--Stained Glass Window,

Watertown, WI, Moravian Church

Let the Children Come To Me

I heard one of those horror stories from churches earlier this past week. A person was telling me of their first- and horrific- memory of church. Age 5. Going to Sunday School and hearing the message

If you sin, you will burn in the fires of hell!

Needless to say this young child had nightmares for years- and to this day has difficulty with the church.

Not to mention that this isn't even good theology since all ARE sinners and all WILL sin! That's why, we are told, Jesus had to come to be a savior. While we were still sinners. Or better yet for each of us, while we are still sinners!

What is it that makes us think of horror and nastiness and fear and scaring people to death in order to get them to believe? Why do we think we have to convince people with how bad they are before they will accept Jesus. Without spending much time researching it, if I remember the example from the Gospels, Jesus only tells the religious self-righteous leaders how bad they are. He doesn't turn to a little child and scare them with horror stories. He doesn't yell or rant about the awful life the everyday person was living.

So why do we?

It's about attraction not fear. It's about living in love and acceptance not setting barriers. With Jesus it was usually when you thought you had it all together that he told you that you didn't.

Let them come to me, He said. Don't push them away. Don't scare them into submission. Let them come here and sit on my lap in loving trust. Now, go do the same as my disciples.