5th Sunday: Family Worship

What does it mean to be in a race? Not the kind with a finish line we can see, but one that is unfolding in classrooms, living rooms, and neighborhoods every single day. This message confronts us with a striking reality: there is a race for the heart of our children, and we are already in it whether we realize it or not. Drawing from Matthew 18, we are challenged by the moment Jesus places a child in the center of a room full of adults and reframes everything they thought they knew about greatness. The kingdom of heaven, he says, belongs to those who come with the openness and humility of a child. That image is not just a warm sentiment. It is a direct call to examine how we approach God and how seriously we take our responsibility to the young people around us. The warning that follows is sobering: to cause a child to stumble carries consequences so weighty that Jesus uses the image of a millstone and the depths of the sea to make the point. This is not a casual concern. It is an urgent one. We are invited to ask ourselves honestly whether we are stepping into the spaces where children and students need us, or whether we have quietly stepped back and let the culture fill that void without us.