knowledge of Christ, giving them every opportunity to learn about Christ in their lives.

When our children grow in the church through Sunday school, churches have some sort of tradition that initiates children into adulthood.

Some teach confirmation classes or catechism.

Other church traditions allow the space for children to form their own views of Christ and at an age that they are ready to make a decision they are baptized.

Some give a profession of faith, in order to take their first communion.

No matter what denomination we all have some sort of “system” to raise kids up in Christ within the church.

The challenge we have run into today, is that the church has turned these traditions into programs.

Our Children Don’t Need Programs They Need Presence

Church becomes another thing to bring the kids to, another dance lesson or hockey practice, instead of a place where children and adults are present with one another which opens up space for God to be present.

Jesus rebukes his disciples for trying to keep the children at bay, instead Jesus tells them to let the children come, the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

Kids don’t need more programs, they need more adults pouring into their lives.

The Kingdom Value of Welcoming Children

Matthew 18 opens with the disciples jockeying for position again.

The disciples who are always worried about their status, get a real surprise from Jesus.

He takes a child and uses the child to teach them something.

While standing with a child Jesus tells the disciples they need to become like children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.

He tells them that they must learn to be humble like children, and welcome children like the one who is standing with him, just as one would welcome Christ.

Unless you change and become like a child, who has no status, you will never have status in the kingdom.

Children have an early innocence about them that later becomes corrupt with the need for importance.

Jesus says we should stay like children who don’t seek status.

Often there is a piece of this teaching that many miss.

it’s important to notice that Jesus ends this teaching with welcoming children just as one would welcome Christ.

The word Welcome (dechomai)

This word helps give context to this passage.