Jesus’ expansive welcome goes beyond just our children or the children in our neighborhoods to include all children of all times and all places.

 

Jesus took all the children up in his arms. We can imagine that these were the children who were crying and being loud, they were the children that go to different churches, synagogues and mosques, the poor and dirty children, the children from the bad sections of town, the children who come with their families from across the border, the children with disabilities, the trans children, the black children, the gay children, the children with no parents, the children whose parents are Republicans and those children whose parents are Democrats, the children who don’t speak English, the children who… you finish the sentence. It was these children. Jesus gathered them all. May we be encouraged by Jesus’ teachings and actions to live out these tasks of discipleship.