Monday – Read Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 1:18-25. Children in the Ancient World. Ordinary children in the ancient world did not share the king’s image. They were not created by the same god, and so they grew up in a different way. In the Roman Empire, some babies grew up to be women who were generally shut off from education and public life. Some grew up to be slaves who were needed for their labor but regarded as inferior to those who were free. Many babies did not grow up at all. In the ancient world, unwanted children were often simply left to die, a practice called “exposure.” The head of the household had the legal right to decide the life or death of other members of the family. This decision was usually made during the first eight days of life. The most common reason to expose a child would be if the family lived in poverty, or if a wealthy family did not want to divide up the estate, or if the child was the wrong gender (meaning a girl), or if the child was illegitimate. Abandoned children were often left on a dump or a dung hill. They most often died. Sometimes they were rescued, but usually this was to become enslaved. This happened often enough that hundreds of ancient names are variations of the word kopros, which was Greek for “dung.” Babies who were disabled or appeared weak were often disposed of by drowning. An ancient Roman law said that a boy who was “strikingly deformed” had to be disposed of quickly. Ancient parents could be as tender and loving as moderns, but children had value to the extent that they could serve the state. In themselves, children were disposable. Jews were opposed to exposure because of their faith. Since Jesus was regarded as the descendant of a forbidden relationship between two Jews he would likely not have survived had Joseph been Roman. Pray for children who are abused and consider how you can demonstrate God’s love to children.

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Tuesday – Read Mark 10:13-16. Children are important in the kingdom of God. Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood began in 1968 during a time in our nation when children were not valued. Between 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court required every state to legalize abortion, and 1985, the debated tail end of Generation X, the abortion rate wavered between 20 and 30 percent. The end result is 29 million fewer people in Generation X. During this time, Fred Rogers had a radically different view of children. He treasured them, made them feel wanted, and demonstrated God’s love to them. Where did Mr. Rogers learn to love and treasure children? He learned it from Jesus. In a time when many adults viewed children as the lowest of the low, Jesus elevated children to a place of importance in the kingdom of God. Jesus welcomed children and demonstrated God’s love to them. He began to say things about children no one else had ever said. Jesus treated children differently than anyone had ever treated children. Who are the children in your life? Ask God to help you demonstrate God’s love to them.

 

Wednesday – Read Genesis 1:26-27, 31; Psalm 8. God Made You Good. God made you good. It’s true. In fact, God made you very good. God made you in the very image of God. That’s the truth we find in Genesis 1, but it’s not the message we receive in many instances. You may have been told that you are not good, but God says that you are very good. God says that both boys and girls are made in the image of God and are equally valued and loved by God. Mr. Rogers spent his life telling children and adults that they are special. At a graduation speech, he said, “What that ultimately means, of course, is that you don’t ever have to do anything sensational for people to love you.” You have sacred worth. Before you were born God had a plan for your life. God made you with a purpose. You are very important to God. As you pray, look at yourself in a mirror and try to see yourself the way that God sees you as a precious child made in the image of God, and then pray these word, “Father God, thank you for making me good.” Read Psalm 139 as a prayer to God.

 

Thursday – Read John 1:10-13; 3:16-17. For God So Loved the World. God loves us first.

Methodists call this prevenient grace which is the grace that comes before. God loves us just because God is good. Jesus makes it very clear that God’s leading edge is grace and love. Jesus came into the world not to condemn people but so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection demonstrate to us the depth of God’s love for all people. Mr. Rogers said, “Love is at the root of everything: all learning, all parenting, all relationships—love or the lack of it.” How have you experienced the love, grace, and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ? Jesus said they will know we are Christians by our love. As you pray, thank God for loving you and ask God to help you share God’s love with the people in your life.

 

Friday – Read I John 3:1-2, 11; John 1:12; and Genesis 1:27, 31. We are children of God.

Mr. Rogers was known to say, “I like you just the way you are.” He told children that they did not have to do anything extraordinary to be loved. He was not talking about entitlement. He was teaching children one of the central beliefs of our faith that every person has inherent and sacred value. All people are made in the image of God, and God has created us to live as God’s beloved sons and daughters. This is why we refer to the Church as the family of God. How does it make you feel to know that God loves you as God’s own son or daughter? How does this change the way you view the people who frustrate you? Spend some time in prayer thanking God for the way God loves you, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you love people as God loves you.

 

Saturday – Read Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37. Won’t you be my neighbor? Jesus said that one of the two most important commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself. Mr. Rogers took believed what Jesus said was true, so he loved his neighbors and taught children to love their neighbors. He said, ”Will I suppose it’s an invitation, ‘Won’t you be my neighbor?’ It’s an invitation for somebody to be close to you. I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is loveable, and consequently the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they’re loved and capable of loving.” A lawyer once asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered the question by telling the story we now call the Parable of the Good Samaritan. You know the story well. Both a priest and a Levite failed to help the man who had been beaten nearly to death. It was the heretical Samaritan who was moved with pity to bandage the man’s wounds and care for him. He was the only one of the three who acted as a neighbor and showed mercy to him.

Think about your neighbors. How is God calling you to love your neighbor? Which of your neighbors is God calling you to invite to worship with us? Ask God to give you an opportunity to invite a stranger to become your neighbor.