“He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:3).

Healing is the Lord’s choice.  Mind you, in grace, all who believe are healed with salvation.  We pray to be healed, and it is the Lord’s choice as to whether this is going to be done.  Of course, the Lord can heal.  He knows the chain of events for everything.  He does all things with great purpose, and this is His creation.

Too many approach the Lord expecting that because they are lifting up a prayer, the Lord will do what we ask.  Of course He can do it; that is not the question.  Is what you are asking something that will trigger off a sequence of events contrary to God’s will?  You do not know, but He foreknows.  We are given the promise that for those who love Him all things work together for good

Lord God, I have lifted many prayers to You with the expectation that You would do what I say instead of what You say.  When You said “No,” I was disappointed.  Help my heart to shift so that when praying I know that the Father’s will shall be done.  Teach me to pray in humility so that I am thankful for the privilege of coming to You in prayer, trusting that You love all who walk in the Spirit and will do what is best for all of Your creation.  Amen.

“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean” (Matthew 8:1-2).

“Lord, if you choose,” is the way to pray.  Maybe the Lord knows something we do not and will not heal.  The Lord is Lord and He will do nothing that will thwart the Father’s plans.  Too many seem to think that all they need do is ask and Jesus will grant whatever we ask.  But the reality is, the Lord is always the Lord and we are the sinners who are making a humble request.  Humility is always in order.

Lord, I do often treat You like some cosmic Santa Claus.  If You give me what I want, You are good.  If You do not, I do not like You.  Strip that sinful heart away so that in good times and bad time, I praise You.  You are the One who must author and finish my faith.  You know what I need even before I ask.  Lead me to live into the life You are calling me to live so that I may learn how to be faithful.

Lord Jesus, You have healed whom You have healed, but You did not heal all the people.  We sinners do not understand this.  But You are Lord.  Help me always approach You in humility, just as I am, to follow Your lead.  Guide me today and when I pray, turn my heart to willing submission so that whatever Your answer, I praise You.  Lead me, Lord Jesus, so that I may learn from You how to be faithful.  Amen.

“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28 – 29).

“He was teaching as One who has authority.”  This is one of the greatest understatements you will ever encounter.  So many are amazed at Jesus and then go on their way and live the life they have chosen.  Why not listen to the One who has all authority?  In Him is life!  Of course He teaches with authority.  He is the only One on earth who has ever taught with absolute authority because He is the only One who actually knows for sure what He is talking about.

Lord, I have learned and I know many things, but I do not know all things.  You do.  Help me to listen to You knowing that You know all things.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life so that I may trust and be guided by You in all things.  You know the beginning from the end.  Why do I listen to others when You are instructing me in how to live?  Open my ears to hear and obey You as You speak words of truth.

Come, Holy Spirit, and direct me in the ways You know I need to go this day.   Open my heart to receive and my ears to hear as You guide me step by step.  Let me see the appointments You have for me this day and guide me to fulfill them.  As I walk through this day, may I be guided by You alone, doing what is pleasing to the Father.  Guide me in the grace of Jesus I pray.  Amen.

“And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – and its collapse was great” (Matthew 7:26-27).

The winds of this world are constantly blowing.  We are tossed about by the waves of constant flux.  A positive spin is put on it and we call it change.  Sometimes we even call it progress.  Come to the One who does not change.  Come to the One who is the foundation of all that exists.  Build your life upon Him and although the winds will still blow and the flux will still be around you, you will have the constancy of the One who never changes.

Lord, why do I hesitate to live a life built upon You?  I say I want this and in the next moment I go back.  I am like one of the early church fathers whose prayer, “Lord, make me chaste,” discovered later in life that all the while He was really saying, “but not yet.”  Take away my hesitance and lead me fully into the life You give through grace.  Help me to walk with You at all times and in all places.

Lord Jesus, You are the solid rock upon whom I can build my life.  Help me today to be more concerned with what You want than what those around me are saying.  Guide me to live into this life You have given me so that I may learn how to be faithful in even small things.  In all that You have in store for me, lead me to have an open heart and a willingness to be obedient to all that You will lead me through.  Amen.

Scripture

Mark 4:35-41

Script

Props: Disciples and boat. You will need the egg carton and the eggs labeled with the names of the disciples. You will also need bookmarks, one for each child. These are simple to make. Simply print the following on a long strip of cardstock. You can laminate, add ribbon, stickers, or an image from the computer on the bookmarks, or you can keep them simple with just the text. You may want to think about giving bookmarks to all members of the congregation as well.

Jesus cares about me.

Jesus gives me peace.

Jesus stills me.

Jesus calms me.

Jesus protects me.

Jesus gives me faith.

Because of Jesus, I don’t have to be afraid.

All of creation obeys Jesus.

Jesus loves me.

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, let’s get out the disciples and their boat.

Pastor: Who here has seen the ocean or the bay before? What is the ocean/bay like?

[Allow time for responses]

Sammy: I love it when Farmer Mark takes me to the ocean.

Pastor: Farmer Mark takes you to the ocean, Sammy?

Sammy: I get around, Pastor.

Pastor: Our gospel reading today is about how Jesus calmed the sea.

Sammy: What happened?

Pastor: Jesus and his disciples were on a boat and Jesus was so tired that he fell asleep in the stern of the boat?

Sammy: What’s a stern?

Pastor: The stern is the back of the boat. Jesus fell asleep and the wind blew and the waves crashed against the boat. Then the boat began to fill up with water.

Sammy: Oh no! That sounds bad. Jesus had to be awake for all of that.

Pastor: He slept through everything.

Sammy: Boys and girls, why do you think Jesus slept through the bad storm with the wind and the waves and the water in the boat?

[Allow time for responses]

Pastor: Great answers, everyone! The disciples did wake Jesus up, and they said, “Jesus, don’t you care about us?” And Jesus told the wind and the waves to be still, and the storm stopped right away.

Sammy: Just like that?

Pastor: Everything was quiet. And Jesus asked his disciples two questions: “Why are you afraid?” and “Have you no faith?”

Sammy: There are many important things for us to remember about this passage from Mark.

Pastor: Well, I have a little gift for everyone. I have a bookmark for you all to remember Jesus’s promises to us based on this story. What does the bookmark say?

Jesus cares about me.

Jesus gives me peace.

Jesus stills me.

Jesus calms me.

Jesus protects me.

Jesus gives me faith.

Because of Jesus, I don’t have to be afraid.

All of creation obeys Jesus.

Jesus loves me.

Sammy: Can I say our prayer? Let’s bow our heads and fold our hands. Dear Jesus, Thank you for always being with us. Thank you for calming us. Thank you for faith. We love you. Amen. Bye, everyone! Enjoy the bookmarks!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

Mark 4:26-34

Script

Prop needed: mustard seed or seeds in baggie.

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! Hey Pastor!

Pastor: Yes, Sammy?

Sammy: Do you have a garden?

Pastor: Yes I do. I have a few vegetables growing.

Sammy: Do you have mustard in your garden?

Pastor: I do not.

Sammy: Oh. Okay.

Pastor: What’s the matter, Sammy?

Sammy: Well, I was listening to you read the gospel for today, and I heard about the mustard seed. I heard you say that if you look really closely at the mustard seed, you can see heaven.

Pastor: Is that what I said?

Sammy: Yes!

Pastor: I don’t think so, Sammy. I don’t think the gospel says that, Sammy. I think you got confused.

Sammy: Hang on, Pastor. Boys and girls, do you remember what Pastor said this morning about the mustard seed?

[Allow time for responses]

Sammy: Okay Pastor, you may share with us what you said about the mustard seed.

Pastor: The gospel says that the kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed. If you plant a mustard seed, the plant grows and spreads quickly, and it becomes so strong, that even birds can nest in its branches. In fact, I would like to show you all what a mustard seed looks like.

[Show mustard seed to children]

Sammy: That’s really small!

Pastor: Yes it is, and Jesus says that even with this little bit of faith, we can do great things.

Sammy: I love that!

Pastor: Me too. Let’s pray. Can everyone please fold their hands and bow their heads? Dear Jesus, thank you for your kingdom. Thank you for faith. Thank you for giving us mustard seeds to remind us of your great love. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

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! Hey Pastor, do you have any brothers or sisters?

Pastor: Yes I do. I have a brother, and I have a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law.

Sammy: What is an in-law?

Pastor: It’s someone you are related to by marriage.

Sammy: Oh! So when you get married, do you get extra siblings?

Pastor: Sometimes, Sammy. I guess it works like that if the person you are marrying has brothers or sisters.

Sammy: I am an only lamb.

Pastor: What do you mean, Sammy?

Sammy: My maamaa and daddy just have me. That’s it. I have lots of cousins and aunts and uncles and friends and neighbors—

Pastor: Hang on a second, Sammy.

Sammy: Yes, Pastor?

Pastor: Did you know that you actually do have brothers and sisters?

Sammy: I do?

Pastor: Yes you do.

Sammy: Well where are they?

Pastor: They are right here.

Sammy: [looking around] Pastor, you are trying to pull the wool over my eyes.

Pastor: No, really, Sammy. Because of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, all believers become brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sammy: What does that mean?

Pastor: That means that you have a lot of brothers and sisters. Everyone here is a brother or sister to you. We are a family—God’s family—and we have to take care of each other and love each other as God loves us.

Sammy: Woah that is really cool, Pastor. I like that I have a family here with all of the boys and girls.

Pastor: Me too. We are going to pray; let’s bow our heads and fold our hands. Dear Jesus, Thank you for my family. Thank you my friends. Thank you for my brothers and sister in Christ. And thank you for the church. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, Pastor!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

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!

“And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:25).

The world is constantly drowning us with its pablum.  The fickle whirlwinds of this world are always blowing against stability.  Many fall because they build their lives on temporal things.  When you build your life upon Christ, the solid rock, you are building upon the One who brought all things into being.  In Him, Who changes not, you have hope.  The world cannot give you hope because it is always changing.

Lord, I know the world is always changing and yet it never changes.  We are led around in circles that go nowhere.  Help us, Lord, to understand that You have come bringing true hope and life.  In many ways, parts of what you ask us to do are so foreign, yet, when we have applied what You have taught us, we find that we are more content and at peace.  Take away the hindrances that keep us from building our life upon You.

Lord Jesus, You have come so that we may have life and have it abundantly.  Guide me today to see that in You alone is there hope.  You have come and will lead me.  Help me, beginning this day, to begin and end each day You give me in You.  Open my mind to receive what You will teach me.  Through the Holy Spirit, bring me to those appointments You have arranged.  Help me to learn how to be a willing and obedient servant.  Amen.

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).

Upon what are you building your life?  Many of us build without thinking or considering the cost.  They build in dangerous places.  They build upon their feelings or the under the direction of others.  But you, upon what are you building your life.  What you believe will come through in what you do.  Belief is the action of that in which you have faith.  Act upon these words and build your life upon Christ.

Lord, You know where I am true to Your call and where I am faking it.  Guide me so that I seek Your righteousness and live these words that You are giving me.  Where I fall short, by Your grace, lead me into the righteousness You have prepared for me.  Lead me by Your grace to seek You in all things.  Help me to be a person who does what You say and lives with You as the foundation.

LORD God, You are the Creator and through You all things have their being.  Lead me always in my innermost being, help me to be clear of the garbage of this age so that I may be true to You.  I will sin, but I know that sin is forgiven under Your grace.  Help me so that what the world sees me doing is driven by You who leads me from the inside out.  Guide me to walk with You humbly today and every day until that day comes when I meet You face to face.  Amen.