May 19th, 2023
by Amy Sanders
by Amy Sanders
One day, Jesus’ disciples got into an argument over who among them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. It is a silly sounding debate and yet not unlike our world today. We still jockey for position, want to be seen as important, compare ourselves to other people, and imagine that there is some universal human ranking system that we want to score well on. We measure our relative importance in foolish ways – how much money we have, how many likes we get, how busy we are, how many square feet our house has, or how important our job seems to be. If you stop long enough to think about these things for more than a few minutes, you realize it is just as silly as the disciples arguing over who is greatest. They were just more explicit about it.
Jesus heard the disciples arguing and as is often the case, he didn’t address their stupidity directly. Instead, he invited a child to come into their midst. In the ancient near east, children weren’t fawned over the way they sometimes are today. There was little sentimentalism when it came to children. They were not really to be seen nor heard. In the perceived social ranking of the day, children were near the bottom. But, Jesus brings the child close, to a place of prominence and then says,
“I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18.3-4)
In two sentences, Jesus challenges the way we try to rank ourselves, calls into question what is really important, and gives us something to think about. What does it mean to become like a little child?
This weekend, we are continuing our series Faith Like a Child and this is exactly what we are talking about. Last week, I kicked off the series by talking about the danger of taking life for granted and our need to recover awe and wonder at the simple everyday miracles of life. You can check out or share the message here.
I bet there is someone you know that may need to hear these simple but important messages. I hope that you will invite them to join you this Sunday. Have a great weekend, and I will see you in worship.
Peace,
Matt
Jesus heard the disciples arguing and as is often the case, he didn’t address their stupidity directly. Instead, he invited a child to come into their midst. In the ancient near east, children weren’t fawned over the way they sometimes are today. There was little sentimentalism when it came to children. They were not really to be seen nor heard. In the perceived social ranking of the day, children were near the bottom. But, Jesus brings the child close, to a place of prominence and then says,
“I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18.3-4)
In two sentences, Jesus challenges the way we try to rank ourselves, calls into question what is really important, and gives us something to think about. What does it mean to become like a little child?
This weekend, we are continuing our series Faith Like a Child and this is exactly what we are talking about. Last week, I kicked off the series by talking about the danger of taking life for granted and our need to recover awe and wonder at the simple everyday miracles of life. You can check out or share the message here.
I bet there is someone you know that may need to hear these simple but important messages. I hope that you will invite them to join you this Sunday. Have a great weekend, and I will see you in worship.
Peace,
Matt
Posted in M-Note
Recent
Jesus is Our Home Base // M-Note 7.20.24
July 20th, 2024
A Vital, Relevant Future for the Church // M-Note 7.13.24
July 13th, 2024
Remember the Gap: Hanging a Flag on the 4th of July // M-Note 7.5.24
July 5th, 2024
Why do we talk about Jesus? // M-Note 6.29.22
June 28th, 2024
Investing in Youth Ministry // M-Note 6.22.24
June 21st, 2024
Archive
2024
January
Clean Slate: Week 1 Discussion GuideStarting & Sustaining Change // M-Note 1.6.24Clean Slate: Week 2 Discussion GuideStarting Small, Dreaming Big // M-Note 1.13.24Clean Slate: Week 3 Discussion GuideTogether Towards Change...and Healthy Habits // M-Note 1.20.24Clean Slate: Week 4 Discussion GuideSlowing Down for God to Show Up // M-Note 1.27.24
February
More Isn't Always Better // M-Note 2.3.24Money Talks: Week 1 Discussion GuideAshes for Valentine's Day? // M-Note 2.10.24Money Talks: Week 2 Discussion GuideLenten Devotional 2024Money Talks: Week 3 Discussion GuideWhat's your legacy? // M-Note 2.17.24Strength in Numbers: Community in Ministry // M-Note 2.24.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week One
March
Entourage Discussion Guide - Week TwoUpdates from Clayton and Easter Invitation // M-Note 3.2.24Twenty Students Confirmed Last Sunday // M-Note 3.9.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week 3How serving at Easter can really make a difference // M-Note 3.16.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week 4Can You Know Joy Without Pain? // M-Note 3.23.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week 5It's time for EasterSTL at The Factory // M-Note 3.28.24
April
Easter Discussion GuideScreen Time: Troubleshooting our Relationship with Technology // M-Note 4.6.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 1Springtime Reminders: Joy Comes with the Morning // M-Note 4.13.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 2Shaping the Future at the UMC General Conference // M-Note 4.20.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 3 General Conference Halftime Report// M-Note 4.27.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 4
May
Very Good News at the End of General Conference//M-Note 5.4.24Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 1Announcing The Gathering’s Church Planters Lab//M-Note 5.11.24Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 2My (Hypothetical) Commencement Address // M-Note 5.18.24Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 3Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 4
June
2023
January
February
Explore - Week 1Explore - Week 2Explore - Week 3Explore - Week 4God is Leading Us Forward // M-Note 2.3.23SENT: Week 1 Discussion GuideSomething To Try This Weekend // M-Note 2.10.23SENT: Week 2 Discussion GuideWe're Doing Something Big! // M-Note 2.17.23SENT: Week 3 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 1Lent Devotional Day 2Lent Devotional Day 3SENT: Week 4 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 4Lent Devotional Day 5Lent Devotional Day 6Lent Devotional Day 7
March
Lent Devotional Day 8Lent Devotional Day 9Celebrating BEYOND // M-Note 3.3.2023Who Is Jesus: BONUS Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 10Lent Devotional Day 11Lent Devotional Day 12Who Is Jesus: Week 1 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 13Lent Devotional Day 14Lent Devotional Day 15Lent Devotional Day 16Lent Devotional Day 17The Evening Service is BACK!!! // M-Note 3.10.23Lent Devotional Day 18Lent Devotional Day 19Who Is Jesus: Week 2 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 20Lent Devotional Day 21Lent Devotional Day 22Lent Devotional Day 23The Most Important Sunday of the Year // M-Note 3.17.23Who Is Jesus: Week 3 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 24Lent Devotional Day 25
Categories
Tags
1 Kings 3
1 Kings
1 Timothy
2 Corinthians 9:5-7
2 Timothy
Belden Lane
Beyond Simple
Celebrate
Change
Christ
Commit
Confidence
Denee Bowers
Devotional
Discussion Guides
Distractions
Divine Love
Doubt
Easter
Ephesians
Equity
Evangelism
Explore
Five Shared Practices
Focus
Frederick Buechner
Fresh Take
Friends
Generosity
God
Gratitude
Hebrews
Holy Ambiguity
Holy Spirit
Hope
Humanity
Identity
Inside Voice
Isaiah
Jesus
John 21
John
Joy
Kids
King Solomon
Lectio Divina
Lent
Life
Limitations
Longing
M-Note
Matt Miofsky
Matthew
Nadia Bolz-Weber
No Filter
Open
Parables
Parenting
Patience
Paula D'Arcy
Paula D\'Arcy
Paula D\\\'Arcy
Paula D\\\\\\\'Arcy
Paul
Privilege
Proverbs 1
Proverbs
Psalms
Purpose
Questions
Redeem
Rejoice
Righteousness
Sabra Engelbrecht
Second Chance
Self-Love
Struggle
Success
The Bible
The Church
The Gathering
Timothy
Uncertainty
Untethered
Vision
Weird
acts
adulting
advice
challenge
commitment
creation
deconstruction
deconstruct
faith
finances
fitness
forgiveness
forgiving
foundation
freedom
give
growth
kelley weber
love
meister eckhart
money
mystery
new life
opportunity
reconstruction
reconstruct
redemption
relationships
responsibility
simplify
sin
social
thomas merton
transition
truth
willingness
willpower
will
young adult
No Comments