Word for Today

From Mark 9:

³⁵He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."  ³⁶Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them,  ³⁷Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.

My friend Ken Jones shared this picture with me. It's a panel that spins around its center. Martin Luther's quote is on the top and bottom, "A Christian is a free lord of all, subject to none; a Christian is a dutiful servant of all, subject to all." This doublet is held in tension with itself, like a double-helix. It declares two simultaneous truths, that in relation to those around us the Christian perspective is to be at the same time freed and bound to the other. An incredible dialectic, it somehow makes sense in a deep way. We live this out every day. The closer people are to us (emotionally speaking), the more we sense this tension.

Jesus talks about greatness, and says that greatness on his terms has to do with being a servant, being last of all. Then he scoops up a child and uses it as an object lesson. Let's pause for a moment and consider what it's like to be a child.

Children have a happiness in them that comes from a certain kind of freedom. Maybe we can say they're care-free, or that they don't have the capacity to get bogged down by the complexities of life. Regardless, if you want to experience joy, hang around with a bunch of happy healthy kids! Their imagination is unlimited. Their ability to accept the rest of us is boundless. Their generosity is natural.

Yet, if a child were turned loose to try to survive in this wild world, they wouldn't do so well. Children as so dependent on the safety we create for them. Even if they don't realize it, they depend on our contingency-planning. They are subject to us.

So we treat our children tenderly. We are surprised by their creativity and even glimpses of wisdom, and we build whole societies around their protection. They are a picture of us, in the eyes of God.

Thank you Kenny for keeping this plain-spoken wisdom in front of me. I like to spin that panel in my imagination, around and around, as a picture of the spiritual life.

Pastor James Aalgaard
St. Paul Lutheran Church

"Joy is a net of love that can catch souls" (Mother Teresa)