John said to him, 

“Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, 

and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 

But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; 

for no one who does a deed of power in my name 

will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 

Whoever is not against us is for us. 

For truly I tell you, 

whoever gives you a cup of water to drink 

because you bear the name of Christ 

will by no means lose the reward.

“If any of you put a stumbling block 

before one of these little ones who believe in me,

it would be better for you 

if a great millstone were hung around your neck 

and you were thrown into the sea. 

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; 

it is better for you to enter life maimed 

than to have two hands and to go to hell,

to the unquenchable fire.

And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; 

it is better for you to enter life lame 

than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell.

And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; 

it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye 

than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,

where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

"For everyone will be salted with fire.

Salt is good; 

but if salt has lost its saltiness, 

how can you season it?

Have salt in yourselves,

 and be at peace with one another.”

Looking at the last part of that reading. Those who treat children badly are pictured by Jesus as deserving a sea-side experience with a mill stone. And not just the little mill stone which women used at home, but a great mill stone, the large industrial one! So, we see firstly, then, that Jesus values children.

That might seem obvious, but children often weren't greatly valued in the ancient world. Valued mainly, sometimes, just for their potential. They might grow up in a few years’ time to earn money for the family, and eventually support their poor old parents in their declining years.

For us, and for Jesus, mercifully, children matter far more than that, right from their earliest days.  And I react when people say, 'children are the Church of tomorrow.' Through baptism children are part of the Church of today, as much as any of us.

Whilst we rightly have our Sunday School for the children, they must always, also, be welcome at services. And, in the weightier services, I think that at least some small provision for them ought to be built in, and some ways included for them to contribute!

The second half of the reading sounded quite gruesome. There is a grim tale of a hapless young cleric over fifty years ago, who chose this passage when giving a reflection to a small group of older clergy. He suddenly realised that two of the small group had actually lost limbs, and one of them was an archdeacon! I wonder what happened to him?

If we are wondering what someone is up to, we might look at their face, their expression, their eyes, to try to work out what’s going on in their head. We talk of affairs of the heart, and although our hearts might race a bit, it’s likely to be all mainly in our heads.

In Biblical times, however, it seems, they didn’t always think in terms of heads.  If you were wondering where someone was thinking of going, you would look at their foot and wonder, ‘what is it planning?’ Or look at their hand and ask, ‘what is that hand planning to do?’

The reading is not about chopping us up, but about managing our activities, keeping them healthy, and in balance. Just as we might aim for a healthy balance when we prune a fruit tree. Any branch of a tree might well need a bit of disciplining to avoid chaotic, unhealthy growth, and to make it fruitful.

If we have a job to work at, a family to care for, friends and relatives to keep in touch with, a home to maintain, finances to plan, things to study, cars to look after, leisure activities, various communities and social concerns to engage with. These may all seem like branches of our lives, and are, surely, best kept in balance, with none of them let to run completely out of control in our enthusiasm and attention, to the detriment of the other important parts of life. 

God, surely, normally calls us to disciplined, balanced, and, thereby, fruitful lives. We must thank God for all those good branches of our lives, but keep them in a balance with his help. Not ignore him and let some part of life become central - become an idol - damaging other important activities.

We welcome Jacob to the Church of God, the whole Church of history, today, in the hope that he will find joy and purpose, strength and hope in it, and we must pledge ourselves to do what we can for him under God.