[ Today's Readings ]
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;
for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
He is telling us that nothing can keep us from doing so if we want. The innocence and trust of children are quickly ruined by the world. But we can have them back again. The march of time seems to inexorably steal these things from us but God restores them by grace if we just ask.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
We blame past generations for our problems.
“Fathers have eaten green grapes,
thus their children’s teeth are on edge”?
We see history and convince ourselves that the way things were is the way they will always be. Today the LORD offers us a fresh start. We can no longer blame circumstances or history for our problems. We are free to shed these burdens and approach Jesus as little children. After all, baptism is a new birth in the Holy Spirit. It means becoming a new creation in Christ. We are meant to walk in newness of life.
Create a clean heart in me, O God.
We ask for a clean heart, knowing that it is the heart of a child, the heart of one who is born again. We are called "put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (see Ephesians 4:24). When we do so we can run to Jesus as freely as the little children. We don't need to worry about rebukes from anyone else. We know that he will embrace us and lay his hands upon us in blessing.
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