From the May 22 sermon, "Jesus and Children," preached out of Luke 18:15–17: Jesus says to receive the kingdom of God—to come to him—like children, Fudgesicle stains and all. The fact that the Father loves, endures with, protects, provides for, instructs, and corrects us reveals that he’s glorious. We, by the grace of God, get to be children of God, the objects of the Father’s love, his glorious inconveniences. That’s what Christianity’s all about.

"Why do you think the kids were coming to Jesus?" I asked [my four younger children] the question. So Gideon, the great theologian that he is, said, "I think they liked him and they wanted to play with him because Jesus was fun." Let's unpack that. Do you think Jesus was fun? There are things that we call the attributes of God. He's omniscient, he's omnipotent, he's omnipresent. He's also fun. I think Gideon nailed it. I was thinking about it. I don't remember ever reading a systematic theology—and I've got a handful, more than a handful, I've got a roomful of systematic theologies—and in the attributes of God, I've never remembered seeing "fun." But Gideon nailed it. Jesus is fun. He doesn't sin, but he's fun. That's why kids run to him. The only other time you see kids run to something is like an ice cream cart. Or like a Popsicle truck, they're running. Why? Good times. Kids run where there's fun. Jesus was fun. This is why Jesus keeps getting invited to parties and why the religious people were very furrow-browed and critical. "Oh, he cannot be the Son of God. People enjoy him." Right? Jesus got invited to parties, Jesus gathered a crowd, Jesus welcomed children because Jesus was and is fun. Some of you don't know that. Some of you are not fun. Repent and be fun. Repent and be fun. It's actually really important for kids. I've had parents be like, "I can't get my children to obey." "Are you any fun?" "No." "Ha-ha, be fun." Children like fun. It's good to be fun. God is fun. One of his attributes that Gideon illustrates for us is Jesus was fun.

One of the lies that has been promulgated is that you don't need quantity time with your children, you need what? Quality time. Here's the truth: You don't know when the quality time is going to come, when their heart's going to open up, when a situation arises, when they need you. You just don't know. So you can't say, "Well, on Tuesday from 3 to 4 p.m., we're going to have deep, heartfelt conversation." Alright, you don't know, so you need to be there a lot, need to be available and attentive. And then when their little heart opens up, love and serve, encourage, instruct, correct, whatever is needed at the moment. … Now, say, "Where do you get that?" Look at Jesus. This was not, "And now we're going to do the children's discipleship lesson." Jesus is teaching. There's a big crowd, there's a lot going on. There's nothing in the schedule for the kids. But the kids decide, "Let's go see Jesus." So Jesus is attentive, he's present, and he makes them a priority. He disrupts his plans. He allows them to, in the providence of God, interrupt his day, and he makes them a priority. There's a great parenting lesson there. The children are a priority. They are a blessing. They are a gift. And that quality time comes sometimes when you don't expect it. And this was one of those quality time moments between the Lord Jesus and children.

"At What Age Should a Kid Come into the Service? Be Baptized? Take Communion?" and "Children Are a Glorious Inconvenience," after the jump:

Here's how it works at Mars Hill. We do have children's ministry on Sunday. Kids are welcome to go, those who are elementary school age. But they don't have to go. It's okay to have your kids in service. At about seven or eight years of age, my kids all decided just to transition into the service, they didn't want to go to kids' ministry any more. We don't have a hard and fast line. If you're a parent and you say, "I want my kids just to be in the service," great, we're glad to have them. And you may wonder, "Well, what if they make noise?" Well then praise be to God, it means they're alive. That's how we see it. "What if my baby cries?" Well, praise be to God. It means they're alive. "What if they're a little disruptive?" That's what children do. We would rather have a little commotion and a little disruption than a church that has no children. …

And you know what? [Children are] a glorious inconvenience. They're a glorious inconvenience. And here's the big idea: we tend to not see ourselves as children. We tend to see ourselves like the disciples, "Well, we're very responsible adults with very important things to do." And God says, "You know what I see? Ponytails, boogers, and Fudgesicles, that's what I see." You're not totally able to take care of yourself. You need your dad. You were an inconvenience. I don't know about you, Father, I apologize for being such an enormous inconvenience. But you know what? The fact that the Father loves me and he endures with me and he protects me and he provides for me and he instructs me and he corrects me, it reveals that he's glorious. He's amazing. And we, by the grace of God, get to be the children of God. We get to be that inconvenience through which he is revealed to be glorious. That's what Christianity's all about. So if you're here and you're not a Christian, I would invite you through Jesus Christ to enjoy God as your Father and we as your family. Isn't this good news?