Encounters with Jesus – Wednesday

Let them come to Me

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16 (The Message)

The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off.

But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very centre of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”

Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

Encounter with Jesus:

• What is going on in the passage?
• Take time to imagine you are there ‘in the story’ as it happens. What do you see, hear, smell? If you were one of the people in the passage, who would you be? Why?
• Still imagining you are there…
  • What question would you like to ask Jesus?
  • What was/is Jesus’ response?

Now, what does it mean for us?

You might have already heard me speak on this. I find it a constant challenge to consider how we include children and young people in our collective church meetings in ways that are meaningful for them. I regularly ask myself do I ‘shoo’ them away, in favour of helping Jesus talk to the adults without the adults being ‘distracted’, because that is what Jesus wants, isn’t it? I was recently really encouraged to hear a worship leader from a local church inform me that he is trying different ways of engaging children and young people in their collective worship every week. And even though there was a sense of ‘we haven’t got it perfect yet’ there was also a sense of ‘we are trying’.

To do today:

1. How do you and your church welcome and include children and young people in your times together? Does it need to change?
2. Even if it does or doesn’t change, what could you do to welcome and include children and young people in a safe and sensible way within your church context?

Did you know…?

Niscu has volunteer puppet teams who go into schools and do puppet shows/assemblies for the younger children in our schools (primary). Since September 2025 to Easter 2026 they performed 35 puppet shows in 25 different schools across our areas. If you would like to know more about where and how these teams work or would like more information to pray for them please email lou.mosey@niscu.org.uk.