Matthew 18:10 ~ in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven +

Matthew 18:10

See that you do not despise one of these little ones.
For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Children have been seen in many different ways over the Millenniums. The Old Testament, the one where God is frequently spoken of rather judgmentally, tells us a child is a longed for joy. Hannah begged for a child. David's father, Jesse, had 8 sons and David was seen as, more or less, a worker bee and not even summoned for the Prophet Samuel's visit. Which takes us from Samuel - longed for and given to God. And David - the spare. The A to Z.

The Bible tells us when a loved one died, the widow was cared for and the child said to be of the dead brother. A concept we are uncomfortable with - yet telling us children are seen as the continuation of a loved one. Looking at children through Biblical eyes.

In the Middle Ages, children were swaddled and hung on a peg on the wall. Making sure diaper rash - which might kill due to lack of antibiotics - is avoided. The child was not named until age 5 to avoid falling in love with the child making sure 'it' survived before the child was treasured. Kosher would indicate - the Jews did not feel this way about children in the Old Testament. The slaves of the Exodus had children easily, thriving children. Jews washed and the middle ages swaddled.

During the farming years, people had children plentifully to provide for each other. Leading to serfdom - which provided exactly the opposite of the goal of the Exodus. The Plagues set freedom back on track again. A pendulum of history. Fighting forward. During these, fraught, years the Bible was guarded in Latin for the few.


In the last 20th century, people tried to limit the number of children. To provide for themselves and their children. Peter Pan is actually a story of children lost due to childhood illnesses. An idea of Heaven to think of lost boys. A happy ever after without mentioning Heaven to grieving parents.

And then life was still pretty tough - improve your kids, toughen them up. No car seats. No batting coaches. Plenty of hunting and fishing lessons and even sports, to the best of the parent's ability.

Now, if history is a pendulum and life is always seeing a balance - we hopefully approach the idea with good intentions...

Do we overly self love ourselves - and make our children to be our best images? And in doing this - fail to see the unique gifts God has given them as we stuff our best goals upon them? All done in the name of - 'your best life'. Too many lessons. Too little individualism?

This is not done cruelly. I know my Grandmother, one of 12 children, 11 of them graduated from college by using a buddy system, my Grandmother longed for Ukulele lessons, a raccoon coat and singing lessons. She loved to dance the Charleston. And had lovely marble dressy pictures of the First Bank of Dallas in prohibition grandeur. It was a speak-easy at night. My teetotaler Grandmother said it was gloriously good fun. And she wonderfully provided singing lessons for my tone-deaf mother who was asked by the singing teacher - not to sing at the recitals.

My mother longed to dance. Something she shared with my Grandmother, but Grandmother was not about to raise her only daughter to go to Speakeasies and dance. So while they all explored painting when I was in pre-school, I was sent to suffer dance lessons. Modern dance at that. And when I excelled at the one art lesson I had, we were whisked back to dance lessons where they prayed I'd learn to twirl a baton by dancing. And if that worked, then cheer lessons. And then we moved to a small town, where, Thank God - there were only Art Lessons and Tennis Lessons. God is very, very good. He is. Really.



We had the most wonderful Luncheon for the Women at The Woodlands Untied Methodist Church. Finding by Psychologists speaking to other Psychologists in other cities - we are finding a lot of children these days are enrolled in every opportunity to join group sports and get on the fast track with all the other Salmon. The depression rate of affluent children is in the 30 to 40% range. The goals of the parent are not necessarily the goal of the child. And newly grown children tell us they felt unseen within their own families - due to excessive planning for "appropriate goals".

Dr Anu McDonald gave a very heartwarming story of being from India, becoming part of the USA and culture changes. Including her mother-in-law as part of every day life as both she and her husband are busy doctors. Loved the love shown between the generations of family. Most wonderful and very needed in our nation. Very, very inspiring!!!

Bringing us full circle to Father God. Genesis and Proverbs 8 tell us of the Joy God had in Jesus during Creation. The Joy of Jesus seeing the talents of God.

Mary did all she could to keep Jesus in the framework God would tell us - God establishes us in these parameters for Blessings. The Pentateuch - do this - and God will Bless you. Mary probably sits down, eternally, at the Right Hand of God. Who else has rushed in to save the Life of Jesus at least 3 Biblical Times? And Jesus tells Mary - no, we have to live and do the Will of God for me.

Father God, who is God, does not give His Son David's Palace. He did not provide a beautiful farm to Jesus. He did not provide for Jesus a huge home, as so many Jews did, for their sons to live within the family. Instead Jesus leaves Nazareth, leaves Mary and moves to wonderful Capernaum. Jesus is doing what God has built Jesus to do.

Father God has always planned for Jesus to help His family - I doubt Mary and Joseph would have recovered from scandalous Luke 1 without Jesus Himself. Blending seamlessly in little Nazareth as time goes by. Yet Father God has always planned for Jesus to be Jesus and not just what Mary and Joseph told Jesus to do traveling home to Nazareth from Jerusalem Temple Holy Days.

Father God has let all people know - a mere Barn will do.

A plan of God - will do.

The Freedom to do God's Will with encouragement - will do.

The need to be unique - even within a loving family - in God's Plan.

The freedom to make Jesus' own life - is God's Plan.

Allowing Jesus to depart carpentry - the family business - is God's Plan.

Jesus lived this freedom - by being recorded in the Bible - visiting His Family - with His Disciples - during the Wedding in Canaan.

Jesus provides us hope - a child born in the barn - with love - will go far.

Jesus tells us families who have lived near and far (like Egypt) will find their way.

Jesus records family conflict is survivable. Even Sibling Rivalry.

Jesus tells us Love brings separated families - during Good Friday - back together in God - Acts 1. God puts us in healing paths.


Father God tells us - in all situations - not to give up hope. The Prayers we have are always Possible in God. And the Scripture passage is about little children having guardian angels. A child is not a jello mold. A child is a unique plan of their Heavenly Father. We trust God in the ways He gifts one another.




Abba, Our Father,

Thank You so much for such a good lesson at Church today. In You, we live, move and have our being. Asking for your inspirations and wisdom to know the gifts and love for each other.


Father God, help us to deal with each other with Love.

1 Peter 4:10
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:

1 Corinthians 12:7-11
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.


Romans 12:6
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God


Being up building to one another for the Glory of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

That in doing the will of God for our lives, we are nourished in God's Love.
Nourishing ourselves to do the will of God
Assisting those we Love. The People God has giving us.
Broadening prayer really all over the world because we reach far in You.
Lifting our world, nation, the news we see, the people we just see barest glimpses of.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

In Jesus, we say our Amen. Rejoicing in the Holy Spirit bringing us all more of our Father God. Rejoicing in the Hope, Love and Power of the Word of God working, alive and filled with Joy.


Amen and Amen in Jesus!!!

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †