Celebrating Their place in the Church, the Family and Community! Most parents, at least the healthy ones, want their children to grow up to be mature, healthy, and happy functioning adults able to appreciate life and enjoy healthy relationships. But its a daunting task to keep our children safe and secure while providing a healthy environment for their emotional, physical, mental and spiritual growth. What happens when these four needs gets skewed and some are neglected? When we get overwhelmed, we assume the spiritual part will take care of itself, or leave it to time and chance. Big Mistake! When we think about raising healthy children we naturally think about the immediate needs of shelter, security and sustenance but we neglect the deeper essentials of meaning, direction, choice, and self-control. Of course we pretty good at preparing them to be physically healthy children, but how can we provide for their emotional and spiritual health as well? Children are naturally active, driven to grow, goal oriented, but without a direction or purpose end up being empty, depressed, aimless and without meaningful relationships. A steady diet of competition will create adults who know nothing else but how to compete for love, cut corners to get ahead of competitors, and live in despair if they don't rise to the top. It's not until late in life they realize they been sold a bill of goods and that the 'prize' they've been pursuing is a hollow shell like so much spun sugar. Children matter to God because we matter to God. We are after all, all children in our relationship to God despite our years, in our understanding of the world in which we live and in our emotional and spiritual development. We have miles to go before we can reasonably think we've arrived at a place of maturity and wisdom.  In one of the amazing stories where Jesus doesn't just upset the apple cart, he flips it upside down, Jesus elevates the importance of children and the life they offer. Jesus tells his disciples "People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:15-17 So often we look at this passage and conclude that Jesus wants us to take care of children, that we must give so they can receive. But the last part of the passage indicates, at least to me, that they have lessons about the Kingdom we have forgotten or perhaps have chosen to ignore. Jesus seems to be saying, "if you don't learn to live they way they are now, you will not be able to receive from your Father all that you need to live at home with Him." (my paraphrase) So what can we learn from children and how does it inform our own spiritual growth. I think we need to learn: The Power of Faith -focusing on God's Presence, Power and Purposes shapes our character and controls our attitude when faced with challenges of all kinds. The Spirit of Growing - Children are instinctive in their desire to learn and be inquisitive. Parents lose that desire and a fear of looking foolish takes over. The Truth about Us - we're all children in the sight of God. As we age we tend to think of ourselves as beyond all that. But teaching and guiding children reveals something about our true relationship to God and to one another.  Worship Slides 08.25.13 Children Matter Sermon Notes 08.25.13 Children Matter Sermon Audio: Children Matter 8.25.13E Sermon Audio: Children Matter 8.25.13L