Devotion - Tuesday, September 5

Mark 10 is a corrective passage of scripture to the way I carry out my ministry.  Serving in an academic community; understanding the need for biblical and theological reflection which keeps pace with the academic studies occurring continually; I tend not to remember Jesus' words - "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

When I was a student, I wrote a piece for our LSM-USA national newsletter.  It was titled "Childlike Faith" and it featured an encounter between my sister and her four year old son.  Carolyn was terribly afraid of snakes.  As we were building her home, there came a need for her to go into the unlit basement.  She stood on the bottom step, trying to look in every crack and cranny.  Scott came up behind her and said, "Don't worry Mama, Jesus will protect you."

The faith of child, which Jesus lifts up, is a faith that sets aside the questions and the worries which too often drag us down as adults.  The faith of a child hears the stories of the bible and connects to the hope/promise/assurance the story was written to convey.

I will not cease teaching and instructing you on theology and biblical history.  But I do hope we will all remember that it is the simple faith - the faith of a child - which allows God's grace to enter and overflow in our lives.