In Luke 18:15–17, people bring their children to Jesus, and when the disciples try to turn them away, Jesus stops them and says, “Let the little children come to me.” In a culture where children were seen as unimportant, Jesus flips the script—He not only welcomes them but says the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Then He adds that unless we receive the Kingdom like a child, we’ll never enter it. That kind of faith is simple, trusting, and open-hearted—free from the doubts and cynicism that so often weigh us down as adults. Jesus calls us back to that pure, childlike trust that simply believes, “Jesus loves me.” So today, let’s approach Him with that same humble faith—ready to receive His grace, to welcome others with open arms, and to rest in the love of the One who welcomes us all.

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It’s good to be with you on this Friday morning as we wrap up another week together in Luke’s Gospel. I hope you’ve had a great week so far!

It’s going to be a special weekend here at St. Matthew’s — we’ve got Confirmation Sunday! Several of our young people will be making their public profession of faith, confirming their trust in Christ, and officially joining the church. We’ll even have a couple of baptisms, which is always exciting. I love seeing these young folks stand before the church and say, “Jesus is my Lord.” I always joke with them that once they join, they’re full members — I could put them on SPRC if I wanted! But really, confirmation is such a beautiful and holy moment, and I’m so thankful for it.

And it’s fitting that today’s passage is all about Jesus blessing the little children.

Let’s read Luke 18:15–17:

“People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’”

Now, we live in a culture that is very child-focused. Many of our family decisions — schedules, vacations, even what we eat — are centered around the kids. That’s normal to us. In fact, in church life, it’s often said that churches that grow are the ones with strong children’s and youth ministries.

But that was not the case in Jesus’ day. In that culture, children weren’t seen as important. They were loved, of course, but they didn’t have a voice. They were considered more like possessions — blessings from God that reflected a family’s status or wealth. Children were to be seen and not heard. So when people started bringing their kids to Jesus, the disciples probably thought they were doing the right thing by turning them away. “Jesus is busy. He’s too important for this.”

But Jesus stops them. He says, “No — let the little children come to me.”

That was radical. Jesus was flipping the values of the culture upside down. The people who didn’t seem to matter to society mattered deeply to Jesus. He not only welcomed the children — He said the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

And then He takes it even further. He says, “Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

That’s huge. Jesus isn’t just saying that children are welcome — He’s saying we have to become like them to enter the Kingdom.

What does that mean?

Well, children have this incredible capacity for trust. They believe easily. They don’t overthink everything the way we adults do. We get weighed down with doubts, worries, and “what ifs.” But children simply believe.

I read once that young golfers are better putters because they haven’t missed many yet — they don’t have all those memories of failure clogging their minds. They just step up, see the ball, and swing. Adults, on the other hand, remember every missed putt — and we tighten up.

Faith can be like that. We’ve missed a few “putts” in life — we’ve prayed prayers that weren’t answered the way we wanted, we’ve faced heartbreaks, we’ve stumbled. And sometimes we lose that simple, childlike faith that just says, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

That’s the kind of faith Jesus is calling us back to — a faith that doesn’t have to understand everything, but simply trusts that He is good. A faith that clings to Jesus because we know He loves us.

So today, let’s ask ourselves:

• Do we have that childlike faith?
• Are we humble enough to depend on Jesus completely?
• And are we willing to welcome those the world overlooks — the ones on the margins, the ones others might say “don’t matter”?

Because to Jesus, they do matter.

Yesterday, we saw that the humble tax collector went home justified, not the proud Pharisee. Today, we see Jesus reminding us again — the Kingdom belongs to those who know their need, who trust simply, who come with open hearts like a child.

So today, may we have the faith of a child.
May we open our arms wide like Jesus and say, “Let them come.”
And may we receive His love with that same innocent trust — knowing that He welcomes us all the same way.

Have a great weekend, friends. I hope to see you Sunday for confirmation — and we’ll pick back up Monday with the rest of Luke 18.