But now as the conference draws closer, I know that I will get there and meet a number of people who will be far more talented at preaching, or have a super method for streamlining church polity, or who will be stunningly compassionate - the perfect pastors if you will. There will probably be someone there who's also a head of similar sized staff and is at least 5 years my junior. The conference will be informative and exciting and well worth my time and your money, but it will also include some jockeying for position as pastors tell their best stories - of the great things they've done in ministry and how they've survived all the rocky roads with flying colors.

And as all that begins to unfold, I'll hear Jesus questioning me, "What were you discussing in there?" I'll be silent. I'll know in my own heart that around those tables, and especially in the backs of our people-pleasing pastoral minds, we were wondering, "Who, among us, is the greatest pastor of all?" Who has the ability to be Jesus' favorite? Who keeps people on the edge of their seat through the whole sermon every week? Who will be the next pastor of Peachtree in Atlanta or New York Avenue in D.C., or for that matter, Signal Mountain, or New Providence right here? And the question any pastor who's had to fight a church to get Presbytery minimum wants to know, "Who is making the top salaries and where do you go to get one?"

Jesus puts a stop quite quickly to the disciples' literal argument about who was the greatest. He knew about both their vanities and their insecurities. He knew who among them felt like they were the greatest, and who among them felt like they were the last to be picked for any team, let alone Jesus' team. It's a childish argument that we adults get caught up into time and again. As children, one of the most important life lessons we must try to accomplish is to get that balance in life of being totally confident and self-assured while at the same time be also totally humble and willing to help others at any turn. It can get lop-sided to either direction quite easily.

Therefore, Jesus gives his disciples an answer to their argument, but an answer that requires some thought on our parts. He says, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." First, the part about servanthood - a true servant of others must not be motivated by fear or greed or any sort of self-interest. One who serves as Jesus taught his disciples to serve must be compassionate, and not so concerned about being first in line for everything. And then the child part - in the Jewish context in which Jesus lived - one generation always affected the generation it's junior and was affected by the generation previous. People's lives were very much interconnected. The sins of the fathers and mothers also affected their children, as did their blessings. If the disciples couldn't have a sense of welcome for a child of the next generation, they certainly couldn't see a future in which Christ would be alive and God would be active.

The disciples had to get past their own self-importance in the present to gaze at a future that was yet to be. Pastors who are so intent on being the "greatest" will never be able to embrace the role of servant-leader that it will take to steer congregations through the turbulent waters of the present and guide the church into a future where God is in control. Any disciple along the way must have a sense of a lengthy time-continuum if Christ's church is to make it even one more generation. The bible teaches us this basic lesson. Faith is not passed from the bible to a bible reader, or from church member to church member. Faith is passed from generation to generation. It takes a generational community being willing to inspire the next generation with their faith and then let go. Faith commitments can look remarkably different from one generation to the next. One generations abhorrence of tattoos and piercings can lead to a later generation where those same tatoos and piercings are reminders of God's grace. Something to think about - right?

In the Old Testament book of Lamentations, the sins of Sodom were not counted as tragic as the generation in Israel that forsook its own children. The children - one worth their weight in fine gold get treated as earthen pots. They beg for food, but are given nothing. In fact, in those days, it was far better to be killed by the sword, than to be drained away by hunger, for in those days, the hands of compassionate women boiled their own children for food as God let the nation self-destruct under it's own weight in sin.

Perhaps we think we are immune from such a time ourselves. We live in a nation where children have rights, don't we? We are comforted by things like public schools, and adequate food, and child advocacy organizations. Maybe we do an OK job of meeting physical needs, but spiritually, emotionally, are our children being given enough of God's living water that their tongues don't stick to the roofs of their mouth for thirst? Are they begging for living bread when we cannot see past our own faith comfort levels to let them express who God is in their own language and metaphor? Where are the children? Where are those children's parents?

For the most part, mainline churches like this one can look around and see that they are top-heavy generationally. The older generations are often over-represented when compared to the public population and young children are noticed as rare commodities. I wonder, is it because of the kind of arguing that was taking place among the faithful, among the disciples who were counted in as Jesus' top-level crew? Instead of looking ahead to what Jesus had in mind for the bigger picture - to recognizing the obligation they had to spread the good news of God's great love both to far away lands and perhaps even more importantly to far away times, instead of that, they chose to concern themselves with their wants and needs in the present moment only. They obsessed and argued about who would be greatest - not unlike today's arguments on who gets to "win" in the worship wars about music styles and sanctuary decorations. They wanted to know who had it right and who had it wrong, and our own denomination is torn apart today because of the same kinds of bravado from both the right and the left, from the so-called orthodox and the so-called progressive wings of the church. We'll have no church because we have fought so vigorously about what kind of church it absolutely had to be.

Children see through that facade. I think that's precisely why Jesus took a small child, held that child in his arms, and said, "Whoever welcomes this child welcomes me." When we put aside our grandiosity, our capacity for welcoming others changes. It becomes more open and more sincere. When I identify my call to ministry not as "Head of Staff" of a 270 member church, but as a response to God's grace and a need to welcome the people, all people in this place into my sphere of care and concern - life changes. I am pleased that I am in a fine church making a fine salary, but my being here has little to do with the prestige of the position. It has everything to do with being both faithful to God's call on my life as a pastor and being faithful to my responsibilities as a wife, a mother, and a contributing member of my own family.

In this town especially - we have an important message caught up in these scripture verses about Jesus and his disciples that we must teach to the young people who are growing up here. There's no denying it, this area is motivated, driven perhaps, by success. Scientists want to be involved in successful discoveries; the government dollars almost demand it. Failures are not taken lightly. Many people who have moved here are highly motivated achievers - myself included. But success for success' sake is not what God has in mind for humanity. If success itself becomes it's own goal, one will experience the fatigue of Sisyphus trying to push the ball up one hill, only to have it roll back again.

Jesus didn't tell the disciples that the last would be first because he liked lazy disciples. On the contrary, Jesus expected great things from his disciples. To him, they all were counted as close, close friends. What he did try to explain to them was that their idea of "greatest" was skewed. They would only be measured in their "greatness" by how willing they were to use their own particular talents to help others and to see this great plan for God's love into a truly uncertain future. Our children need to be encouraged and even pushed to use their gifts, but not so they can have something to put on their college applications or job resumes - but so they will treasure their gifts as a divine part of their nature and serve others with them.

You need to know that I am quite pleased at how this church relates to its children, and I suspect it can only get better. It is one of the stars in your crown for those who have brought up kids here. That kind of welcome of children was one of my requisites in my PIF - that any church I would go to would be inclined to accept children just as they are. I've talked with senior high leaders who have a tremendous understanding for these young people and are happy as can be to share God's love with them - no strings attached. I've talked with parents who are here because their kids are happy here, and I know of kids who feel as though they are truly needed as part of this church family . My own son feels loved and adored just in the short amount of time we've been here. But the word isn't getting out yet. We have a gift to share that needs some publicity, some shouting from the mountaintops. I'm sure it's scary to think now about what a church full of children and young parents might look like. It would change the landscape. The things we once thought were the "greatest" might get changed as new needs arise. There may be unfamiliar music requested or tattoos on the arms of parents in blue jeans. Those same kids might want to be pastors and preachers, then one day have a different outlook on the gospel.

I hope you'll pray for me as I get ready to go to the 7 % event. Like I said before, it is an event for younger pastors, but I want you to know it is called the 7 % event because only 7 % of our current PCUSA clergy are under the age of 40. A generation, my generation, is thin if not absent in most of the churches I'm able to serve. Let's renew our effort to welcome the children, and not let that happen to the next. Amen.