The Grace Received in a Blessing

Rev. Ann Beaty
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

October 8, 2006

Mark 10:13-16

This scripture from Mark’s gospel is one of the all-time favorite stories about Jesus- Jesus blessing the children. We have a beautiful mural of this scene painted by April Garner on the wall at the entrance to our church nursery. It is one of the most loving scenes of all of the New Testament stories and it is our hope that the youngest children of this church will identify with it as their first introduction to Jesus and God’s love for them.

I witnessed a scene one time that came as close to this scripture story as anything I can imagine experiencing in this life. About 5 years ago in the summer, I had 8 weeks of sabbatical leave from the church. I was blessed to spend three weeks of it on a spiritual pilgrimage traveling in France. While there, I spent 4 days at an ecumenical retreat center called Taize.

Taize was originally founded in the 1940’s just following the war by a man named Brother Roger. Brother Roger took to heart the scriptures that teach that Christ would be found among the poor and he longed to serve where the need was the greatest. Traveling the war-torn countryside of France, he found the village of Taize where there was much devestation. He opened a house in the village for 20 orphaned boys who had been rejected by their families and he helped with farming needs in the community. He formed a small group of monastic brothers to gather in community for morning, noon, and evening prayer. It didn’t take long before the people in the village began to join them. Over time, the community grew and more and more visitors began coming for prayer and worship. Eventually, they built the retreat center on the hill that stands today.

The core group of brothers who run the retreat center and live there today in monastic community are both Catholic and Protestant brothers and they come from many different countries speaking various languages. People of all ages come from all over the world to participate in bible study, worship, prayer, and fellowship with other Christians. The brothers understand that no matter what is going on in the world they offer a place for prayer and conversation and for deep listening. They provide a space of healing and reconciliation where many blessings are offered and received. It is a space for peace amidst the turmoil of our world.

The brothers welcome visitors all year long and during the summer, they host as many as 5000 people each week. During the day, everyone who is there scatters to different bible study groups or to do chores in the community. But when the bell rings for morning, noon, and evening prayers - everyone - the entire community of brothers and guests- stop whatever they are doing and gather for prayer, singing, and silence in the large worship center called the “Church of Reconciliation”. The week I was there, I worshipped with about 1200 fellow Christians representing something like 30 countries and speaking many different languages – some of which I’d never heard before.

The “Church of Reconciliation” is a large auditorium style structure that is dimly lit and sparse in its furnishings. Small candles and icons of Jesus are scattered throughout the worship area. Everyone enters in silence and you find a place to sit on the floor. There is no “front” altar area, but rather an area in the middle of the room that is reserved for the brothers. After the congregation is seated, the brothers file in – led by their founder and leader – Brother Roger, and take their places with most of them kneeling on small prayer benches.

When I was there, Brother Roger was near 90 years old and he seemed somewhat frail. But, he was still clearly the leader of the community. On my first day, I knew immediately that the elderly man with the warm smile and gentle face who led the brothers into the church was Brother Roger.

As soon as he took his seat (on a chair) and without any words of invitation being spoken – most of the children in the room left their places on the floor with their parents and moved to sit around Brother Roger. There were probably 20-30 children from ages 3 to 12 gathered around him on the floor. There were no words spoken – again- the entire room was silent. But as they settled in, Brother Roger began to reach out and gently and lovingly touch each one of them – either on the head or on the shoulder – offering them a blessing in his simple gesture of attention and love. The children just sat there, smiling up at him and taking in this act of blessing. It was one of the most astonishing gestures of pure love, acceptance, and blessing that I have ever witnessed.

Throughout the 45 minute service of prayer, scripture, singing, and silence, I became mesmerized watching the scene with the children and Brother Roger. As soon as things got started, one of the older children reached around under Brother Roger’s chair and simply and quietly passed out crayons and paper to the younger ones. They each sat around him coloring during the service, and I was amazed that even the youngest children didn’t make a peep through the whole service. They actually seemed deeply contented surrounded in this space of blessedness.

Brother Roger was blessing the children. In those few moments he was sharing with them the unconditional and abundant love of God. And they received it. They didn’t question whether they were worthy. They didn’t wonder what he would want in return from them. They didn’t look at their watch and calculate how much time this was going to take. They weren’t afraid of what might happen to them because of the blessing. They simply came and received.

I learned later in my stay, that on Friday, there would be an opportunity for the adults to remain at the end of the evening prayer service and receive a blessing from Brother Roger. I knew I wanted to receive this touch – a blessing from this holy man- a touch of assurance that would simply remind me of God’s abundant and unconditional love for my life.

And yet, there was another voice in me – a familiar and critical one – that immediately began to recite the list of reasons why I shouldn’t bother Brother Roger with this request:

---You’re an adult…grow up (the voice said)…the blessing is for the children!

---Don’t waste his time when there are so many others with more important needs!

---What will people think? They’ll think something is terribly wrong with you. You’ll look silly. And so on… As I said, it’s a familiar voice to me.

But, in my heart of hearts, I wanted what I saw those children receiving. I wanted to come before this holy man and open myself up to receive a gift – to receive a blessing of assurance that I too am loved by God. So, on Friday night I waited my turn with hundreds of others and I received a blessing from Brother Roger. He simply smiled at me and placed his hand on my forehead and spoke a few words in French. I have no idea what he said, but it didn’t matter. I knew in that moment that I had been recognized and blessed as a beloved child of God.

Brother Roger has since died. But in his long life on this earth, he was abundantly generous in his acts of blessing. In his words, in his deeds, and in the way he lived his entire life, he blessed those who were the lost, the afflicted, the powerless, and the vulnerable. He blessed everyone without judgment, without conditions, without question.

Jesus was abundantly generous in his acts of blessing. He longed to offer a word and a touch of healing grace to all. Much like us, the disciples didn’t understand this fully and they tried to protect him from the children taking up too much of his time. In Jesus’ time, children had no legal rights and no privileges by law. They were totally without social standing. They existed for the purpose of being raised to be adults.

So, the disciples thought they were doing the right thing by keeping the children away so Jesus would be available for the adults. But Jesus wanted them to understand that the Kingdom of God is for everyone and it is only in welcoming those parts of ourselves and others that we tend to “push away” – like the children in Jesus time – or like the critical voice inside that I experience at Taize – that we can truly receive the blessing of abundant living in the kingdom.

When Jesus welcomed the children, he was making a statement not just about welcoming those who happen to be between the ages of 2 and 12…he was making a statement about what it means to welcome all parts of ourselves and others as we come and receive.

Children are a good example because they get what it means to be open and receptive quite naturally. I learned this watching the children come to Brother Roger. They seemed to come so eagerly and very willingly. They were not hesitant or questioning their right to come forward. They weren’t judging themselves or the other children around them. They automatically trusted that this blessing and place at his feet was for them. They presented themselves fully and were ready to receive whatever he had to offer.

They accepted their blessing as a transaction of grace –a moment of gift given and received without calculation, without words, without any justification, without judgment or criticism, and without any claim on what they might or might not receive.

You know, in general, children come forward with their needs out in the open and they readily tell it like it is. They let you know when they are hungry. They go to sleep when they are sleepy – it doesn’t matter who is around or what is going on.

On the emotional level, if they are feeling lonely, or if they need love, they will come to you and seek affection. Their minds are curious. They want to explore and they go about with abandon. They don’t always understand the limits of what they can do, but they are indeed eager to know and learn about the world.

In the realm of the spirit, they are filled with wonder. They are open to mystery and believe that anything just might be possible. Their tendency is to believe rather than disbelieve. Their imagination is wide and open. Their spirits are receptive.

Children are by nature trustful. Over time, they unfortunately learn through life experience that you can’t always trust, but children have an in-born ability to trust. Children will jump into the pool assured that you will catch them. They will slide down the slide assured that your arms will greet them at the bottom.

Children believe in the power of hugs, smiles, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, and simple faith.

Jesus says we must be like children and if so then, these are the characteristics which we must have in order to inherit the Kingdom of God - KOG meaning full and abundant living now and forever in relationship with God.

I think with this story Jesus wants us to know that he understands that it is hard for us adults to come and receive this blessing with the characteristics of a child. Jesus knows that life is hard and that we doubt ourselves. Jesus knows that we work hard to keep control of our schedules and our emotions and the world around us. Jesus knows that we busy ourselves with many things in order to find meaning and purpose in our living. Jesus knows we have learned through the tough experiences of life to protect ourselves from being afraid or lost or hurt.

It seems to me that Jesus wants me to know that the part of me that said “I’m not worthy enough to receive a blessing from Brother Roger” – that part is welcomed. The part of me that has doubts about myself and my worth- that part is welcomed. The part of me that stays busy with many things is welcomed! The part of me that has been hurt by life and is afraid is welcomed!

It is in being welcomed and blessed by Jesus that those parts can be transformed and healed. Jesus didn’t wait for people to be whole and perfect before he blessed them. He blessed them in their brokenness and their fearfulness and in their vulnerability. The power we see embodied in Jesus is a sacred power – not as the world gives, but as God gives. His power came from his ability to help people see that they were blessed and that they lived within the embrace of sacred love.

During my visit to Taize I was also very moved by what happens at the end of each prayer service. At the end of the service – again in silence – the brothers are the first to leave the auditorium. Brother Roger would rise first and prepare to lead them out-much as he did coming in at the beginning of the service. But, there was one difference. The children who had surrounded him during the service took his hands and THEY led him out. The children – the ones who had so easily and fully received their blessings – led all of us out in to the world to bless others.

I read an article recently where a clergywoman told of an experiment she tried. She writes this: “I did an interesting experiment the other day when I was on the trolley. As I sat there, looking around at the people standing and sitting nearby, in my heart I silently blessed them. I couldn’t say what effect it had on them, but I discovered it had a remarkable effect on me. I began to see them and recognize who they truly were, unique and cherished people living out their ordinary lives loved by God.”

I wonder what would happen if we lived into our days on this earth with an attitude of blessing? Suppose we stepped into the uncertainty of our future with an unwavering assurance that we are blessed and held within the embrace of sacred love? What would happen if we approached not only those whom we know and cherish, but also strangers and even adversaries with gestures and words of blessing?

It may be that in these times one of the most important things we can do with our hands and our heart is to use them to bless, as Jesus and Brother Roger blessed, in a boundless and abundant way, to name the world and the lives that inhabit it as beloved and holy. Amen.