This weekend most people will remember Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into town and celebrated, welcomed and worshiped. Within one week, that worship turned to hatred as they were shouting crucify Him.
While we don’t yell crucify them, are there children in your ministry who you welcome with open arms only to later wish they would go somewhere else or wouldn’t attend at all?
We all have those children who are difficult to work with, but we need to remember that God still loves them. This past Awana year we used another church’s facility (we currently rent and meet in a movie theater for Sunday mornings) and their children’s ministry partnered with us with several of their children attending as well. The one thing that I had to be careful of was the designation of “our kids” and “their kids”. They were the kids coming to Awana, it didn’t matter which church they attended.
In your church, maybe it is the “church kids” and the “neighborhood, or bus kids”.
When we segregate them in our minds like that, we are in essence saying the ones we care about and the other ones, even though we initially welcome everyone with open arms.
Have you welcomed kids with open arms only to turn your back on them later?
If someone has done that to you (welcomed you, then “stabbed you in the back”), then know that Jesus can relate!
