It's Children in Need day. I'm sure lots of people think that, in a civilised and sophisticated society like ours the need for a charity fundraising event for children should be a thing of the past. Then we read about Baby P, in Haringey, a 17 month old child who died after the most horrific abuse by those who were supposed to be looking after him. Then we read the court account of the ordeal of Shannon Matthews went missing in February as a ruse by her mother to make money; the 9-year old was found hidden in the base of the bed and by all accounts spent the time chained up.
Imagine a child...
who knows and cares that Jesus is present with him/her and will never forsake him/her – even when the pain of life never fully goes away
who finds that hope and the kingdom of God are not mere concepts but acts of love by those who gather her into a place of protection away from fear, war, exploitation and abuse
with special educational needs who encounters Jesus’ unconditional love and responds with smiles and noises of joy - and becomes a worship-leader in a church
who in spite of being mutilated by culture, religion or neglect realises that she, a girl child, has been created in the image of God – and gains hope
who shunned by school and community because of HIV/AIDS finds Jesus’ love through the pastor walking him safely to school each day
who has something of the Scriptures in a format that will assist her to encounter Jesus
who although half-naked and very hungry, sleeps peacefully and safely in the shelter provided by the church
whose regular prayer partners include adults and together they share their concerns
who finds that Jesus can help him/her understand the difference between sinning and being sinned against, and that both of these are wrapped with healing grace and constant love
who finds a home with God’s people: a place where (s)he wants to be and a people (s)he trusts
who is sharing this relationship with Jesus with his/her peers and family
whose parents are the first to introduce Jesus to her and accompany her on a journey of discovering Jesus
who experiences with the Church what it means to know Jesus and have life in all its fullness.
These words come from a paper produced in 2004 by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. I find them an enormous challenge, but I want to say a huge 'Amen' to all of these aspirations. Here are three more sets of hopes and aspirations:
Imagine a church that …
commits the necessary resources to reach children, 30 percent of the world’s population
builds a ‘good news’ relationship with every child in their community
believes that, like the biblical child Samuel, children can have a voice in their congregation
allows children to be in the midst of its teaching, worship, evangelism and discipleship.
Imagine a world where children are …
able to be safe, be cared for and live in hope
given many opportunities to know and respond to the love of Jesus Christ
encouraged to bring hope, healing, comfort and Jesus to one another
able to be discipled no matter how diverse their family or faith background.
Imagine families that …
move beyond healthy nurture into their God-ordained role as spiritual caregivers
are empowered to be the models of Christian values in their communities
are equipped to create spiritual traditions in the home.
The Bible and Christian tradition gives children a value; they are part of the kingdom of God, they are to be loved and cared for. However, that same bible and tradition has taught that they are not always to be pandered to and allowed to rule the lives of adults every moment of every day, but we also need to have our children grow up with a respect for others, for other children and for the adults who also inhabit their world.
As in so many things, there is a balance to be found; this week's stories show what happens when the balance tilts in the wrong direction.
