“Whoever welcomes a child like this” is a story interpretation of Mark 9: 30-37.

Yesterday, I had a wedding and a funeral. I would like to share with you the story of the funeral. It was the funeral of Bill Grant who died at age 59 from pancreatic cancer. Bill was married to Mary for almost forty years. Our sanctuary was nearly full.

Here in the front right were seated men and women who went to Mississippi with Bill to help rebuild homes after the hurricane. Bill was in charge of the feeding of 300 folks each day, beginning at 4:00 AM and ending at 8:00 PM. Over there on the left were the young men and women from Bill and Mary’s restaurant who worked for Bill and Mary and thought that they had the best bosses in the world.

During the open microphone time, a young man stood up to speak. He was in his young twenties and he was one of the twenty four infants who Bill and Mary had taken care of in his first two years of life. Yes, Bill and Mary had been foster parents to twenty four infants. He told how he didn’t remember but knew that he had been raised by Bill and Mary for this first two years. After that, Bill and Mary sent him and his brothers and sisters cards twice a year, at Christmas and at their birthdays. He said that he loved those birthday cards and Christmas cards.
       

 

This young man told of going to the state mental hospital each year to see his biological mother who was declared legally incompetent to care for him, even when he was an infant. As this young man went to see his biological mother in the mental hospital, he said that as he read the list of people who visited his biological mother, he realized his emotionally disturbed mother had four visitors a year. This young man told that Bill and his son Michael went to see his biological mother on this past Christmas day to see his biological mother, even though Bill and son didn’t know this woman. This young man was deeply touched by Bill’s compassion for his mom.

Jesus taught, "Whoever cares for children cares for me." When Bill and Mary Grant took in this young boy as a baby and when Bill visited the young boy’s biological mother much later in young adulthood at a state care facility, Bill was caring for Jesus’ himself.

Jesus said "Whoever cares for the least of these cares for me."

Jesus clearly taught, "Whoever welcomes one of these children welcomes me.”

Story by Rev. Edward Markquart