Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Wednesday's Lesson

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

We are to be thankful people in good times and bad.

1 Thessalonians 5:18: Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.


“I can be thankful” (to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”)
I can be thankful; yes I can
For my family; for my friends.
God has given so much with His Son
Thank you God for all You’ve done.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Rich Man and Lazarus

Do you use an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning? A lot of alarm clocks have a button on them called a snooze alarm. When your alarm goes off, you can hit that button and go back to sleep. In about ten minutes, the alarm will go off again. You can just keep on doing this and go right on sleeping.
Maybe it is nice to get that extra sleep, but there are two problems with snooze alarms. The first is that if you keep on hitting the snooze alarm, you may be late or miss out on something completely. The second problem is that if you keep hitting the snooze alarm, you may get so used to the sound of the alarm that you don’t even hear it at all and you will sleep right through the alarm.
Did you know that God sometimes sounds a "wake up" alarm in our lives? He speaks to our heart and says, "It is time to wake up and follow me." Some people hit the snooze button and say, "Not now Lord, call me again -- a little bit later." Some people hit that "snooze button" so many times that they get to where they don’t even hear God’s voice. When they finally wake up, they find out that it is too late. That is what happened in our Bible story today.
Jesus told a story about a rich man who wore the finest clothes and lived in luxury. A beggar named Lazarus lay outside the rich man's gate. Lazarus was hungry and his body was covered with sores. He was hoping that the rich man might have pity on him and that he might be able to satisfy his hunger with the leftovers from the rich man's table. But every day the Rich man passed by Lazarus without even giving him a thought. I imagine that he passed by Lazarus so many times that he eventually got to the point that he didn't see him at all.
The Bible says that Lazarus died and went to heaven. The rich man also died, but he went to hell. In hell, he looked up and saw Lazarus in heaven with Abraham. He asked Abraham to let Lazarus dip his finger in water and come and touch it to his burning tongue, but Abraham said, "No." Then he reminded the rich man how he had enjoyed such good things on earth while Lazarus had nothing.
The rich man then asked Abraham to allow Lazarus to go back to earth and warn his five brothers so that they would not end up in hell with him, but again, Abraham said, "No." The rich man finally woke up, but it was too late.
God is still sending "wake up" calls to people today. Let us pray that they will listen to his voice and follow him before it is too late.
Dear Father, when you sound the alarm telling us it is time to wake up and follow you, may we never be guilty of hitting the snooze alarm saying, "Later, Lord." Instead, let us rise up and follow you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

(sermons4kids)

Monday, March 27, 2017

Sunday's Text



Luke 16:19-31New International Version (NIV)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”



Thursday, March 23, 2017

Lost Coins

In the hymn Amazing Grace there is a line that says I once was lost but now I am found. We at one time or another have been lost. I am not talking about physically lost although I don't know many who don't have a story about being lost in the store or in the parking lot or on their way to a friends house. The lost we are talking about here is Spiritually, when we have taken a wrong turn away from God. A few years ago I took a wrong turn. As I look back on that time now I realize that I moved not God but also it was God who came looking for me. I didn't go looking for Him because at the time I didn't know I was lost. The women in the story was the one who went looking for the coin. The coin didn't jump out and say "HEY! I'm over here!" God is the one who comes after the lost. The Good Shepherd looks for his lost sheep. This parable of the lost coin has so many symbols and meanings. But here are a couple that you can share with your family.
1. Jesus is our light. John 8:12 tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. In the parable the lady lights a lamp to help her find the lost coin. Jesus is our light that leads the lost to eternal life.
2. Everyone has value and is worth looking for. She still had 9 coins but she went hunting for that 10th one because it has value and is worth finding.
3. Celebration should be a part of our lives and when a person repents of their sins we should celebrate together.
4.  Our stories can help those who are lost and also our stories of being found are to be celebrated.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Lost Sheep

My grandfather was a dairy farmer. I loved listening to the stories about the farm and going with him to milk the cows. I didn't get to spend much time with them so when we did I soaked up the time with my grandfather. One morning I went to the barn with him to find some kittens while he milked. I was sad when I couldn't find what I was looking for and went crying to my grandfather. I was giving the sob story of how I looked high and low for them and without saying a word my grandfather showed me where they were hiding.
How many times have we listened to the story of the lost sheep and thought about all the people we don't know, those who are not near us and don't know Jesus but not the one who sits next to you at lunch or that cousin that has wandered from the flock. My grandfather  knew where to find the kittens. How many times do we know where to find a lost sheep and don't take the time to bring them to the Good Shepherd. Are we willing to bring the lost sheep to God?

Monday, March 20, 2017

God Loves Us

In the stories we read yesterday we learned about three things that were lost and found. In each of these three stories there is something that is treasured that is missing. In my children's moment, I talked about my favorite socks being lost after I moved. This was a true story, they are my favorite socks and I have had them since middle school.  I love my socks and wear them all the time. Until when we moved I placed them in one of the many bags and when we unpacked I couldn't find one of them. I looked all over and figured it was lost. I looked for three years and one day I was cleaning under one of our bed and I found it. I was so excited to find my now dusty sock. I have no clue why it was there and how it got there but it didn't matter my lost sock was found!
God treasures us more than I did my sock and more than we will ever imagine. Do you feel treasured by God? Many times we are like the son who had spent all his money and decided to be a servant for his father. We feel like we have to earn our love from God. He loves us so deeply that we don't have to do anything to earn it and we can never lose it.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

This Weeks Lesson in 3 Stories



Luke 15New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinnedagainst heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your propertywith prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Good Fruit Bad Fruit

When I was a kid and hopefully some of you remember this too, there was a part of a show (Animaniacs) call Good Idea, Bad Idea. I loved it. It was funny and totally crazy but it made you stop and think. Good fruit bad fruit. We all have both in our lives. We grow the good fruit thanks to the grace and loving care of God and the bad fruit is thanks to the master of evil trying to get us to fall away from what we know is right.
Good fruit is patience, kindness, love, gentleness, self-control, joy, peace, and goodness. Bad fruit is the opposite of those impatience, intolerance, hatred, hardness, rashness, anger, discord, and evil.

Think together as a family about some of the good fruits you have and some of the bad fruits that you have, we all have them. After thinking of good fruit bad fruit. Pray for God to prune that bad fruit out of your life and replace with God fruit.

Monday, March 13, 2017

This Weekend


Impatience


Walking through the woods with a group of kids was probably not the swiftest idea for a person who likes to keep to a schedule but here we were in the middle of the woods off schedule. Each one of them had their way of making our time out there longer. Getting more and more frustrated I pushed them to get done with the hike. But then a child reminded me of something "God wants us to soak in his creation." God patiently waits for us as we hurry through life and say "when I get time God." "When the sports are over." "When my calendar gets less crazy." He sends us reminders like this child was for me that we need to make time for him and then everything else will fall into place. But that requires us to trust him and to sometimes wait patiently for him.


Sunday, March 12, 2017

Good Fruit


Luke 13:1-9
Change Your Hearts
13 Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. Pilate had them killed. Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing. Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to those people because they were more sinful than all other people from Galilee?No, they were not. But if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed like those people! And what about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than everyone else in Jerusalem? They were not. But I tell you if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed too!”
The Useless Tree
Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree. He planted it in his garden. He came looking for some fruit on it, but he found none. He had a servant who took care of his garden. So he said to his servant, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the ground?’ But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and fertilize it. Maybe the tree will have fruit on it next year. If it still does not produce, then you can cut it down.’”


Ask your children: Have you ever wanted candy for breakfast or maybe to eat chocolate cake for dinner?   Have you ever gotten to do that? If not why? Why wouldn’t your parents let you eat sugar for a meal?

Today on our journey to the cross, Jesus wants to teach the disciples and us something about who God is. So he tells a story about a gardener. 
The owner of the land had a fig tree. But this tree in Jesus’ story wasn’t producing or making any fruit. So he goes to the gardener and starts to complain. The owner of the land wants to dig up the tree and throw it away but the gardener said to give it more time and that he will put some special fertilizer on it.
Let’s pretend the gardener is God. God just like the gardener has some extra special fertilizer. This fertilizer helps us grow good fruit.
The good fruit that we grow is the Fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
God offers us only the best things that we need in order to live life fully.

God, thank you for your love, care and wisdom. Help us to pay attention to you and to listen to you so that we may fully receive your love, care, and wisdom and share it with those around us. Amen.

Fig Tree
Figs are a fruit that contain vitamins and minerals that are good for you. In other words, they are a healthy food. They are also very tasty and sweet. In earlier times Olympic athletes ate figs as a way to get into good physical shape for the races and games that would follow.
In many countries, figs are considered to be sacred and the Bible refers to figs more than any other fruit.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Friday Frenzy

That feeling when you wake up and you realize... it's Friday! There is something magical about Fridays. It is the closing of another week and your able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. For some of us, we still have to work over the weekend but there is that Friday Frenzy that happens. What to do with the weekend schedule, is it really going to snow and what are we going to eat?!
As your looking at your weekend, what neighbor needs your families love and care? If it really does snow on Saturday is there an elderly person who lives near you that might need someone to check on them? Look at the people who live on your street and answer the questions from a few days ago.

Who haven't you given an invitation to?
Who have you given an invitation to that you need to follow up with?
Who has responded to your invitation but you haven't been faithful in helping them on the journey?

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Winter Jam



March 11 

We will leave the church at 1 pm and travel to Lexington, KY.  Please eat lunch before you come. You will need $10 plus money for food and if you want shirts.  The show starts at 6 pm and we will be home around midnight. 

Falling Behind

New Year's resolutions are easy to make but hard to keep. Lent giving up and taking on is the same thing. Don't feel bad if you have missed a few days, just get back up and try again. We serve a God of second chances and he understands that sometimes kids get sick, schedules get crazy and we are just too tired to fight the chaos. Are you there this week? Here are some things you can do on the run that will still help you keep up your daily devotional time.

1. Drive through prayers. Ask the person in the drive-through window how you can pray for them. Then say a quick and I mean like two sentences prayer right then and ask God to bless the food and the hands that prepared it including the hands that handed it to you. I did this one time to test it out and see what would happen. When I did the lady in the drive through at first was upset and then she thanked me.

2. Text prayers. If you have kids with phones this is something that you can do throughout the day. Text your prayers to them as they get on the bus, take a test, practice sports or doing homework. Whatever it is that they are up to send them a quick text prayer.  And not just a praying for you but write out your prayers to them. Praying over your children is a very powerful thing for both you and them. With our busy schedules, it isn't always easy to do that face to face so when you can't be together, send it via text.

3. Ball field devotions. Grab the team (well anyone who is willing to come) and read a Scripture verse and say a quick prayer before practice or a game. It will take a few times but you will see that the kids will flock to you wanting you to pray for things.

4. Take a prayer journal with you where ever you go and when your places like the grocery store or bank or school ask people for their prayer request and write them down. If you can have your child or you pray for that person. This isn't easy to do so you might want to start out by printing off prayer cards that simply says we are praying for you love the ___ family.

A few ideas ... what are some things that you all do as a family on the run?

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Lord's Prayer

Tonight the children will be learning about the Lord's prayer.  It is a prayer that they know well but why do we say it? Why is it important to talk to God? Tonight during your prayer time before bed ask or tell your children why it is important for us to pray and talk to God.

Simple explanation is that we want a friendship (relationship) with God. To get to know someone or to keep up a friendship you have to talk to each other. That is what we are doing with God. Talking to him. Thanking him for the things he gives us, asking him to forgive us of our sins, thanking him for Jesus, asking him to guide us and praying for those in need.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Mr. Rogers

Mr. Rogers was one of the only shows I remember from my childhood.  As an adult, I feel in love with the man behind Mr. Roger. Fred Rogers was an ordained minister with a huge heart for children. From his program children learned to be more patient, they learned to be more loving, they learned to be more tolerant of others and most important they learned how to be good neighbors.


“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” 
― Fred Rogers

“Mutual caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.” 
― Fred RogersThe World According to Mister Rogers

“Real strength has to do with helping others.” 
― Fred RogersThe World According to Mister Rogers

As you read those quotes what sticks out to you? Is there something you would do differently after reading them? 

Sometime this week, look up an episode of Mr. Rogers and watch it as a family.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Won't You Be My Neighbor!

Yesterday we talked about what it means to be a good neighbor.Many of the kids during kid's worship had great ideas of how we could be better neighbors and many of them like me had stories of how we haven't been good neighbors.
As I type this I am listening to the sounds of college students. Not because I am on a college campus but because at the beginning of the school year a group of college students started renting the house across from the parsonage. I love to hear them laughing and talking but just not at 2 am on a Saturday night. I love that they are using our basketball goal and feel comfortable enough to park in the church parking lot when they have parties. Just wish those parties didn't end with flashing lights coming. But as we were talking Sunday I realized I haven't really reached out to those students. We have complained about them, waved to them and talked to our other neighbors about them. But we haven't invited them into our circle.
Do you have anyone near you that you haven't been neighborly to? I know this week I am challenged to be more of a neighbor to them. I'm thinking cookies, what college student doesn't like cookies :)

Sunday, March 5, 2017

First Sunday of Lent


We have made it to the first Sunday of Lent!

This morning our lesson was on the Good Samaritan. 

Here is the Scripture: 


Luke 10:25-42English Standard Version (ESV)The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Lego creation for this week a mountain where the robbers were hidding and a road for the man to walk on. Green platform is where Jesus and the Lawyer will stand as the story is being played out.

After reading the Scripture act out the passage having each family member play different parts.  

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho, the road this story took place on is like many roads in Kentucky… narrow and windy.  It was a great place for robbers to hide and many people had been robbed along that road. Because of this all three of those men were intentionally looking around at their surroundings. Because of this awareness, I would bet they weren’t going to miss a beaten injured man lying there bleeding to death. The three men that walked by were a Priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan.  During Jesus' time, a Priest was the person who took care of the temple sacrifices. A Levite had the job of taking care of the temple.  Samaritans and Jews didn't like each other at all. This parable was being told to a Jewish lawyer, who wouldn't expect for the Samaritan to have compassion on the man.

For children .. here is the question .... Younger: How can we show others love even when we are mad?  Older: Who is someone at school or day care that you need to be nicer to?
For adults and youth... here is the question... Who would you rather die instead of receive help from? Those are the people you need to pray for and to ask God to help you have a softer heart towards.

This story is one that we use a lot to talk about helping others and also loving everyone.  The question that it asks is who is your neighbor?  Who is it that has an invitation to come on the journey with us? The answer is everyone! But the deep question is do we want to invite everyone? 


As I was researching to prepare for the children's message I was thinking about who it is in our neighborhood that hasn't gotten an invitation.  Then I was thinking of those that have gotten that invitation and just aren't responding to it. Lastly, who are those people that have gotten the invitation and responded to it but still feel like outsiders to the journey? As your doing your prayer time tonight think about those people in your life.  Who haven't you given an invitation to? Who have you given an invitation to that you need to follow up with? Who has responded to your invitation but you haven't been faithful in helping them on the journey?