Mark 9:36-37

Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’ 

Matthew 18:3

Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’

Think of the children you know best.  What attributes of children do you suppose Jesus had in mind that he wanted his adult listeners to care about?


Jonah 4:9-11

But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’ 

The last sentence of this Jonah drama comes in the form of a question.  (Not a statement) 

How is the approach of a ‘question’ different than that a ‘statement?’  

How long does it take for a question to be answered?

For fun, Google search, or look through one of the gospels and see how many times Jesus posed a question.

Is there a place for questions in Christian faith?


Genesis 32:24-31

Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then the man said, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, limping because of his hip.

Seemingly Jacob leaves this episode in his life blessed and limping. 

Is there anything about this Jacob episode that mirrors an experience you’ve had with God? 

Is wrestling/striving with God an okay activity?  

Is it part of a healthy/honest spirituality?

What is it like to be blessed?