SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good morning, brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you. Thank you for the warm welcome, and we bring you greetings from all of us at Anglican Preschool Services. I also want to thank Reverend Daniel for giving us the opportunity to be here today to share God's word and his work at Anglican Preschool Services. November is missions month, and we want to thank you, all of you here at YCCA, for your partnership in the mission field that is Little Seeds Preschool Praisland. Here you see a picture of our children praying in LSP Praisland. We have devotions time every morning, and this is what we do every day in our schools, so that our children can come to know our Father God and grow in his ways. What a privilege to serve him together in this mission field. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, may you teach us this morning and grow us in your ways, and may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In 8 P.S. Anglican Preschool Services, we are in the business of teaching children. But here in this passage in Matthew 18, Jesus teaches us about learning from children, about who we are and how to relate to one another. That's the gist of Matthew 18 itself. Lessons on who we are and how we relate to one another in the body of Christ. So the title of today's sermon is Lessons from a Child. The first lesson is to be a child. Now the disciples came to Jesus with a concern that was topmost in their minds. What does it take to succeed in the kingdom of heaven? I think we in Singapore should be able to relate to this. We are a society that is quite obsessed with success, isn't it? We have many iterations of the five C's of success. I'm sure you're all here quite familiar with one of the first iterations. The five C's stood for symbols like cash, the more the better, car if you can afford one, condo private if you can, credit card, uh in whatever colors, country club membership. So actually, they can all be summarized in one C called cash. So the disciples wanted to find out the status symbols of success in God's kingdom. How can you tell who is the greatest? So the story as related in Matthew 18 goes at the time, Jesus, and the disciples came to Jesus saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And calling to him a child, he put the child in the midst of them and he said, Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So Jesus gave them an answer that was truly radical in those times and even today. The status symbol of greatness in the kingdom of heaven is also a C, and it's just one C. And the C stands for child. What does it mean to use this, to use a child as a status symbol? In Jesus' time, in the Jewish culture, what does it mean to be a child? What kind of status did a child have in the context of the Jewish society? It is a very lowly one. A child was a person of no importance in the Jewish society. He's subject to the authority of his elders, he's not to be taken seriously except as a responsibility to be looked after, not to be looked up to. Yet Jesus chose this C as the status symbol of greatness. And so lesson one is to be a child. What does it mean? What is a child's status? A child's status is one of subordination, submission, and obedience to their parents. So it this can be encapsulated in Ephesians 6, 1 to 4, where we read, children, obey your parents, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and you may live long in the world. So a child is to be subordinate to their parents. A child is to be taught, is to be discipled, both in the home and in school. And this is what we do in our little seats, preschool centers, and of course in praise land as well, to bring up children knowing God's word. So to be great in God's kingdom by means of being a child means subordination, submission to God and his word and to one another. I think it is no coincidence that this morning your worship song is take my life and let it be. Consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my will and make it thine. Take my heart and make it your royal throne. That's what it means to be a child. To submit our wills to God and to say, Father, not your will, not my will, not my will, but your will be done. Your kingdom come, your will be done. And so in Luke 9.23, Jesus tells us if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. So Jesus was not just speaking empty words because He Himself modeled what it means to be this lowly status symbol. In Philippians 2, chapter uh chapter 2, verses 6 to 8, he tells uh this verse, these two verses tells us that he humbled himself, he took on a lowly status, and came to this world as a baby, as a child, and he became obedient to God, even obedient unto death on a cross. So today, you and I we take up the cross because Jesus himself died on that cross, and that is what discipleship means it is to submit to God and to follow him. So to summarize, Jesus uses the example of a child to talk about who we are. Being a child of God is to be the least, and taking on this lowly status means we deny ourselves and we are obedient to God. And very interestingly, your memory verse for this month in 1 John 5.21 is it also talks about little children and to keep ourselves from idols and to have God as our only God. Thanks be to God. So lesson two is to welcome a child. And Jesus uses a child to teach us how we are to relate to one another in this church and in this congregation and to the wider uh community of believers. Jesus said in Matthew 18, 5, whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. So how do we receive all those, all of us here who have adopted this childlike, lowly position as a child of God? So we receive one another and we receive the body of believers like we receive Christ Himself. This is how we are to treat one another as fellow believers, how we are to treat children, how we are to treat the vulnerable just like we treat Jesus with the same respect and love that he so deserves. Let me share with you a story from our Little Seeds Preschool, Praisland, which you are as a church are partnering. So in 2024, a boy joined our playgroup in Praisland. He was severely underweight, he was not able to walk, not able to feed himself, not even wear his shoes. Before education could even begin, before we could even begin to teach him, the staff had to build up his strength. And so they walked, they worked closely with the family. His grandmother came daily for six months, patiently, lovingly. They nurtured him one day, one task at a time. And over time he grew stronger, he could manage his tasks independently, and later, a doctor's visit confirmed he was ready for school life. So this is what it means to welcome a child in Jesus' name, to embrace the child, the weak, the vulnerable, fellow believers with love and dignity, to build up, to serve, to love, to respect one another, like how we would love, serve, and respect Jesus himself. Thirdly, Jesus uses the example of a child to share another lesson on how we are to relate to one another. Do not stumble a child. Jesus says, whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone fastened around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. So here Jesus is referring to the little ones who believe in me. He's talking about all of us here. He's talking about all the children that we teach in Sunday school, in praise land. He's talking about anyone who puts their trust in Jesus. And so we are to be very careful not to trip others up, whether in our words or in our actions, to always speak gently and with love to one another. And in our context of educating children, causing a child to stumble is not just about avoiding bad behavior, it's about actively nurturing a child's faith. And just as we spend time with prayer in prayer with them, teaching about them about God's word and being a positive role model. This is also how we can love and serve one another. When we take this responsibility seriously with our children, we help lay a strong foundation for their faith. This is how we are also to be responsible to one another, to nurture one another in the faith and role model what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. So, in summary, uh three lessons that Jesus teaches us on who we are and how we are to treat others using the analogy of a child. First, be like a child, obedient to God, humble, lowly. Second, welcome a child. Treat each other the way we treat Jesus with love, with respect, with servanthood. Thirdly, stumble not a child. Nurture and disciple one another both in words and action to nurture and also to model. So at APS, we apply these lessons by nurturing our children during the most critical period of their lives, the first five years. This is the spring and the morning of a child's life, and we believe it's the best time to sow seeds and transform lives. Because research tells us that the first five years of a child's life are critical in shaping their future. Whatever happens during this period has long-lasting effects on their development, their behavior, even their faith. And so at APS, we are committed to this mission. We see it as our calling to nurture these young ones, to plant seeds of faith, to follow, to obey God, to learn how to relate to others and help them to grow into the people God created them to be. And so we're also thankful for your partnership in this mission field of growing children in God's ways, of nurturing the next generation to be uh sons and daughters and God's soldiers and warriors. So at this time, I would like to pass the time over to Ikea, our CEO, to tell you more about the Christian preschool ministry and how you can partner us in this ministry.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Thank you, Bernice, for bringing the word. So as I sat uh there listening to her cease, I remember what uh Pastor Daniel was praying for us as we start. He he prayed for us to have the courage and the conviction, right? And truly that's what we believe uh at APS. Um Pastor Daniel uh as as you read out the um a conviction, a personal conviction of mine, really, you know, we cannot bring uh children sometimes willingly into the church, but yet the preschool ministry is one where every child needs a preschool. And that indeed, as the church partnered us in Little Sits Preschool uh praised land, is a space where we bridge between the church and the community for the church to continue to have a ministry locally, right? So as Bernish shared about the first five years of a children's life, uh really this is the place space where research has shown that um the connection you know in a child's brain is uh growing at the fastest rate. One million neural connection per second is the rate it grows at this age. And it lays the foundation for thinking, learning, emotional regulation, uh, as well as social skill. So the early years are very uh important. So at APS, uh we embrace this ministry uh with four components.

unknown 15:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Yeah. The first is really to educate. We prepare our children not just for primary school, right? Beyond ABCs, we prepare them for life. Uh we aim to instill in them a love for learning that will last a lifetime. We believe that when children are curious, when they ask questions, when they are encouraged to explore the world beyond them, they are better prepared for what future holds. The next thing we do is to inculcate Christian values. So the 414 window is an important uh window where faith, uh where you know the conviction to faith uh lies. And we live uh being very privileged at the front end, you know, at the start of this window, uh where the season of a child's identity, worldview, and values are most deeply formed. In today's world, values sometimes are relative, right? But uh we believe that it is important for us to teach them God's value of truth, of love, of kindness, honesty, and integrity. It also gives us a space to share the gospel. Our mission, uh, as Bunish shared earlier, we do daily devotion, we have a weekly chapel session. Um, and we the gospel actually lies at the heart of everything we do here. We want every child that comes to our door to know that they are loved by God, that Jesus died for them, and that they have a purpose in the kingdom. And lastly, it gives us a place to care for one another, to care for the children, their families, and our educators. Some children that come to us may come from families that are broken, that they have a space that they have an unstable uh home front. And we want to provide that stability for them where they can grow, uh, where they feel safe, and they continue to be nurtured in love in APS. Our mission field today uh includes 17 uh Little Seeds Preschools. So Little Seeds Preschool Praisland is one of them. And with this 17 uh preschool, we actually serve about 1,600 children and family, as well as about 350 staff with us, of whom actually 20% of our staff are non-Christian. And here lies the mission field that we have. So as YCCA is a partner of us in Little Seeds Preschool Praisland. Let me show you some slides uh of what it is like, you know, in our classroom. The first one shows our teacher May, uh, who is reading with our children, our K2 children. The next slide shows uh our chaplain Roger, right? And he uh was worshipping together with the children. Next, we have uh our chaplain Bevelin, yeah, and she was doing devotion with the children. And last but not least, we have Pastor Daniel, right? Uh, and he comes to do devotion with our staff. Uh Anne is there together with Karis and some of our teachers, and he does do this uh on a regular basis with us. So, in conclusion, um quality early childhood has a far-reaching impact on the child's life, and it is an investment that actually impacts the child, the society, and the kingdom of God. Children are the seeds of the kingdom, and Jesus says we must be like them to enter his kingdom. So I come back to not every child goes to Sunday school, but every child needs a preschool. Hence, our preschool ministry is a worthy endeavor. But yet, our challenges are many. If you have read in the news, you know, you would have read many uh high-profile cases, you know, in recent months, uh, and we are under scrutiny, you know, as a sector. And that means tighter process for us, more documentation, and a higher buff for compliance. Parents' expectations also continue to rise. Uh, families are more informed, more vocal, and more anxious about their little one. Schools are expected to respond faster, communicate more, and deliver not just quality education but holistic support. And within Singapore, we know that birth rates are failing, uh lowering, yeah, falling. Right? And with fewer children entering the system each year, sustaining enrollment becomes increasingly challenging for us. And as you saw, our 17 preschool earlier, uh, we do actually have two types of preschool. We have the government funded one called the POP preschools, and the non-government uh funded one, the non-POPs. So Little Seeds Praised Land is one of our pop centers. And really, when we look into the next five years, 2026 to 2030, the government has just announced their next uh appointment of uh pop centers from the current 10 pop centers. We actually have 12 pop centers going into next year, and we praise God for that. And as we well while we you know um continue to have this funded, non-funded reality for us, what's uh real for us is you know the fees tension continues to be a strain uh for parents in uh different preschool. From 2026, uh a parent who is in a non-funded preschool can expect to pay almost four times what a parent pays in a funded preschool. And that's really uh caused by the rising costs uh across you know uh the sector. And that became a challenge for us, you know. Um we the our non funded preschool are mainly in church premises as well, and uh we see them actually not just as a school, but as an extension of what we do. It is where faith communications. And early childhood education meet. That's why we continue to persevere despite having the challenges in increasing the enrollment, because our mission must continue to lead the way. So as I end, I would like to invite the church to partner with us. And here's how you can get involved. First and foremost, as a ministry, is to pray for us. We do have many challenges, and we ask that you pray alongside us for God's continued empowerment and direction. Next is to send your children to us. Your children, your grandchildren, and even your neighbors' children or friends' children. Encourage them to sign up with us. If what we have to offer, a faith-based preschool is what they desire. Another way of helping us is, of course, to volunteer. We constantly have manpower shortage in the in uh the sector. Or to volunteer with uh chaplaincy work. So uh I myself actually uh serve in the children ministry in St. James Church, and that actually uh gives me that connection to children and actually uh as a church, you know, the preschool ministry is uh a place where families are being welcomed into the church, right? So um when when we extend invitation to them to come celebrate Christmas to us, to come celebrate children's day uh with us, you know, the parents have a glimpse, you know, what the church community is about. So that's another place where you can serve uh by volunteering. And if God has given you a call to come be a uh educator, come join us as a Christian educator. And join this fulfilling ministry that's more than a job, it is a calling to shape our future generation. And lastly, uh financial help. As we continue to work towards financial sustainability, um, you can contribute financially or support our Seed of Hope Fund, which helps needy students to attend our preschool. So these are just a few ways that you can partner us. Uh there will be a QR code that's displayed at the next slide for those who wish to connect with us and know more about us. Today, my team will be here to set up a booth outside. So please do come stop by and uh talk to us and find out more about us. So thank you, Pastor Daniel and the church for welcoming us here today. And I pray that you have been blessed by the word brought to you by Bernice and that you continue to partner us to sow seeds into the life of the children that will come. So let me close in prayer. So, Lord, uh teach us to come before you with the heart of a child, with humility, trust, and the spirit to willingly follow you. Help us to welcome every child in your name, remembering that the work we do here in our church and in our schools is holy ground, where seeds of faith and love are sown in tender hearts. Guard us, Lord, from ever causing a young one to stumble. Keep us faithful in the privilege of serving you, and guide us as we guide the children you have entrusted to our care. May our lives reflect your ways. We thank you and pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.