Can I Have An Allowance?

Now people were bringing little children to Jesus for him to touch, but the disciples scolded those who brought them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” After he took the children in his arms, he placed his hands on them and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16)

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam shared with us that providing access to the grace of God includes the aspect of allowance; that is, we must permit people in need of grace to receive it. He noted that sometimes, in our zeal to “stick to the program”, we lose opportunities to bless other people. In the Mark 10 account of the blessing of children, we see Jesus’s rationale for taking time for the children: “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these… whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” The children, rather than being the problem set, were the answer key.

As another pastor (Pastor Joy) had shared with us in an earlier sermon, there is a developmental progression in the life of the Christian. Infancy and childhood are marked by vulnerability and lack of awareness, even though infants and children are great examples of unconditional love, trust, and joy. It is in this stage where the patience and graciousness of mature adults help little children to develop in a healthy way. In the same way, our goal as mature Christians should be to allow new Christians the joy of being touched by Christ. From time to time, this may require us to suspend our normal routine.

Clearly, the aspect of allowance is grounded in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were not sensitized to the heart of Jesus concerning His love for the people who sought His blessing for their children. Because they were not sensitive, they engaged in a response that was counter to the will of Christ. If we are not aware of the desire of the Holy Spirit in our corporate gatherings, if we are too busy following our pre-set agenda, then we too might mistake a ministry opportunity for a mere annoyance. As Pastor Sam shared, without Spirit-fullness, we will never get to the mission.

Lord, transform us, so that our interest in protocol will forever remain subjected to Your interest in blessing Your people. Give us grace to hear You speaking. With Your help, those in our community who need grace will always receive it: from Your hand, and from ours.