"Our hands do His work" - by UMCH Spiritual Life Coordinator
Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest." Luke 9:48
Jesus lived His life as an example to all. When he gave admonition or direction, he didn’t do so without having first demonstrating the behavior he wanted us to follow.
This verse in Luke reminds me that Jesus first came to us as a little child. He humbled himself – the Almighty Creator became a fragile child. And later in his life and during his ministry, he welcomed children unto him and called for us to do the same.
There is a ministry in your own backyards that does just this – welcomes broken and healing children in Jesus’s name. The United Methodist Children’s Home in Mt. Vernon is a safe haven for young people who have been subjected to the pain of this world. They are welcomed with open arms into our doors where the healing process begins.
As the spiritual life coordinator at UMCH, I have the privilege of helping to nurture the youth spiritually. We have weekly Bible studies and monthly praise and worship services. These kids are so hungry for God’s word - nothing before has filled them like His living bread, and so often they are overwhelmed by His love when we study his word.
There are incredible challenges, though. When a young person asks me, “Why did God let this happen to me?” my heart breaks. I thank God that I can tell them, “God will redeem this. He is with you always; He is your comfort and your strength.”
Healing and love is how we at UMCH welcome the children. In James Chapter 2, God calls upon us to show our faith by doing good works. In verse 17, it says, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
Our faith is alive at the children’s home. We see God at work in every successful child. We welcome the opportunity to partner with others, whether it’s churches, organizations, or individuals in this ministry. The young people living on campus and the children and families who we help in our community benefit so much just from knowing that people care about them.
Don’t we all? Don’t we all need to know someone cares about us? God’s unfailing love heals the children from their pasts, but it’s our hands that do his work on this earth.