Children’s Sermon/ June 2nd, 2024/ Second Sunday after Pentecost/ Lectionary Year B

Scripture

Mark 2:23—3:6

Script

Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Welcome! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy and see if she is there. Ready? One, two, three: Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Good morning, everyone! Pastor, I have a story for all of the boys and girls today.

Pastor: Oh I love stories!

Sammy: Me too! This story was passed down through the generations of my family from my grandma. Well, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great—

Pastor: Sammy, I think we get the point. It was a looong time ago.

Sammy: [Pauses] Great-great-great Grandma Baaath-sheep-a.

Pastor: Baaath-sheep-a?

Sammy: What can I say? David named her. She was his favorite ewe.

Pastor: Anyway—what is the story you want to tell us, Sammy?

Sammy: Oh yes! Grandma Baaath-sheep-a told the story about how David and his mighty men were fighting battles and expanding God’s kingdom.

Pastor: The stories of battle are my favorite stories.

Sammy: But this story is not about a battle. David and his men were really hungry. They went to a priest named Ahimelech for shelter and they asked him for some bread. The only bread that the priest had was Bread of the Presence.

Pastor: So Priest Ahimelech only had holy bread. It was bread like we use for communion.

Sammy: Exactly! Grandma Baaath-sheep-a said the bread was really special. Only priests were allowed to eat it.

Pastor: So what happened next?

Sammy: Priest Ahimelech gave David and his mighty men the Bread of the Presence. And they ate it. And then David asked if he could have a weapon!

Pastor: What weapons did the priests have at the temple?

Sammy: You know what’s really cool, Pastor? The weapon that they had at the temple was Goliath’s sword. Goliath was the same man that David brought down when he was a boy. And all these years later, when David needed a weapon, he was able to get one at the temple, and it was Goliath’s sword—one of the best around.

Pastor: God always provides for us when we are in need, Sammy. He gave David bread and a weapon when David needed them.

Sammy: Isn’t Grandma Baaath-sheep-a’s story a good one?

Pastor: It is a good one, Sammy. Jesus talks about this story in the gospel reading today. He talks about how the Sabbath, our day of worship and rest, was made by God for us.

Sammy: What do you mean?

Pastor: The Sabbath is the day where we worship God and we take communion, which is our Bread of the Presence thanks to Jesus. It’s a day where we get to spend time with our families and rest in thankfulness for everything God gives us.

Sammy: Boys and girls, why do you think God made the Sabbath for us?

[Allow time for responses]

Pastor: Great answers, everyone. Can we please bow our heads and fold our hands in prayer? Let’s pray: Dear God, thank you for giving us everything we need. Thank you for your life-giving bread. Thank you for church. Thank you for rest. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone! See you next week!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!