On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met Jesus. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.
While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.”
John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” Luke 9:37-50
Whoever Welcomes This Child
Beautiful, innocent and ever hopeful
bearing the gifts of new life and imagination
these were the ones we needed to fix
we needed to remove them to make them whole.
With power comes great responsibility
to see the beauty and the need around us daily
breaking the backs of mother and child
is no way to make a nation great.
Their faces tell the story of their ruin
long onyx hair chopped to be respectable
tongues lost in fear of belts and chores
little lives buried far from red clay home.
The writer of Ecclesiastes says it best
My child, perform your tasks with humility;
then you will be loved by those whom God accepts.
The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;
so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord.
The trumpet has sounded in the land once again
a call for kneeling and great humility
a willingness to love the messiest of creatures
to protect the waters and know God calls the least.
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