People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Dear congregation,
When a baby is born, it needs care. It cannot survive unaided, because a baby isn’t able to do much. When it needs something, it cries. Older children can already speak and walk, yet they are still used to being cared for, of getting food and clothing from their parents. To go shopping with a little child sometimes ends up in tears, because the child sees many beautiful things, and wants them. “Can I have this? Can I have that?” It wants what it sees and doesn’t think about working for it. A child takes it for granted, that it gets help, when it needs to be washed, or to dress up and to get something to eat and to drink, when it is hungry or thirsty. However, as a child gets older it learns to wash and to dress up all by itself, unassisted, and thus it becomes increasingly independent from its parents. As grownups they are eventually – like us – used to doing things on their own. Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will by no means enter it. ‘This striving for independence might on the other hand be the reason, why it is so hard for us adults to accept salvation as a heavenly gift. We normally tend to give something in return rather than to accept salvation for free: “What do I have to do, to come into heaven?” The bible tells us, how we receive forgiveness of sins, faith and salvation: You can only receive it as a gift out of God’s hands. Holy Baptism points this out to us in a most significant way. Getting baptized doesn’t mean that one has to do something before he gets baptized. Or that you have to experience your baptism as a special thing so you can build your faith on that special feeling you had at your baptism. But getting baptized means, that one receives something: The bath of rebirth in the Holy spirit. One becomes a child of God by getting baptized. And one doesn’t receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, because one decided, to do so. One receives the Sacrament like a child, who is being brought to Jesus by its mother, so that He may lay His hands on it and bless it. For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Dear congregation, Let’s also talk about these Pharisees, who wanted to trick Jesus by talking about divorce. Moses had allowed getting divorced. Is it still allowed or not? Skipping the particular subject of divorce, I would like to point out to you today, what is significant in the behaviour and the words of the Pharisees. It is the way they use God’s commandments. The Pharisees behave like children, in a negative sense: They checking out their limits. “How far can we go without getting punished?” It’s a normal and important behaviour for a child. Children need to do so, to learn. The Pharisees however are adults, very faithful people. It’s nonsense to think, that one will come to heaven, if one fulfils the ethical standards of the bible. If I ask what God wants me to do, I do it, because I’m already a child of God and because I love my father in heaven. By asking for God’s will, I’m not testing out the conditions, under which I will get saved. I’m doing it because God loves me and wants what is best for me. It is significant, that Jesus doesn’t talk exclusively about divorce. He tells us out of God’s word, how woman and man have been created, which thoughts God had about man and woman, and which kind of good order marriage is. To believe in God doesn’t mean, that one has to watch what is allowed, and what is forbidden. To believe in God means to accept that God loves me, and to love him in return. And if one loves God, one will definitely also ask him, how He wants us to live. It is something, which every one of us has to do in one’s own responsibility:” To ask, what God wants one to do; and then to be obedient. It’s not my job as a pastor, to give you rules, how to live your life. It’s my job as a Pastor to show you God’s word and good will. To believe in it is on the other hand, what you have to do by yourself. I can’t do that for you.
Live your faith, not forced and not only to get saved from hell. But because you are already saved, and you already belong to God and because you love God and want to stay with him.