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, this Gospel reading was a long one today.
Pastor: Yes, Sammy. The Gospel reading today is all about the Passion of our Lord Jesus.
Sammy: So much happened while you were reading the Gospel. Jesus shared communion, he prayed in the Garden, and he was put on trial several times.
Pastor: Several people did not like Jesus. We meet some of them in the reading today. One of the things we have to remember is that Jesus committed no sin. He lived a perfect life. Boys and girls, have you ever been blamed for something you didn’t do?
[Allow time for responses]Sammy: Jesus did not deserve death, but he chose to die because we deserve death. We are sinful, and the price for sin is death.
Pastor: Jesus went willingly to the cross, and he knew what he was going to suffer.
Sammy: You know, Pastor, as I listened to you read the Gospel today, I wondered who I would be if I was there to witness Jesus on the cross.
Pastor: What do you mean, Sammy?
Sammy: Would I betray Jesus, like Judas? Would I deny Jesus, like Peter? Would I be one of the ones who wanted Jesus to die, like the crowds or priests or Herod? Would I be willing to carry the cross like Simon? Would I mock Jesus like the soldiers? Or would I ask for forgiveness like the thief on the cross? Or would I stand at a distance and watch like Mary and the other women? Who would I be?
Pastor: I think each of us plays all of or many of these roles during our lives. God knows our hearts. He gives us faith and teaches us through the trials and challenges we face.
Sammy: But, Pastor, I worry that I am not good enough to deserve what Jesus did for me. He took my sin so that I could eat at his table with him forever.
Pastor: Sammy, none of us deserve the gift that Jesus gives us. None of us our worthy. We are broken and made new in Jesus. And he asks us to go and love as he loved us.
Sammy: I will try, Pastor. I will try.
Pastor: Boys and girls, this week, I want you to think about how you can better love someone. What can you do to show Jesus’s love to someone else?
[Allow time for responses]Pastor: Great answers! Let’s close with prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for your great love. Thank you for taking our sin so we could eat at your table. Thank you for your goodness and grace. We love you. Amen.
Sammy: Bye, everyone!
Pastor: Bye, Sammy!
