World Communion Sunday 2019

If we let ourselves spend time in the gospel lessons, we will find that those closest to Jesus - those who listened to him, who traveled with him, who cared for him - often had no idea what they were doing. The disciples were so confident they had the teachings of Jesus figured out, and time and again he responded to their choices with a version of “No! What are you thinking?”

Today’s reading is no exception. The stories and lessons of Jesus are traveling the land, and people are responding in the only ways they know how. And the disciples, imagining their role as some sort of office manager gate keeper continue to miss the point: Jesus’s love truly is for all.

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 19 verses 13 through 15 from the Common English Bible:

Some people brought children to Jesus so that he would place his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded them. “Allow the children to come to me,” Jesus said. “Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children.” Then he blessed the children and went away from there.

For the Word of God in scripture, for the Word of God among us, and for the Word of God within us we say…Thanks be to God.