For Our Children

A Child Shall Lead: 2023 Children's Sabbaths

Ancient writings of the Jewish tradition, shared by Christian
communities, record a verse within the book of Isaiah that promises a
peaceable existence with the phrase, "And a little child shall
lead them" (Isaiah 11:6). The passage paints the picture of a
transformed community with a toddler playing at the center. It's
a place where former adversaries get along. Interestingly, the
sentences just before this predict the coming of a powerful leader who
would disrupt the status quo.

I love this text, and all the things it suggests! Our hope for the
future includes neighborhoods where our children and youth are safe
and play freely. The well-being of the community is best measured by
the thriving of the child.

One of the gifts of faith traditions is that they point us to vision
and wisdom that is greater than our present reality. This is why
Children's Defense Fund has been working with congregations,
synagogues, mosques, and temples for thirty years to celebrate and
advocate for a world where children are centered in the National
Observance of Children's Sabbaths. This year's observance is
themed, "And A Little Child Shall Lead Them" and will take
place October 20 through October 23. The weekend-long event invites
child advocates and faith communities of various religious traditions
across the United States to turn attention toward our children and
youth and raise awareness about the various challenges they face,
including poverty, gun violence, and lack of health care.  
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Earlier this month, I discussed this year's theme on the

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Raising Rochester podcast, with our partners at The Children's
Agenda in Rochester, New York. Alongside people across the country,
The Children's Agenda uses this time not only to pray for our
young people, but rally advocates to explore sacred texts and
teachings that call on us to love, protect, and be led by them. 
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See how the multi-faith National Observance of Children's
Sabbaths aims to uplift the interests of our nation's children.

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Many of us are familiar with old sayings like, "Children should
be seen and not heard," or "Stay in a child's
place." While it may be easy to recall these sayings from our
own childhoods, each confers something of a secondary status upon
children in our families, our communities, and our nation. But every
child is a whole human soul, with worth, agency, and equal value.

This second-class citizenship harms us all. Young people under 18 make
up a quarter of our nation's population. The U.S. Census Bureau
recently revealed that 9 million of our nation's children and
youth now live in poverty. The well-documented links between economic
mobility, health, and well-being tie our nation's future to
these children's financial security, safety, and care.
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This year, I look forward to bringing the message while observing
Children's Sabbaths with the pastor, parishioners, and
especially, the young people of Middle Church in New York City.
 Join us, if you're in the area or online. When you join
the chorus of diverse voices who participate in Children's
Sabbaths across the nation, you make a commitment to young people
being heard, their thoughts and ideas no longer being silenced, and
their issues no longer being pushed to the margins.
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Our kindred in Islam read in The Qur'an 60:8, "The
creatures of God are the children of God, and the most beloved to God
are those who show kind and excellent treatment to [God's]
children."

If we truly intend to make this world a better place to live, for all,
we must remember it is young people who have always had the audacity
to aspire for something greater.  Let's have them take
center stage and lead.

 

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For our children,

Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
President and CEO

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