Luke 12:49-56 

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 boys and girls! Good morning, Pastor! 

Pastor: Sammy, I am really glad that you and I are Christians.  

Sammy: Yes we are. Otherwise church would be really awkward. 

Pastor: Well, Sammy, in our Gospel reading today, Jesus is talking about families not getting along. Boys and girls, do you ever disagree with your siblings, cousins, or parents? What is that like? 

[Allow time for responses] 

Pastor: When Jesus walked on earth, he shared that he is God, and a lot of people believed in him and followed him. When they told their families about Jesus, some members of the family believed, and some didn’t. 

Sammy: That seems like a tricky situation. 

Pastor: It was. And it still is. During and after Jesus’s time, a lot of Christians had to go into hiding, even from their own families. Jesus proclaimed to be God—he is God, and that message divided a lot of people. 

Sammy: You know, Pastor, some of my family members don’t believe in Jesus. I don’t have to hide from them, but it’s hard to talk to them about my faith. 

Pastor: That’s understandable. It’s hard when you believe in the good news of Jesus Christ but someone in your family does not.  

Sammy: But what can I do? How can I encourage my family to see Jesus for who he truly is? 

Pastor: We can do lots of things. We can pray for them, love them, share stories from the Bible and our favorite scripture with them. One of the best things we can do is live a life that glorifies Jesus in all that we say and do. 

Sammy: And what happens when they come to believe in Jesus? 

Pastor: Well, the next step is baptism. When we are baptized, we become a part of God’s family. God wants each of us to be a part of his family. He chooses us, and we get to experience his great love through the Sacrament and gift of baptism. 

Sammy: That truly is a gift.  

Pastor: Yes it is. Boys and girls, will you please pray with me? Dear Jesus, thank you for the good news that you bring to us. Help us to pray for others and to live a life that brings you glory. We love you. Amen. 

Sammy: Bye, everyone! 

Pastor: Bye, Sammy! Bye boys and girls! 

Luke 12:32-40 

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

Sammy: Are you ready, Pastor? 

Pastor: Ready for what, Sammy? 

Sammy: The wedding, of course! 

Pastor: Oh, you’re talking about the wedding from our Gospel reading for today. 

Sammy: Yes I am. I am so excited. I love weddings. 

Pastor: Sammy, how many weddings have you attended? You are just a little lamb after all. 

Sammy: I know I am little, but you have to keep up with the trends, Pastor. Didn’t you know that rustic barn weddings are totally in style right now? And moody colors, too. 

Pastor: Hang on a second. You’re telling me that at the farm, you’ve been to several weddings? 

Sammy: More than several, Pastor. Several dozen. And I have a subscription to “The Knot” Magazine.  We have weddings from April to October on the farm. And the farmers have a nice barn where the wedding guests have a banquet and lots of dancing. 

Pastor: That sounds like a good time. Boys and girls, have you ever been to a wedding before? What was it like? 

[Allow time for responses] 

Pastor: One of my favorite wedding memories… 

Sammy: That’s a good memory, Pastor. I really enjoy watching the weddings and seeing all of the people dancing and singing. There’s lots of food and wine, too. Sometimes I wish we could have a wedding at the farm every day! 

Pastor: You know, Sammy, Jesus is teaching his disciples about how he is going to come back one day. He talks about himself as the master returning from the wedding banquet. Jesus is going to come from the banquet and is going to redeem his people and call us home to Heaven with him. In Heaven, each day is a wedding. Jesus is the groom, and we, the church, are his bride.  

Sammy: You know, Pastor, I like that we are the bride as a church. I look good in white.  

Pastor: Yes you do, Sammy. But we are Jesus’s bride because he loves us so much, just like a groom loves his bride.  

Sammy: That makes sense. I’ll think about Jesus’s love for me each time I see a wedding now. 

Pastor: That’s wonderful, Sammy. Boys and girls, will you say a prayer with me? Dear Jesus, thank you for your promise to come back one day. Thank you for helping us to keep our hearts open. Help us to be ready for you. We love you. Amen. 

Sammy: Bye, boys and girls! 

Pastor: Bye, everyone! 

Luke 12:13-21 

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: Pastor! Pastor! Emergency! Emergency! 

Pastor: What’s wrong Sammy? 

Sammy: Farmer Luke’s garden is doing too well this year! We have thousands of tomatoes, hundreds of onions, bountiful squash. We’ve filled up our cellar. The freezer is full and we still have way too much.  

Pastor: That doesn’t sound like an emergency Sammy. It sounds like a good thing. Don’t you want abundant produce? 

Sammy: I thought that would be great too Pastor. But we have nowhere to put all the produce. It’s going to rot. I just don’t know what to do. 

Pastor: What does farmer Luke think? 

Sammy: That’s just the thing Pastor. He doesn’t seem to care at all.  

Pastor: Perhaps he already has a plan in place? Maybe he already knows what to do? Kids. What do you think farmer Luke should do with the produce? (Wait for responses) 

Sammy: Great answers everyone! 

Pastor: Yes they are. Perhaps he is going to share his crops with his friends, family and neighbors.  

Sammy: You know what. I think I did hear Farmer Luke on the phone with the food bank. I just didn’t know why.  

Pastor: It sounds like Farmer Luke plans to share. Sharing the gifts that God give us is important. He doesn’t give us anything that we should keep hidden away from people. He wants us to share.  

Sammy: That makes sense pastor. I will help farmer Luke share his crop this year.  

Pastor: Can everyone pray with me? Dear God, thank you for providing us with your great gifts. Thank you providing for our daily needs. Help us to share the gifts you give us with others. In Jesus name we pray. Amen! Bye! 

“Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!”  And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!” (Matthew 27:22-23)

What shall we do with Christ?  “Let’s be rid of Him,” the world says.  But just when they think He is buried for good, He rises again.  The church is alive and well in the world even if it is feeble and sick in certain places.  The more the world shouts to be rid of Jesus, the more we ought to wonder why the world is so afraid of the One whom they say there is nothing to be concerned about.  Why indeed.  Behold the Lamb who takes away our sin and pronounces us brothers and sisters.

Lord, take away my sin.  You killed my sin on the cross and washed it away in baptism.  Take away all the rest that goes against what You have created.  Lead me into all truth.  Help me in Your goodness to see that only in You is there hope and a future.  Though the world may fall apart around me, the illusions of this age are only temporary.  You have given me the words of eternal life and there is no other way to go.  Guide me in the word of truth.

Lord Jesus, Truth made flesh, the Lamb who has taken away our sins, aid me in humbleness to not look to the world, but at You as the source of my being.  Guide me into everlasting life.  Lead me through the difficulties that come so that I may walk in the way You have set before me.  Through all things, help me to overcome the obstacles that get in the way.  Show me the way of truth, my Savior.  Amen.