“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.  Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You” (Mark 1:35-37).

Is everyone looking for Jesus, or just wanting Him to be where they expect Him to be?  We have our own ideas of who Jesus is and do not see Him as He is.  He is in communion with the Father.  He invites us into that communion.  Many would rather take Jesus out of that communion and have Him join with them.  He came to save us; we did not come to invite Him to where we are.

Lord, You have called me to You.  I did not discover You and invite You to me.  You are the One who must be in control, for I will make a mess of things if I pretend that I am in control.  You are in a relationship of Trinity, bring me to You and help me to not expect You to come to me and compromise the eternal relationship — not that You would, but my sinful expectations get in the way.

Lord Jesus, teach me to pray and commune as You communed.  Lead me to be always mindful of where my heart is and curb my expectations.  Be the One who is leading and take from me those desires which would even slightly take the lead.  You are the One who must save me, so save me as You know I need saving.  Help me to keep my eyes always upon You.  Amen.

 

Script:

Luke 17:11-19

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 just wanted to thank you for doing a great job.

Pastor: Thank you, Sammy.

Sammy: You always listen to me, tell me stories, teach me about the Word of God, and you are a great friend to me.

Pastor: That’s very kind of you, Sammy.

Sammy: I just wanted you to know.

Pastor: You know, Sammy, your thankfulness reminds me of the Gospel reading for today. Jesus healed ten men with a skin disease.

Sammy: A skin disease?

Pastor: Yes—they called out to Jesus and asked him to heal them. He healed them by telling them to go show themselves to the priests. On the way to the priests, they were healed.

Sammy: But why did he tell them to go to the priests? Why not just heal them right away?

Pastor: What do you think, boys and girls? Why did Jesus send the men to go to the priests instead of healing them right away?

[Allow time for responses]

Pastor: These are great answers and ideas. Jesus wanted the men to act in faith. Walking toward the priests meant a commitment of faith for them. And men with a skin disease were considered unclean. They were unable to worship God at the temple if they had a skin disease.

Sammy: So that would be like if we couldn’t go to church?

Pastor: Yes.

Sammy: But they couldn’t help it!

Pastor: That was the rule. In Jesus’s time, there was no cure for this skin disease.

Sammy: That’s horrible. They were forever banned from church. I love church. I want to be here every day.

Pastor: I know, Sammy. But you know, what? Jesus healed all ten of these men, and then they could go to worship God in the temple.

Sammy: And one of them went back to thank him. That man is my favorite. Jesus gave him his life back.

Pastor: Jesus gives each of us a new life in him, and it’s important to thank our God for the many gifts he gives us. In fact, let’s pray and thank him right now. Boys and girls, will you please fold your hands and bow your head? Dear Jesus, we thank you for your healing power. We praise you for directing us to you. Help us to be thankful for everything you give us. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

Luke 17:5-10

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 made it to church on time this morning.

Pastor: That’s great, Sammy.

Sammy: I do a good job of showing up almost every week. Sometimes I get sick and I have to stay home. Or sometimes I go to the beach on vacation.

Pastor: I am proud of you for coming to church, Sammy.

Sammy: I also pray, and I sing, and I talk to the kids here about God.

Pastor: Yes, you do.

Sammy: And I take the time to help you out, Pastor. That’s a lot of work. I found your keys, invited myself to your house for dinner…

Pastor: Where are you going with this, Sammy?

Sammy: Well, none of it is good enough, is it, Pastor?

Pastor: What do you mean?

Sammy: I was reflecting on the Gospel reading for today, and I was just thinking that all the things I do and all the effort I put into church and my family isn’t good enough.

Pastor: That’s right, Sammy. We will never be good enough. Jesus talks in the reading today about how if we live a holy and righteous life, that is what we are supposed to do. If we show up to church every week, if we sing in the choir, feed the hungry, help each other, serve each other, and love each other, we have done the minimum and we haven’t added anything to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Sammy: So I have to be a good Christian and it’s still not good enough.

Pastor: That’s correct. We sin every day, and doing our best to live a holy life is all we can do. We have to rely on Jesus to do the rest.

Sammy: What do you mean?

Pastor: Boys and girls, what did Jesus do for us?

[Allow time for responses]

Pastor: Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He took all of the sin and shame that we have and he covered us with his grace. He forgives us when we ask him to forgive us because of his great love for us.

Sammy: That’s beautiful.

Pastor: Yes it is. One thing you should know, Sammy, is that when we come to the Kingdom of Heaven, we go empty handed. We don’t bring anything with us, just our sin and our shame. Even as a pastor, I will approach Jesus with my hands bearing my shame. There is nothing I can do or say that will make me good enough in his eyes.

Sammy: That’s why we cling to the cross of Jesus.

Pastor: Yes, that is why we cling to the cross.

Sammy: Whew. That’s a relief.

Pastor: What do you mean?

Sammy: I have a lot of peace now. I was going to make a spreadsheet of all the things I do for Jesus around here. But like we talked about, I am supposed to do all the things I do. And I’ll cling to the cross of Jesus forever.

Pastor: Me too. Let’s pray. Can you all please fold your hands and bow your heads? Dear Jesus, help us to realize we aren’t good enough. Help us to know you are the only one who adds to the Kingdom of Heaven. Thank you for letting us join you in Heaven. We love you. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!