"Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 5:6-7)
If Jesus makes a stark warning against those who through false teaching would lead children, and those new in the faith, to sin, imagine his response to those who would deliberately harm children and vulnerable people. In the last few weeks we have seen how for a long time key institutions such as the BBC, the Police, Hospital trusts and others did not take seriously enough allegations of abuse against children. Without prejudging the guilt or innocence of those who are now being accused, it is at least worthwhile to lament the fact that they did not heed the warning that Jesus made.
Yet for the church the challenge is greater than simply providing a safe and healthy environment for children. As we prepare for a Light Party, as we prepare to work in partnership with the Hang10 team to reach out to the young people in our community, the challenge is to be prepared to welcome each one of them, in Jesus' name, as we would welcome Jesus. This may lead us to have to put up with uncomfortable moments, this may even require changing the way we do things, but life is much more enjoyable when we don't have a millstone hanging round our necks.
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