Are All Welcome?

 Gospel: Matthew 19: 13-15

Time and again we see disciples looking to prevent people from having access to Jesus.  Categories of worthiness are created time and again that conveniently place us within the circle of access and place those we do not like in the circle of exclusion.  We employ projection to allege that such categories were made by God when in reality they are only our own hatreds and dislikes brought into the religious realm of life.

In today's Gospel portion we find disciples preventing children from seeing Jesus.  Children have no legal status or power.  They are vulnerable and weak, and despite lip service to the contrary, they have no organized groups to defend them.  So, the disciples find it an easy group to exclude.  Jesus, however, rebukes them and invites those without status or power to be with him, and in so doing reminds us that God is for all and that no one has the right to act as a religious bouncer.  

Many churches sing the hymn, "All Are Welcome" but is that actually true in their practice? Is everyone truly welcome and allowed access to the table? Very often not.  When we tell people they do not have access to God what we really mean is that they may not be in our presence.  It is not about God, for Jesus makes clear that all truly are welcome in his presence.  It is we disciples who are the ones with the hang-ups.