“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.”
– Matthew 18:1-2 (NIV)
It’s easy to judge the success or failure of a ministry based on numbers: How big is the building? How many people are in the choir? How much money is in the budget? But as Jesus reminded his disciples, we don’t need size to please the Father. We need humility, brokenness, tenderness, trust – the qualities of a little child. In fact, Jesus says, whenever we receive a little child in His name, we are receiving Him. Whatever we do – or neglect to do – for that child, we are doing for Him.
If we neglect to go the extra mile to receive inmates’ children in the name of Jesus, far too many will continue in the footsteps of their parents. Some kind of intervention must happen! The Church must be the vehicle for children to hear about Jesus and grow up in an environment saturated with His grace.
These children are so precious to God that we mustn’t allow even one of them to feel forgotten or unloved this Christmas. Like the shepherd in the parable, we must do whatever it takes, leaving the 99 to go and find the one who is lost in the pain and abandonment of a parent’s incarceration.
We can’t change the whole world overnight, but today we can reach the children of the incarcerated. It’s the greatest thing we can do together this Christmas. Please join us at www.angeltree.org.
