Scripture:

Luke 6:17-26

Script: 

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

Sammy: Good morning, everyone! Pastor, I am encouraged by the words of Jesus.

Pastor: Jesus’s words in this sermon are very encouraging, Sammy.

Sammy: Jesus recognizes how broken our world is, and his words are comforting to me.

Pastor: Jesus’s words are comforting to many who believe in him. He promises that the poor will inherit the Kingdom of God. He says people who are hungry will have full bellies.

Sammy: I like having a full belly!

Pastor: Me, too, Sammy. Jesus also talks about how anyone who is crying now will laugh.

Sammy: That’s because Jesus gives us joy!

Pastor: Yes he does. When we put our hope in Jesus, he gives us so much in return. Jesus gives physical healing to many people, too. The Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all talk about how Jesus healed many people. We don’t know everyone’s story. We don’t know why each person needed healing, and we don’t know what each person did after he or she was healed.

Sammy: But we do know that Jesus healed them. And they walked away changed. They received healing from the Word of God. And Jesus gave them more encouraging words that would never be taken from them.

Pastor: Yes he did. Boys and girls, I have something special for each of you today. I am going to give each of you a heart. Can you read what this heart says? [Heart can say Jesus loves you or a verse from the scripture today.]

Sammy: Hey, Pastor! Do you have enough hearts in that basket for everyone today? Maybe the boys and girls can help you share the love of Jesus with our congregation.

Pastor: Boys and girls, will you please help me give a heart to everyone?

[Give a heart to each member of the congregation and then return to the front of the church for prayer.]

Pastor: Let’s fold our hands and bow our heads. Dear Jesus, thank you for always giving us hope. Help us to trust you to take away our tears and to give us laughter. Help us to have faith that you will always care for us and love us. In your name we pray, Amen. Bye, everyone!

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Script:

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

Sammy: Good morning, everyone! Pastor, what does Jesus mean when he tells Simon, James, and John that they will be catching people?

Pastor: Jesus is teaching these men that they are going to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations.

Sammy: That’s a really big job. I thought these guys were just fisherman.

Pastor: Yes, they were. But remember Jesus transforms the hearts and minds of all who believe in him and have faith. He can use us to further his kingdom no matter what job we have.

Sammy: So you are telling us that even I, as a little lamb, matter to Jesus? And all of the children here? They matter to Jesus?

Pastor: Each one of us, especially the littlest ones, matter to Jesus. He calls each of us to follow him, and we have to decide whether or not we will listen.

Sammy: Pastor, I love how Simon, James, and John leave everything and follow Jesus. I wish I would be better at following my mama when she calls me. I do get distracted sometimes, or sometimes I don’t want to follow her. I want to go my own way instead.

Pastor: Sometimes following Jesus is difficult, and sometimes following him takes a lot of sacrifice for believers. A lot of people have to give up something—sometimes something little, like a bad habit, or sometimes something big, like some of their friends or family members.

Sammy: That must be really hard for them. You know, Pastor, even when I want to go my own way, Jesus always comes back for me. He is the Good Shepherd. I just have to listen for his voice.

Pastor: And Sammy, I want you to know that even though following Jesus can be hard sometimes, doing something hard doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing. Boys and girls, can you think of a time when you had to do something hard in your life?

[Allow time for responses]

Pastor: Thank you all for sharing your examples with us. Let’s fold our hands and bow our heads in prayer. Dear Jesus, thank you for helping us to drop everything to follow you. Help us to listen for your call. Help us to know that even though we are small, we are still important in your kingdom. We love you. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

Scripture: Luke 2:22-40

Script

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

Sammy: Good morning, everyone!

Pastor: Sammy, today is a very special day.

Sammy: Yes it is! Happy Groundhog’s Day!

Pastor: No, Sammy. I mean, today is Groundhog’s Day, but that’s not what I was talking about.

Sammy: (CHOOSE) Punxsutawney Phil saw/didn’t see his shadow, so there will be six more weeks of winter/an early spring.

Pastor: Oh, Sammy.

Sammy: Pastor, these events are important in the world of animals and farmers. We have to know when spring is coming, and Phil is our expert weather-groundhog. There was a groundhog ball and a groundhog banquet this week in his honor. Punxsutawney Phil is famous.

Pastor: Here we go again.

Sammy: Pastor, did you know that Groundhog’s Day is actually rooted in a special day called Candlemas Day? Christians would bring their candles to the church on Candlemas Day to have them blessed, and this blessing would bring blessings into their house for the rest of winter. Did you tell the congregation to bring their candles today?

Pastor: Well, not but I–

Sammy: So eventually, Candlemas Day evolved and had weather predictions attached to it. There’s an old English song that says, “If Candlemas be fair and bright/Come, Winter, have another flight;/If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,/Go Winter, and come not again.”

Pastor: I am not seeing how the Groundhog fits in here.

Sammy: The groundhog’s name is Phil. Punxsutawney Phil. German Christians introduced a new tradition where they had little hedgehogs running around. If the hedgehog saw his shadow, then there would be six more weeks of Winter.

Pastor: Punxsutawney Phil is not a hedgehog. He’s a Groundhog.

Sammy: Yes I know he’s a groundhog, Pastor. When the German Christians arrived to the United States, they had a hard time finding hedgehogs, but Groundhogs were everywhere. Punxsutawney Phil was elected by the animals to serve as the chief weatherman on Candlemas Day, and he’s been predicting the weather since 1887.

Pastor: You mean to tell me that Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting the weather since 1887. He’s been alive since 1887.

Sammy: Exactly. That’s why he’s famous.

Pastor: Sammy, I am glad you shared all of this information about Candlemas and Groundhog’s Day with us.

Sammy: You’re welcome.

Pastor: Hearing about traditions in our church is always good. Lots of wonderful things we do today were started by Christians before us. Let’s say a prayer. Please fold your hands and bow your heads with me. Dear Jesus, thank you for inspiring your sons and daughters to seek blessings. Thank you for helping us come to you in the middle of Winter for comfort. We look forward to celebrating the joy of your resurrection and the new life we get to experience in you this Spring. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone. Happy Groundhog’s Day!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

“The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”  But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given” (Matthew 19:10-11).

There is a difference between living with what we think is right and the reality in which we find ourselves.  We can go to the place where we make such sweeping statements.  Notice what the Lord says.  He is filled with compassion for our sinful state.  Do not make broad declarations which apply to only a few.  Our Lord will take us from where we are and move us to where we need to be.

Lord, You have given us the gift of marriage.  Beyond the reality of bringing forth the generations, there are many things we learn through marriage which teach us how it was meant to be from the beginning.  Lead me, Lord, so that I do not just think of myself, but others, and willingly see them through Your eyes.  Through faith, help me live the message You have given me that they may come to know You.

Lord Jesus, all things have been put into place for Your own purposes.  I only know in part.  Help me to live the portion You have shown me.  In this world filled with broken people, guide me to live graciously with kindness and mercy.  Except for Your grace, I would be like the worst of them.  Continue to be the One Who leads me in all circumstances and guides me to be compassionate and loving. Amen.

“He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery” (Matthew 19:8-9).

Because of the hardness of our hearts, we are permitted divorce, but it has not been this way from the beginning.  God has told us the order of things, but we twist things around to do what is right in our own mind.  This perverts what God has intended.  The righteous do not live this way.  The Lord is creating in us clean and pure hearts that love as He loves.  Be led by how the Lord intends things to be.

Lord, help me to not stray from the narrow path by looking for excuses to do what I want.  But also, let me not go down the wide road of self-righteousness.  Many things happen in this age in which our world is filled with broken people and relationships.  Each has its own story which tells the truth that this is not what You have intended.  Keep me away from immorality and lead me in the way of purity.

Lord, I too have the sin-sickness of having a hard heart.  Raise in me compassion, mercy, and grace for others and keep me from living as though I understand these things.  I do not.  Help me to look to You and lead me through all the pride, hardness of heart, and other difficulties that come my way.  May I not take the wide road of what is allowed in this age but live in the way that You have intended from the beginning.  Amen.

“They said to Him, “Why, then, did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” (Matthew 19:7)

Never satisfied with an answer, there are those who will keep pressing.  Why?  They are an authority in their own mind.  Pride is what brought down the devil and pride is what brings evil upon this world.  Be wary of pride and what it can and will do.  Why did Moses command?  Notice they are not asking this about God, but about His servant.  Beware of those who with deceit keep driving their point.

Lord, pride is in me and loves to strut around in my mind.  A haughty spirit goes before a fall.  There are all kinds of things that let us off the hook in this age but help me to see through these traps and live into the life of righteousness to which You are calling me.  Worldly certificates and honors that feed our pride mean nothing spiritually.  You have told me it is my immortal soul, which You are grooming to be in a love relationship with You forever, that is more important.

Lord Jesus, I have asked You these kinds of questions as well.  Help me to move away from the constant questions to focus upon the relationships You have established for me.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to hear when You speak and to truly listen.  Help me avoid things that seem to let me do what I want in order that I may do what is pleasing to the Father.  Guide me in the everlasting way of life, Lord.  Amen.

“And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).

God intends that we stay in those relationships He has formed.  There is more than the earthly circumstances here.  Our Lord is teaching us how to live.  From the beginning, the Lord has established order for family and society.  We are to treat relationships as a uniting together.  When we harm a relationship, we harm ourselves.  No one is to separate what God has joined together.

These simple words go beyond the marriage relationship.  We are to seek unity in every relationship, marriage, family or friendship.  We have heard that our Lord asked the Father to make us one even as the Son and the Father are One.  We are called to live in relationships.  Our Lord will guide us, if we are willing, into understanding more fully what this means.  Do not be led by this world, but by the Creator of all worlds.

Lord Jesus, You know that we know how to play games, pretending to be obedient, when really, we are being selfish.  Lead me out of myself to recognize that every relationship that You create is sacred.  Sin does happen and things do become impossible, but never let the impossibility be because of my actions.  Guide me to learn how to bear all things bearable for the sake of Your kingdom.  Lead me in the upward call of righteousness.  Amen.

“Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” (Matthew 19:3)

How often is the Lord put to the test?  With unbelief, we sometimes do not understand the very simple truth that with God, all things are possible.  The Lord has given us His commandments and He has told us the order of His creation.  When it doesn’t please us, we look for excuses to be rid of what hinders us.  Is it lawful?  That is the wrong question.  Lord, what would you have me do?  That is the question we should ask.

Lord, You know that I sometimes look for a way out of a situation.  I want to know what I can do to rid myself of a difficulty.  Help me to shift my thinking so that I am looking to You as the One who guides me.  Even when I do not understand, help me to not rely upon my own power or thinking, but come to the place where I am willing to do things the way You direct me to do them.  Teach me how to be guided by You in all things.

Lord Jesus, keep me from putting You to the test.  Help me not go to the place where I am looking for a legal way out.  Instead, guide me ever deeper in living the righteousness that You give.  You know the person You are making of me.  Help me to not be a hindrance to what You are doing, but in every circumstance, grant that I would be a willing participant of Your leading and guidance.  Amen.

“When Jesus had finished these words, He left Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there” (Matthew 19:1-2).

Crowds were always following Jesus, but we are invited not to just be a part of a crowd looking for something, but in fellowship with Him.  If we will walk as His disciples, we will learn from Him how life was created to be lived.  Jesus does heal us, but it is not just for this life.  He calls for us to seek the greater life that He gives which leads to life eternal.  Do not be content with just being a part of the crowd but seek His righteousness.

Lord, I am often lost in my own world where I am content with just enough.  Let me never be content in this world but press on in faith to seek Your righteousness.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to understand that in You alone is there new life which leads to life eternal.  Help me to take the extra steps each day, doing what You give me to do, listening and obeying as Your Holy Spirit guides me.

Lead me, Lord Jesus, out of the rush of the crowds of this age to abide with You, wherever You may lead and walk in Your counsel.  You know all that I need.  You know the direction I need to go.  Help me to not settle for worldly ways, but continue on the path You have set before me as I become more and more what You are making of me.  Thank You Lord for reaching out and taking my hand.  May I always hold onto You as You lead me.  Amen.  

“And his master, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he would repay all that was owed him.  My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:34-35)

True judgement includes true justice.  Heaven will not allow wickedness through its doors.  Relationship is what we are called into.  Relationship is what the Lord is teaching us to have.  We do not trample over each other as those in the world do but work together side by side for the sake of the kingdom.  Do not let wickedness reside in your heart but learn how to forgive others as you have been forgiven.

Lord, this is often a difficult thing to do.  There are those who have hurt me deeply.  I do understand that when I harbor resentment at the hurt imposed by another, I allow them to continue to hurt me, and my effort to forgive often fails.  Guide me out of the pit so that I learn for my sake how to be truly forgiving.  Lead me up and out of the way of this world so that I see in others a glimpse of You.

Lord Jesus, I know everyone around me is a precious one for whom You died.  You love each one of us.  When I reach the end of myself and cannot forgive, come and lead me on to forgive others through faith in You.  Take me through the obstacles that get in the way and never let me stop searching the Father’s will for my life.  Through Your Holy Spirit, take me through the barrier of an unforgiving attitude so that I may forgive others as I have been forgiven.  Amen.