And a Child Shall Lead Them
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | February 2, 2025
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Read Luke 2:22 – 40
Today is the day that we have set aside to recognize as Scout Sunday... and as I looked at the Lectionary texts for today... this passage from the Gospel of Luke stood out to me. In this New Testament lesson for today, we find the stories of two different elders in the temple.
These were not Elders as in people who held specific roles or positions within the temple... but literal elders... two individuals, Simeon and Anna, who both had quite a bit of life experience under their belts... and because of that both of them were able to recognize the child, Jesus, for who and what He was.
Simeon was described as a righteous and devout man... someone who was waiting expectantly for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel... and he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would indeed see the Messiah before he died.
Now, when Mary and Joseph brought their child into the temple to fulfill the rites of purification as prescribed in the Law of Moses... Simeon knew that his prayers had been answered... and so he took the child in his arms and gave thanks and praise to God for allowing him to live long enough to see the promised Messiah.
And then there was Anna... a woman the Scriptures describe as being “very old” and a widow... she, too, was a very devout person who was waiting expectantly for the Messiah to come... she was someone who the text tells us spent day and night, fasting and praying, and never left the temple.
And while Simeon was praying and blessing Mary and Joseph, Anna came and broke into a song of praise and told everyone who had been looking forward to the redemption of Israel about this child... the child who Mary and Joseph took back to Nazareth in Galilee where it is said that he “grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.”
Now, as we know, this child was indeed the Messiah... the One who came to save us and lead us... just as it had been foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament.
In fact, it was the Prophet Isaiah who wrote (11:1 – 6, RSV):
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM...
And that brings us to today, as we celebrate Scout Sunday.
I can’t help but think about all of the children and young adults in the scouting program who are on a pathway toward leadership... and how we have the opportunity to be an encouragement to them along the way.
Now, according to the Scouting America website:
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.Preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes... isn’t that what the Scriptures call all of us to do... to make ethical and moral choices throughout our lives... and to do what is right?
The mission further states... instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law...
The Scout Oath says, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
And the Scout Law says, “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”
Putting it all together brings to mind some of the things that the Apostles Paul and Peter wrote in the New Testament...
In his letter to the Galatian church (5:22 – 23), Paul wrote about the fruit of the spirit, “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
And he wrote to the church at Ephesus (4:32), saying, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
While Peter (1 Peter 3:8) had this to say, “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
At the end of the day, what the Scout mission and the writings in the New Testament boil down to is treating others with dignity and respect, kindness and compassion... helping others whenever and wherever we have the opportunity to do so... in essence, doing for others as we would want someone to do for us.
One of the key tenets of Scouting is preparing scouts for the future... and it is important for us to ensure that each of you are prepared to become the leaders of the future... and perhaps one way we can do that is by following the example that the Greatest Leader of all, Jesus, has set for us.
As I understand it, Scouts are able to earn merit badges as they learn about things like sports, crafts, science, trades, and business, as well as future careers. Although, the types of badges Scouts can earn are subject to change over time; I want to suggest that the lessons we can learn from following Jesus and the rewards that come from studying the Word of God do not change.
Now, there are some merit badges that Scouts can earn by studying different aspects of nature... but whenever we look at and study nature, it ought to be a reminder to us of the One who created the heavens and the earth, nature itself.
The very first verse of the Bible tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). While in Psalm 121, we read, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
And in the first verses of the Gospel of John, we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
That means that we, too, are a part of nature, a part of all that God created... As we read in James 1:18, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
I really like how that verse reads in the Message Paraphrase, “He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.”
We have been created to be the crown of all God’s creatures... that’s a serious badge of honor if you ask me!
Now, there are also merit badges for first aid and emergency preparedness. We should always be ready, willing, and able to lend a hand to help someone who is in need.
It is like the parable of the Good Samaritan that Jesus used to explain who our neighbors really are (see Luke 10:25 – 37). That parable serves as a reminder to us that we should be prepared to help others... and not simply pass by and ignore those who may be in need.
There is one thing that I think is key for us to note in that Parable of the Good Samaritan... which is that the person who stopped to render aid and the person who needed that aid would have been considered enemies by society’s standards.
Jews and Samaritans did not associate with one another in those days... but that did not seem to matter to the Good Samaritan. He saw someone who needed help, and he knew he had the ability to provide that help... so that is what he did.
The example of the Good Samaritan that Jesus provided is one that endures to this day... we are called to have mercy and show compassion to others in spite of the differences that may exist between us... after all, we don’t want State Farm to hold onto the title as the ideal good neighbor forever... do we?
Now the last merit badge that I want us to consider is the merit badge for cooking... just think about it... how often do we find Jesus sharing a meal with His disciples... not to mention miraculously feeding the multitudes?
In just a few minutes, we will have the opportunity to partake in Communion... commemorating the meal that Jesus shared with His disciples on the night He was betrayed. It was a meal that is not memorable because of what was on the menu... we actually only know about the bread and the wine that were served... rather, the Last Supper is truly memorable because of who was at the table... ALL of Jesus’ disciples were there... including the one who would betray Him.
It is a reminder to us of the depth and breadth of God’s grace and mercy... even those who would betray Him are able to receive it. In fact, in Romans 5:8, the Apostle Paul reminds us of this when he writes, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
That is the ultimate reward that we would never be able to earn or deserve... no matter how hard we try.
But not only did Jesus have a meal with the disciples before His crucifixion... the Scriptures tell us that He shared a meal with them after His resurrection when He invited them to have breakfast with Him... cooking fish over an open fire (see John 21:10 – 12).
Let me suggest that earning a badge for cooking is about more than just being able to feed oneself... it is also about being willing and able to share with others... spending time in fellowship with them just as Jesus did with His disciples. And what better gift is there than the invitation to break bread at the Lord’s table?
We would all do well to learn to love and lead like Jesus...
To appreciate the gift of creation that has been given to us... to care for others in need as we recognize the shared humanity we have with our neighbors... and to come together at the Lord’s table... where all are welcome.
Maybe these are lessons that are easier to learn when we are young... perhaps that is why Jesus encourages us to come to Him like little children... in fact, in Matthew 18 (2 – 4), we read:
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."Although those of us who are a little more mature [Ron’s polite way of saying “old”] may think we have all the answers... I do believe that we can learn a thing or two from those who are younger.
The Lord told the Prophet Jeremiah, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” (Jeremiah 16:7).
And Paul told his young protégé, Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
I think it is important for us to make space for the younger generation and provide them with opportunities to lead... keep in mind, Jesus was only 12 when His parents found him sitting in the synagogue engaging in profound conversations with the teachers of the law... so we should never underestimate the gifts and talents someone may have simply because of their age.
Scouting provides our youths and young adults with opportunities to develop into the leaders that we know they can become. And when our young people follow the example of leadership that Jesus has set for all of us... it is a recipe for sure success...
So keep the faith... in spite of what circumstances may look like around us right now, God has promised us hope and a future... AND A CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.
Hymn of Discipleship: Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us #558.
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