Sermon: Free Food

(Click HERE for MP3 sermon audio.)

Today's sermon discusses John 12:1-19. The bulk of the sermon, however, is another story, an allegory of sorts. It could possibly function as an extended children's story/sermon. Following the story I get into John 12, the story of a feast (at Bethany) within a feast (Passover), and the different people's reactions to Jesus.

The focus is on Mary, the example that John, the writer, gives to his readers to imitate in responding to Jesus' offer of grace. All the other characters offer contrasting responses the John presents as examples not to foll0w.

When I was originally planning how to present today's sermon, I was working things out along the line of how "free" food was frequently encountered at companies I worked at, conferences I attended, wedding receptions, etc. In each of these cases, I wasn't expected to "pay" for the food, but to just accept it as part of my benefits of employment, attending the conference, or accepting and attending the reception. Anyway, things didn't quite work out along those lines, as you can tell.

I had also planned to spend much more time in the sermon working through the theology of grace (in John 12:1-19) and the possible responses to it, but again, somehow telling a story seemed much more appropriate for today than dry explanations...

Children's Story: Blind Spots

Props:

• A half-sheet of paper for each person
• Pens or pencils

Outline:

• Introduce the subject of blind spots
• Pass out paper and pens/pencils
• Have each person draw a large dot on the left and an "X" about 3 inches to the right
• Have each person hold the sheet of paper out at arm's length
• Have each person close their left eye, and then with the right eye look at the left dot
• Slowly move the paper in toward the face
• At some point, the "X" should disappear, and then reappear as the paper is moved closer in
• Talk about the fact that we all are born with physical blind spots (due to the optical nerve connection, no light receptors are present at that point, resulting in the blind spot)
• Switch gears a bit and discuss blind spots as they relate to driving
• Start with walking and how there really aren't any blind spots because it is easy to turn around and see everything behind
• Move up to a bicycle and observe that it is still relatively easy to look all around
• Now move to a small car and all of sudden, there are areas which cannot be seen no matter how hard one turns about and regardless of how well the mirrors are adjusted
• Move to a large pickup/van, an 18-wheeler -- the blind spots get bigger and bigger
• Relate these ideas to the concept that as a person becomes more self-absorbed, self-centered, selfish, and proud, the box they live in become bigger and bigger, and their blind spots bigger and bigger
• As the spiritual blind spots get bigger, it becomes more difficult to see the needs of the world and its people, and a person becomes less and less loving and caring, and consequently less and less useful to God
• The Bible doesn't say anything about God or Jesus riding with us in chariots (since cars and such hadn't been developed yet), but has a lot to say about walking with him.
• (Perhaps a bit too much of reading something into the Bible, but hey...) Maybe that's because God wants to remove the blind spots that plague us and the only way to do that is to slow us down and make us travel at a pace and in a mode where we are fully aware of the world around us.

Children's Story: Zacchaeus

This week, I told the story of Zacchaeus as found in Luke 19:1-10 with a few embellishments. Click HERE to hear it as I told it.

Children's Story: Light Box

Props: Several cameras of different shapes, sizes, vintage, technologies, etc. (I used a digital SLR, digital point-and-shoot, and a film rangefinder.)

Outline

• Pull out the cameras and show each one in turn. Briefly describe each one. Emphasize that although they may look different and may operate differently, they are all cameras.
• Ask, "What is the name used for the process of creating images with a camera?" (Answer: Photography)
• Ask, "What is the definition of photography? What are the meanings of the roots that make up photograph?" (Answer: photo from the Greek phos, meaning "light," and graphis or graphe, meaning "paintbrush" or "drawing." Photography is "painting with light" or "drawing with light.")
• Ask, "What is the critical thing needed to make a photograph?" (Answer: Light.)
• Emphasize the necessity of having light in order to expose the film or collecting light on a digital sensor's photocells.
• Point to the cameras and note that even though they are all different, the one thing common across all of them are that they are light boxes -- boxes to collect and focus the light and create a image that represents something in the real world.
• Now note that even in abundant light, a camera just sitting there won't make an image by itself. Ask what needs to be done. (Answer: The shutter must be released.)
• Describe how the shutter opens to let light shine on the film or on a digital SLR, the digital sensor. (On digital point and shoots, tripping the shutter engages the electronics and software that reads the information off the sensor and records it on the memory card.) In either case, the act of releasing the shutter causes the camera to make a record of the light.
• "Jesus said that he is the light of the world. The Bible tells us that God wants us to reflect Jesus' image. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to do that. But there is one thing that we must do. What is it?" (Answer: Open the eyes, or shutter, or our hearts to let the light in.)
• "When we let Jesus shine in our hearts, our hearts begin to record Jesus' image."
• Describe how the very first cameras had to use very long exposures because the film wasn't very sensitive. Make connection to how our hearts are more like that, where they need to be exposed to Jesus for a lifetime -- a one-time sermon or reading a few minutes from the Bible isn't enough to create much of an image.
• Also note what happens if the camera moves during a long exposure. (The image blurs.) Make connection to how we might get distracted and impatient while we wait for Jesus' image to form in our hearts. When we do, the image gets fuzzy. But we can correct that by refocusing our hearts back to Jesus.
• Once again, point to the cameras and note the different sizes, shapes, features, technologies, age, etc. Connect this to how we are all different (ages, shapes, sizes, families, backgrounds, talents, abilities, interests, etc.)
• Despite our differences, our purpose is the same -- to form an image of Jesus inside our hearts.
• "If I took a picture of a flower with each of these cameras, each one will probably look a little different. But you should be able to clearly see that they are pictures of the same flower. Likewise, the way the image of Jesus that is forming in each of our hearts will probably look different from one another. But people who see us should be able to tell that is it still the image of Jesus, God's love, that is forming in our hearts."
• "If we want to reproduce God's love, Jesus' image, in our hearts, there is just one way: Keep the eyes of our hearts open, let Jesus' light shine in, keep our eyes focused and pointed on Jesus, the light of the world."
• Open the Eyes of My Heart would be an appropriate song to sing at the close.

Children's Story: Sweet Grace

Wally and Marty were two boys who lived in the same, small town. Marty came from a poorer family. His clothes didn't look as nice, his shoes always seemed to be worn out, he always looked a little dirty, and he was much too thin.

Wally was the opposite. He came from a wealthy family. He always had the newest clothes, he was proud of the way he took care of himself, and he showed no signs of not having enough to eat.

Wally did not like Marty. Wally seemed to go out of his way to make things more difficult for Marty. Wally would sometimes gather several other boys to call Marty names: Dumb, filthy pig. Can't your mama dress and feed you? Sometimes they might circle around Marty and kick more mud on him. Or at other times, especially when it was cold outside, as Marty was walking down the street, some of them hid behind a bush or around a corner and then they would throw buckets of water on him, and they would run away shouting, "Just trying to help you get clean!"

One day, Wally came up with an idea to make Marty's life even more miserable. Later that day, as he saw Marty coming down the road, he went up to Marty. When Marty saw Wally coming towards him, he started to cross over to the other side of the road. But Wally called out, "Hey, Marty! I need to ask you something. Don't worry, no mud or water today."

Marty stopped, and still wary began to turn around to try to walk away. Wally called out again, "Don't worry. I won't do anything to you today. I swear on my mom's apple pie that nothing will happen."

Well, who can argue against a vow like that? So Marty stopped to find out what Wally wanted. Wally came up to Marty and said, "Marty, I'm sure you're tired of what some of us have been doing to you. So here's the deal. We'll stop and we'll even let you into our group. Just bring me one of the large candy bars with the chewy caramel inside. Old man Johnson has some in his store. I'll be waiting here tomorrow."

Marty looked at Wally in shock. Wally, seeing Marty hesitate, continued, "Honest, really. You can be a part of us. I just need something that shows me you really want to."

Marty thought about this offer. He really was tired of all the harassing, and he did want to be accepted. But how could he get the candy bar? He had no money… He said to Wally without looking at him, "Okay…"

Marty turned and slowly walked away. His feet led him to Johnson's Grocery, inside the doors, and then to the candy aisle. His eyes looked at the selection. In his life he's only tasted candy bars like these a handful of times, on special occasions. He could see the one Wally wanted him to get. It was large. If Marty had one of those, it would last him a year. He would just nibble a small bit at a time, carefully keeping the rest wrapped and savoring every nibble.

How could he afford to buy it? And then a thought entered his mind: Mr. Johnson didn't seem to be minding the store. Marty could just slip the candy bar into his pocket and walk out. His heart started to pound, his hands began to sweat and tremble. He had never done or even thought about stealing before. His mother had always told him that even though they were poor, they always lived honestly.

But Marty was so tired of being bullied and excluded. His thoughts turned back to all the times when he had dirt literally thrown at him. He thought of all the times he had been called names and other boys had laughed at him. He didn't want to be afraid of walking down the street. He wanted friends. And his resolve crumbled. He reached out and took the candy bar and quickly slipped it into his pocket.

Marty paused to look around and listen. He could see no sign of Mr. Johnson nor hear him in the store. Marty began to quietly walk towards the exit. As Marty began to exit the store, Wally and several other boys came running around the corner.

One of them grabbed Marty as Wally went in the store and shouted, "Mr. Johnson! Mr. Johnson! We caught someone stealing from your store!"

Mr. Johnson came running out to see what was going on. He saw Wally pointing to Marty. He saw Marty, face full of fear and his body trembling, being held by two other boys.

"Mr. Johnson," Wally began, "We saw this filthy dirtbag taking a candy bar out of your store without paying for it."

Mr. Johnson made no reply but looked at each of the boys in turn, starting with Wally and then looking at Marty. Marty turned to face the ground.

One of the other boys reached into Marty's pocket and pulled out the candy bar. "See? Here it is," he said.

Mr. Johnson could guess what had happened. He knew about Marty and his family. He knew how Marty was regularly bullied by Wally and his gang. He wondered how he should respond. Wally and the others were getting impatient. "Mr. Johnson, call the police," they insisted.

After a few minutes, Mr. Johnson turned to Wally and the boys. "Boys, this candy bar is paid for."

Wally and the boys looked at one another in shock and disbelief. "But," Wally began to protest.

Mr. Johnson cut Wally off, saying, "Wally. Am I going to have to have a talk with your father about what you've been doing? And the rest of your fathers, too?" Wally and the others quickly turned and ran out of the store and down the street.

Marty was left alone with Mr. Johnson. Marty turned to Mr. Johnson and in a trembling and sobbing voice said, "Mr. Johnson, I did steal this. How can you say it was paid for?"

Mr. Johnson gently took Marty by the shoulder, walked to the till and from his own pocket took out some money and placed it in the till. "See," he said, "It's paid for. Now go on home. Listen to your mother. Nothing is worth selling your honesty."

As Marty began to walk out the store, Mr. Johnson called out to Marty. "Oh, Marty. One more thing. Your mother doesn't like to ask for help. Ask her if she'll let you work here, at my store. I could use a couple hours of help each afternoon."

Marty turned around, surprise and disbelief painted across his face. His mouth was wide open. He could see Mr. Johnson smiling and nodding. "Go on," he added encouragingly. "I'm offering you a job so you can help your mother out. But don't let her know that, or she might not let you work."

Marty ran back to Mr. Johnson. "I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson, for stealing the candy bar. And thank you!" And then he raced back home.

---

I thought about adding lessons/morals to be drawn from this story at the end but decided against it. It is left as an exercise for the reader/hearer to draw their own lessons.

Sermon: River of Life

(Click HERE for MP3 audio of today's sermon.)

Today's sermon concludes our look into John chapter 7. I focus on verses 37-39 where Jesus announces to the crowd at the temple during the Festival of Shelters that he can give living water to everyone who believes.

There is no children's story today because the whole sermon, or at least 95% of it, is a story. It's a story of an imaginary Jonathan who is attending this feast at the time of John 7. We explore some of the Old Testament passages that the festival-goers would have associated with the festival, and their longings triggered by the prophecies.

The sermon explores some of the ceremonies and events that would have occurred, and how that brings into even greater focus and importance what Jesus said in John 7:37-39.

I conclude with why the theme of the River of Life is so important and applicable to 21st century followers of Christ, today and here.

Children's Story: Rules vs. Principles

This was one of the less successful stories/sermons that I've done. It didn't help that the only kids present were ours. And Amy drew a blank when I asked her the questions in the outline below. I suppose it's a positive thing that they don't consider as rules the guidelines and requirements we've asked them to follow. If they feel generally free and without restrictions in their daily lives, then I suppose we, as parents, are dong something right. On the other hand, it failed miserably in meeting my children participation expectations today.

Anyway, here's the outline that I used. Maybe someone else seeing this will be able to change and adapt the ideas and have better results in their use.

---

• How many of you live with rules?
  • What are some of them?
    • Are rules good or bad?
• What about a rule for most preschoolers, "Don't touch the stove?"
  • Is this a good rule?
    • Discuss… (when, why)
  • Is it a good rule for adults?
    • What is the principle behind the rule?
• What about, "Don't run into the street?"
  • Is this a good rule?
    • Discuss… (when, why)
    • Is there any time when you might need to run into the street?
  • What is the principle?
• What about a sign that reads, "Don't go beyond the barriers?"
  • Is this a good rule?
    • Discuss… (when, why)
    • What if a small child starts to run past the barriers?
  • What is the principle?
• What about a speed limit sign? (E.g., 50 mph)
  • Is this a good rule?
    • Discuss… (when, why)
    • What if it's the middle of winter and the road is covered with ice?
  • What is the principle? (Basic speed rule)
• What are some purposes of rules?
  • (To help explain the meaning of principles.)
  • (To apply principles in a specific setting.)
  • (To give us knowledge to help keep ourselves safe.)
• Do rules themselves protect us?
  • (Actually, no. They often point us to where there is danger.)
  • (Only obeying the rules can protect us.)
• As we've learned, rules can be good, but they have limits.
  • When rules are applied outside of the settings where they were made, they often don't make sense.
    • E.g., speed limit sign when conditions are bad.
    • Some people use rules to excuse actions that they know is bad.
  • Sometimes, you might be told to obey two or more rules that go against one another.
    • E.g., saving a child's life vs. staying within the boundaries.
    • Some people use rules to excuse themselves from obeying a more important principle.
  • Some rules go away once you've learned the bigger principles behind the rules.
• Back in Jesus' time, there were people who believed that the most important thing was to obey God's rules.
  • They thought that God's rules would make the world a great place for them.
  • Because they wanted to make sure that they obeyed God's rules perfectly, for every one of God's rules, they might create ten new rules to help explain the one.
  • And then for each of the ten, they might create ten more rules to help explain all the situations that hadn't been properly covered by the earlier rule.
  • The rules, instead of making the world a better place, made it miserable for most people.
  • The teachers of the rules knew they were right and everyone else was wrong.
  • They were out to catch anyone caught breaking a rule.
  • Most people thought that if God was all about a bunch of rules, and if God was like the teachers waiting to catch them break rules, they didn't want to have anything to do with that kind of God.
• It's not that much different today.
  • There are people who think that if everyone were made to obey all of God's rules, the world would be a much better place.
  • The Bible tells us what happened when people made rules the most important thing. (We call that an idol.)
  • Even when the rules are God's, when made the most important thing, the world turns into a miserable place.
  • The world ends up being a place where one group of people says they're right and everyone else is wrong.
  • The world ends up being a place where everyone is looking at each other to see if someone might slip up and break a rule.
• Jesus taught the people, and us, something different.
  • Jesus taught that what God wants isn't blind obedience to rules.
  • What God wants is for people to love one another, to help people who need help, and to be of service to others.
  • In Matthew 25, Jesus told a story of what is going to happen when he comes back to earth.
  • Read vv. 31-40.
  • The principle behind all of God's rules comes down to just one word: love.
  • By doing the loving thing for other people, we are really loving God and really obeying all of his rules.

Children's Story: Muddy Confusion

Props

• 3 or 4 clear jars (empty spaghetti sauce jars work well)
  • 1 prefilled all the way with mud
  • 2 empty
  • 1 with both mud and water, allowed to settle (optional, in case your mud doesn't settle very quickly)
• Tarp (to protect the floor)
• Mud or dirt in a container
• Water in a pitcher
• Spoon to spoon mud into jars and to stir water/mud mixture
• Bucket to catch water and mud spilling out of jars

Story/Demonstration

• Show an empty jar
  • This jar is like our heart and mind

• Pour water partway into a jar
  • God wants to fill our minds with everything that is good, true, and trustworthy.

• Spoon some mud into same jar
  • But the world often doesn't like what is good and true, and the devil definitely doesn't.
  • So they bring in lies and other bad and nasty things into our minds.

• Stir the water/mud mixture
  • What's true and what's not get all stirred up inside us and soon we don't know one from the other.

• Pour water into jar until it starts to overflow
  • God wants to pour more of the good, true things into us.
  • By doing so, the lies start to get washed out.

• Spoon more mud into jar
  • But the world and the devil offer muddy lies.
  • They want to keep our minds muddy.
  • If we keep accepting the lies instead of what is true, eventually all we know are lies.

• How can we know what's true and what's not?
  • How can we know that what we're filling our minds with is true and not lies?
  • How can we clear up our confusion?

• Leave the jar alone and let the mud settle
  • We need to take time to let the mud settle.
  • If we really want to know what is true, the Bible tells us that God will allow us to know.
  • We will be able to recognize what is true and what is not.
  • Once we do, we can begin to test everything we see and hear so that we can choose to let the good things in and keep out the bad.

• Spoon out some mud and replace with water
  • We can even begin to remove some of the lies and replace it with what is true.

• What happens if we don't?

• Spoon more mud into jar
  • What happens if I keep spooning more mud into this jar?
  • Soon we end up with more mud than water, more lies than what is true.
  • And we can become more comfortable with the lies and what is bad than with what is good and true.
  • We might even begin to believe that the lies are actually true.
  • And when that happens, we might even end up hating what is really true.
  • When it keeps happening, eventually all we know are lies -- which isn't really knowing at all -- if you think about it.

• Show jar filled with mud
  • Some people during Jesus' time on earth ended up like this.
  • They chose for so long to believe lies that they thought the lies were really true.
  • So when Jesus tried to tell them otherwise, they wouldn't believe it.
  • Jesus wanted so badly to help them see what was good and true.
  • Jesus wanted so badly to use the clean water to begin cleaning their hearts and minds.
  • But they didn't want it.
  • They wouldn't allow Jesus.
  • So Jesus had to let them go, to eventually die without him.

• Show mud-filled jar, fill remaining empty jar with water
  • What kind of jar do you want to be?
  • What do you want to fill it with?

Children's Story: A Flat Earth

The following is a work a fiction. Any resemblance to persons real or imagined are purely coincidental... you get the drift.

---

There was a man named George. He believed that the earth was flat. He believed that the North Pole was at the center of a disc that made up the earth, and the edge of the disc was ringed by a tall wall of ice which made up Antarctica.

Throughout the years, many people tried to convince George that the earth is really a sphere, more or less a ball, but George would have none of that.

The others would try to argue and explain how the turning of the earth is how we get days and nights. George would respond that it was really the sun that was going around the earth. At night, the sun would be on the bottom side of the disc, and in the morning, the sun would come up on the eastern edge of the disc.

The others tried to argue about the ocean tides. They tried to explain about the moon and how the gravity from the moon causes the tides to rise and fall. George would simply say that the disc tilted slightly on each end a couple of times a day and that cause the tides to change.

"Well, what about how objects disappear as they get more distant on the horizon?" the others asked. They used balls and toothpicks to try to get George to see how objects on a curved surface eventually disappear out of sight when they get far enough apart. But George simply said that mountains and waves simply ended up hiding the objects the farther away they got. And not only that but eyesight wasn't good enough to see things that far.

There finally came a time when astronauts went up, away from the earth, and took pictures and videos of the earth from space and allowed everyone to see what the earth looks like. The others thought, "Finally, George is going to have to admit that the earth is a sphere."

George looked at the pictures and the video and simply said, "They're fakes. Someone from Hollywood made those up." And then he asked the others, "Were you there? Did you actually see for yourself? How do you know these so-called astronauts are telling the truth?"

After so many years of trying to convince George that the earth wasn't flat, the others had reached the end of their ropes. They were exasperated. They went through all the earlier arguments, but in much louder voices. They began to make fun of George, call him all sorts of nasty things, let him know that he was an idiot and stupid for not believing that the earth is a sphere.

Soon, not only were they making fun of George, but they were threatening to do him harm unless George believed like they did. Some even began to physically attack and assault George, trying to force him to admit that the earth is a sphere.

Seeing that they weren't getting anywhere, they called the authorities who had George arrested for "holding to beliefs that undermine and threaten an orderly society." Those who had attacked George were questioned but let go because they had helped bring into custody "a person dangerous to society."

A trial was held and the judges once again attempted to force George to admit that the earth is round and not flat. For days this went on. They had him whipped. They made him go without food and very little water. They threatened to keep him locked up until he died. One of the judges even suggested that maybe George should be hanged for causing such a disturbance in society.

On the final day of the trial, the authorities brought in the astronauts that had brought back the pictures and the video of the earth. The authorities hoped that by hearing directly from the astronauts, George would finally be convinced that they were right and he was wrong.

The astronauts gave a detailed story of how they had traveled away from the earth and saw for themselves the spherical earth. But George was not convinced. He accused them of being paid by the authorities to make up the story. The courtroom erupted into a mass of chaos as the people tried to get their hands on George, to try to once again beat him into submission.

As order was finally restored and a bloodied George sat on the bench nursing fresh wounds, the astronaut commander asked the head judge if he could speak. The judge granted the request.

The commander got up and addressed the court, "Your honors. It is quite clear that no amount of logic, no strength of argument, no physical force, and no threats are sufficient to convince Messr. George to change his beliefs about the physical form of the earth. Even eyewitness evidence and testimony are not sufficient for him. May I request the court to allow him to accompany us on our next mission? Perhaps if Messr. George sees and experiences for himself, he might come to see the possibility that the earth is spherical. After all, Messr. George does have some valid points for his beliefs. And if afterwards he chooses to continue to believe that the earth is flat, what real harm is done?"

There was some grumbling and arguing and debate about this unusual request. But after some minutes, the judges granted the request.

Some months later, George found himself strapped in a seat inside the cockpit of a spaceship. The engines came to life. 5-4-3-2-1… The engines roared and they began their ascent, away from the ground. Faster and faster they traveled upward. George could see the ground getting farther and farther away. "The earth looks like a disc," he thought to himself. But as they got higher and higher, the disc started to warp around the edges, starting to take on the look of a sphere. Soon they were far enough away that the entire earth could be seen. Not all of the continents could be seen on the visible surface. And as time passed, he could see that the earth looked as if it was rotating… Continents disappeared from view while new land appeared. George looked at the stars in the distance and could see that the spaceship hadn't changed position…

The End.

Children's Story: Tony's Discovery

This Sabbath's children's story comes from the Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day resource kit. Download the Word document and you will find the story in there.

A brief synopsis: Tony, an elementary school boy, dreads a field trip to a Senior Center where they are required to interact with some of the elderly people there. Once there, he is assigned to a man named George. Tony discovers that they have more in common than he realized, and that he even ends up enjoying the time spent with George. Tony learns about some of the difficulties faced by the elderly, and about what he can do to help.

Children's Story: Jesus Loves You, Warts and All

How well do you know yourself?

• Do you know what kind of job you'll have when you're 25?
• Do you know who you'll have for friends in a couple of years?
• Do you know whether or not you'll even like some of the friends you have now?
• Do you know if you'll be making good or bad choices over the next year?
• Do you know what your great-great-great-great grandparents were like?
• Do you know who you'll be marrying? (Assuming Jesus hasn't come back yet.)
• Do you know who your great-great-great-great grandchildren will be?
  (Again, assuming Jesus hasn't come back before then.)
• Do you know if you will continue to follow Jesus all through your life?

There's a whole lot that we don't know, even about ourselves.

There was a man named Judas, who had a father named Simon, and who came from the town of Kerioth. We usually refer to him as Judas Iscariot. Judas was one of the Twelve specially selected by Jesus to be close to him everywhere he went.

When we read the Bible, we learn that Judas was the one who helped the Jewish leaders capture Jesus in the middle of the night and put him on the cross. Why would Judas do that?

I don't think he really knew himself -- what he really wanted. Judas thought Jesus could give him what he wanted. When Jesus didn't do what Judas thought Jesus should be doing, he tried to force Jesus into doing the things he though Jesus should be doing. Judas thought he was doing the right thing -- that he was helping Jesus. But Judas didn't really know himself, nor did he really know Jesus, even though he had been with Jesus nearly every day for a few years. And when Judas realized that Jesus would allow himself to be crucified, Judas didn't believe Jesus would or could ever forgive him.

One of Jesus' other disciples, John, wrote:

(For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) ... “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a [the] devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.

You see, Jesus knew from the very beginning that Judas was going to help put him on the cross. But that didn't stop Jesus from loving Judas, from allowing Judas to be close to him.

Why? Because Jesus wanted Judas to get to know him, Jesus. And Jesus wanted Judas to get to know himself, so that he might choose to allow Jesus to change his heart. Jesus wanted Judas to come to know and trust him. Jesus wanted Judas to know and believe that even after he had chosen to betray Jesus, he loved Judas so much that Jesus could and would forgive him.

Jesus hasn't changed in the two-thousand years since then. He's chosen every one of you to be with him. He wants you to get to know him and to learn to trust him. And as you get to know and trust him, he wants you to learn about yourselves. To get to know things about yourselves that disappoint and hurt Jesus, so that you can let Jesus change those things for you.

Jesus already knows all the ways in which you will hurt him. But he has chosen you anyway. That's what the Bible calls grace. Jesus has already chosen to forgive you. Even if you choose to turn away from Jesus, if you want to come back, He's there to welcome you back.

Judas couldn't believe that someone who turned away from Jesus could ever come back. But Jesus isn't like us people. It doesn't matter what we do to him, or how many times we turn away from him. If we want to come back to him, he's there to welcome us back.

Sermon: Common and Ordinary

(Click here for sermon audio.)

This sermon is a discussion of John 6:22-42. This passage is the first part of Jesus' discourse about the Bread of Life with the Galileans in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Because of our property purchase settlement, followed by the move, it was one of those weeks where I simply could not focus enough to prepare adequately. So I went through the passage, discussing some of the things I learned during the week, and prayed that God would lead the discussion along to an adequate conclusion. I don't know how successful I was in communicating my thoughts.

I didn't have much of a children's story prepared -- just a short illustration about a few items that we often take for granted and to us appear common and ordinary can, to someone else, be a life saver -- a miracle even. This is the first part of the sermon audio.

Some of the thoughts and ideas I spoke about in the sermon included Jesus' perspective on the relationship between faith and works; a side discussion on how we can better understand and interpret New Testament writers' use of Old Testament references and allusions; and how things that we might see as common and ordinary, when set apart for God, becomes holy.

Children's Story: Falling

Here is the outline of the children's story. Here is the link to the audio as it was told yesterday. The children's responses are difficult to hear and understand since they weren't speaking into the microphone.

• Ask the children if they would trust you to catch them if you told them to fall backwards into you. Ask why or why not.
  • Make any observations that are appropriate and germane.
• Demonstrate trust by asking someone to close their eyes and fall backwards into your arms.
  • Make sure it's your own child, or you clear it with the parents first.
  • It might be a good idea to try a couple of times before the story.
• If there were any children that didn't trust you at the start, ask if they would trust you now.
  • Why or why not?
• Ask what the child would do if you didn't catch them. Would they trust you again?
  • What if you caught them sometimes, but sometimes not?
  • Ask the other children also.
• God is much bigger than any of us. He can catch even the biggest of us, even if we fell from a great height.
  • We might find ourselves in difficulties.
  • It might feel like we're falling because of our troubles.
  • But God is always with us to catch us and break our fall.
  • Let's learn to fall in trust with God.

Children's Story: An Invitation

There are times when the responses children give to the questions asked of them are so unexpected that the whole story gets derailed and it's a struggle to get back on track so that at least the point of the story can be made. Today was one of those times. Here is what should have happened.

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An Invitation

Have you ever received an invitation to a party? Have you ever been invited to a party where the invitation gives you permission to invite your friends, too? If you received an invitation like that, would you keep it to yourself? [The expected answer is that, no, they would of course go and invite their friends.] When you have good news, it's hard to keep it to yourself.

Let's suppose that your mom and dad have to go away for an extended time to a foreign country, perhaps several months or a couple of years. Maybe it's for their work and they can't bring you along. You spend this time with perhaps your grandparents, or with an aunt and uncle. After some time has passed, they let you know that they're coming back to take you with them to live in this other country.

Would you want to go live with them? [The expected response is, "Yes." However, this is where the story derailed today...] But what if, during the time your mom and dad were away, you were told that your mom and dad really were harsh and mean, that they didn't really want you, and that they were only coming back to take you with them so that they could put you to work? Would you still want to go with them?

Let's imagine that instead, you had gone with your mom and dad, but for whatever reason, several of your brothers and sisters had to be left behind until things were ready to bring them along, too. And it was your brothers and sisters that had been told that your mom and dad were harsh and mean. When you and your mom and dad came to bring your brothers and sisters back to their new home, they say they don't want to come because they don't like mom and dad. Would you do or say anything to them?

What is God like? [Responses may vary, but hopefully most of them are something along the lines of: God loves us, He's a friend, He talks with us, etc.]

God has sent an invitation to everyone that He is building a home for everyone and that He is coming soon to take us all back. But there are many people today who think that God is harsh and mean, waiting to catch someone doing wrong so that He can punish them. And they don't want to be with a God like that. If you know that God is not like that, would you want to tell them that God isn't like that? What can you do to help them see what God is really like?

Children's Story: Independence or Freedom?

What holiday is coming up next week? (Fourth of July, Independence Day)

Why do we celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day? (Pause.)

Way back, some 230 or so years ago now, there were people living on the east coast of the country we live that today we call the United States. At the time, many of these people were British citizens, and the land that they lived on was part of the British Empire.

At least they thought they were. They were supposed to obey the king and do what he told them to do. The problem though, was the British government, the king, was treating the people in the American colonies differently than the citizens who lived in the British Isles. The Americans felt like they were being treated unfairly, as servants of a king who simply demanded more and more from them. The king and the government thought they could get away with it because the colonists lived so far away and thought that there wasn't a whole lot that the colonists could do about it.

But the American colonists, still British citizens, didn't appreciate the way they were being treated. At least some of them thought the only way to solve the problem was to rebel against the king by declaring themselves independent from the king and the British government. This led to what we call today the Revolutionary War. This war lasted a number of years. In the end, the American colonists won and the new nation of America was born.

This is the reason we celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July. This was the day, in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed. This was when the American colonists decided that they no longer wanted to be part of the British Empire and ruled by the British king. This was when the colonists declared that they wanted to decide for themselves how to run the country.

Kids, do you think you have enough freedom in your life? (Pause.) Are there times you wish you had more freedom? (Pause.) Do you think you'd have more freedom if you left home? Declared yourself independent from your mom, dad, or other people that take care of you? (Pause.)

What would happen if you left home? (Pause.)

• Might end up in trouble and in jail... And lose any freedom you might have had.
• You'll have to find a way to get food, clothes, place to live... Which means you'll have to work or spend lots of time gathering, building, and making things. Again you'll probably have less freedom than you have today.
• Ask any adult how much freedom they have to do the things they really want... Probably not as much as they'd like.

Did you know that way back, many thousands of years ago, there was an Independence Day? It didn't involve a lot of fireworks and celebration though. It was in the Garden of Eden. Do you recall the story of Adam and Eve?

Adam and Eve were created by God to be His friends. He gave them everything they would need and want. They weren't made to be God's servants, or God's workers. They were made to be God's friends.

But Adam and Eve were deceived -- by a serpent, a snake. You've probably seen pictures that someone drew of what he or she thought happened -- a big, huge, thick, ugly snake wrapped around a gnarly tree limb, a forked tongue flicking out, hissing to Eve that God was hiding things from them -- that God really wasn't a friend like He was telling them. Perhaps the serpent asked, "Did God really say that He is your friend? You know, He's keeping things from you." Perhaps the snake implied to Adam and Eve that God really wanted them as His servants and even His slaves.

Adam and Eve thought about what the snake said, and began to think that maybe this snake really knew what it was saying to them. They decided to believe what the snake told them, and signed their Declaration of Independence from God.

What they discovered, however, was that by doing so, they cut themselves off from the Source of Freedom, thereby ending up with really, no freedom at all. Things ended up being much worse. They had to work harder, they had to see things die (including their own children), they had to go through pain and suffering, they ended up fighting with one another.

By declaring their independence, they thought they would be more free, but instead, they discovered they became slaves.

But some thousands of years later for them, and two-thousand years before our time, Jesus chose to come into our world. Jesus came to show us how and to help us recover the freedom that was lost back in Eden. Jesus showed and taught that the only way to be really free is to be dependent upon God. Jesus showed us that complete trust upon God gives us complete freedom. Jesus came to repair and heal all of the things that get in the way of people, us, from being able to trust God completely. Every Sabbath can be, if we let it, be a reminder to us that God is always with us and offers us true freedom.

God is with us, not like a boss or a king, demanding that we do things for Him. God is with us as a friend. He wants us to get to know Him, to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to share with Him our lives, to learn to trust Him.

Today, will you let God be your friend? Will you let God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit be your friends?

Children's Story: Everything

Everything

What do you want to become? If you could become anything you could possibly imagine, what would it be?

What do you want your life to look like when you're grown up? If you could have anything you could imagine, what would it be?

What if I told you that by focusing what you think about on the things that you want, on how you want life to look like, and then working to bring those things into your life, you could have it all? Would you believe me?

Is that how life works? By imagining how your future could look, do you make it turn out that way?

Did you know that there are quite a few adults that believe this way and teach it to others? As you go through school you might hear teachers say this. Or you might see or hear about classes that teach how you can imagine your way to everything you ever wanted.

There is a part of it that is true. How we think, especially of ourselves, and what we imagine do affect the way we view our own lives, how we view the world, and how others view us. And this can, to a large degree affect how we live our lives. But can we have everything we imagine? And can we become anything we want to be? Can we make our futures into whatever we imagine?

There was once an angel that wanted to be God. He imagined himself to be God. He began to think of himself as God. He began to talk about himself as God. And then many other angels began to believe that this angel could be God. After all, he was talking and acting as if he was God.

After a while, the real God addressed all the angels. The Bible tells us that there was war in heaven. I don't know what kind of war a war in heaven was like. I don't think it was the kind of war that we talk about and know about. It was probably a war of thoughts and ideas. But in the end, the angel who imagined himself to be God and this angel's followers could no longer live together with God and the angels who chose to continue to believe in the real God.

So the angel claiming to be God and his followers were sent out of heaven. This angel came to be known as Satan, and made the Earth his home. Even today, he imagines himself to be the god of this world. But is Satan a god like he thinks he is? He may be in his own mind, but the God of heaven is still God over this Earth.

You see God created the angel, who became Satan, to be the best angel there could possibly be. This angel was never meant to be a god. This angel wasn't designed to be a god. Somehow, we don't know how, this angel began to think that if he could just imagine getting more for himself, by imagining being more than what he was, he could become what he imagined and have all that he imagined. But in the end, he ended up with much less than what he originally had.

God designed each one of us for a special purpose. God gave each one of us a unique set of skills, abilities, and personalities. We can become everything God designed us to be. But when we try to become something we weren't designed to be, we might succeed for a while, but in the end, we will end up with much less than what we could have had if we had followed God's design for us.

How do we find out what God's plan for our lives are? What is the secret to God's way of success? It's putting God first and center. Whenever we are faced with a decision, we need to ask, "What does God want from me?" We will likely find pieces of the answer in different places: the Bible, parents, teachers, pastors, counselors, classes, and books. Oftentimes, not everything you hear or read will be true. If we are tuned into wanting to do the right thing for God, the Holy Spirit will help us know which parts to take as the right answer and which parts to leave behind as stuff that will just confuse us and take us down the wrong path.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to put God first and center. We can test everything by asking and answering a simple question: "Is this what God wants for me?" If the answer this question is, "No," then no matter how much you might want it for yourself, or even if other people might say it's okay, then the wise thing to do is to leave it alone.

Children's Story: Real Healing

Real Healing

Have you've been sick?

How do you feel when you're sick?

Do you feel like going out, running around and playing? Or do you feel like stuffing yourself with your favorite food? No, not usually. When you're sick you're usually feeling pretty icky and usually just want to lie around, sleep, and rest.

Have you ever been so sick that you thought you might die? (Unless there is actually someone present that has been there:) No, I don't think any of you have been that sick.

Whenever you get sick, your moms and dads get worried and concerned. Moms and dads don't like to see their children sick and feeling bad and miserable. We want to see you get better and feel better.

So what do moms and dads do? What kinds of things do we do to try to help you feel better and get better? We might give you medicine, Advil or Tylenol, to help with headaches and fevers. Or perhaps a little bit of throat spray medicine to help with sore throats. We might help you with cool towels or ice if you're feeling hot. We also pray -- pray to God to help you recover and get well quickly.

When Jesus was here on earth, when Jesus was a little boy and a teenager, did he ever get sick? The Bible doesn't say that he did or that he didn't, but I have a pretty strong hunch that he got colds, headaches, sore throats and fevers. I'd venture to guess that Jesus probably knows exactly how you're feeling when you're sick.

In today's sermon, I'll be talking about a story -- not where Jesus is sick -- but when a little boy is sick, and his father comes to Jesus to ask Jesus to heal the little boy. This little boy was at the point of death -- his father thought the boy was going to die. Jesus did answer the father's request and the boy was healed.

In our world today, we pray for healing when someone is sick. Jesus will sometimes answer with healing. But at other times, he chooses not to heal.

Did you know that in the Bible, when Jesus talks about healing, it is more than just about someone getting better from being sick? When Jesus talks about healing, he is also talking about salvation. To Jesus, healing and salvation are the same thing.

When we pray for healing, it's usually for healing from physical sickness -- the things that make us feel icky and bad. Jesus is concerned about how we feel right now, but he is even more concerned about our eternal future. Jesus wants us to pray for the type of healing that brings us salvation. And that kind of prayer -- the one that asks Jesus to save us -- will always be answered with, "Yes!" The only thing we need to do is to choose to ask Jesus for the salvation-healing, and then trust that when Jesus says to us, "You're healed; you're saved," that he really means what he says.

Children's Story: Life Vests

This morning I told the following story. Since I didn't write it out first, what follows is my recollection of more or less what I said.

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Life Vests

Back in September we moved from Portland, Oregon to this town (Petesrburg, Alaska). We drove from Portland to Bellingham, Washington, and then boarded a ferry called the M/V Malaspina. The day we boarded, it was bright and sunny, like it is today. (Though by the time we came into Petersburg, it was, as is typical, raining.)

We settled aboard and then I think it was the Purser who announced that there was going to be a short demonstration of safety equipment and procedures at the cafeteria. At the announced time, we made our way to the cafeteria to watch and listen to the demonstration and instructions.

The crew showed all of us what to do if an emergency occurs on board that would require everyone to quickly get off the boat. They showed us life vests and other equipment that would help us stay afloat in the water. They assured us that there was enough equipment for everyone to have one, if they were ever needed. On that fall sailing, since the number of passengers was about equal to the crew, I suspect that if we really wanted, we each could have had two or three floatation devices.

Let's say that the ferry hits a big rock and begins to take on water. It's starting to sink. The announcement is made that everyone needs to make their way to the muster point, collect appropriate survival equipment, and then go to the life rafts. Does it make sense to ignore all of the instructions, leave all the safety equipment behind, and jump into the water?

Or perhaps you follow the instructions, but you choose to not get your own life vest. You figure that you can just grab onto your mom or dad and their equipment. But what happens if you find yourself in the water, and a huge, strong wave comes over you? What happens if you lose hold of the person with the life vest?

Since there is more than enough safety equipment, it doesn't make sense to go off the ferry without it, does it? It doesn't make much sense to try to borrow someone else's equipment.

But people try to do that with Jesus, with their spirituality. Some people think they can borrow someone else's Jesus and spirituality. Maybe a boy or a girl thinks that because their mom or dad reads their Bible, that they don't have to read it for themselves. Or maybe because their pastor or their teacher prays for them, they don't need to pray for themselves. Does that make sense to you?

It might seem to work for a little while -- hanging on to your parents' or your pastor's or your teachers' Jesus. But what happens when really difficult times hit? When they aren't close by, or when they don't seem to have the answers for you? If you're relying on their trust in Jesus, you might suddenly find yourself drowning.

Jesus and God are like a life vest. In fact he is better than that, because through the Holy Spirit, God can live inside you. But you have to have Jesus for yourself. You have to wrap Jesus around you and have the Holy Spirit live inside you. You can't rely on holding onto anyone else to keep you afloat when difficult times come in your life. Will you choose to wrap Jesus around you?

Children's Story: "Owning" God

"Owning" God

Hi kids! Can you own God? [Wait for responses.]

Where does God live? [Wait for a few responses.]

Churches are often called "houses of God." Does God live inside a church? Does God live in this building? [See Acts 7:48, 17:24.]

So where does God live? [Wait for a few responses.]

People who lived long time ago often believed that gods lived in special places. These places may have been things like furniture, rocks, trees, houses, or temples. Idols were thought of as places where a god lived.

Because they thought a god could live in things and buildings, they thought they could own gods. Even though gods were powerful, the people believed that by doing just the right things and by giving just the right offerings, the gods could be made to do what the people wanted.

Some of these people believed that there were many gods and each god had power over a small section of the world. They believed that when a person left one god's section of the world, they would have to worship the god controlling the next section if they wanted to be safe and prosperous.

Some of these people thought that by carrying objects that were special to their god, they could carry a piece of their god around, even if they were traveling in an area controlled by, what they thought, was a different god.

Even the ancient Israelites, the nation that eventually became the Jews and the Samaritans, thought this way. There was a time when the army asked for a special furniture item in their church to be brought out because they thought God lived in this furniture and would help them. (It turns out that God didn't help them in this case.) They were commanded to bring their offerings to their temple, because that is where they believed God was present in a special way. When their temple was destroyed, they thought God had left them because they believed that God had to have a place to live.

The Jews and Samaritans during the years that Jesus was on earth also believed something like this. The Jews thought that they could only worship in Jerusalem because they believed that was where God lived. The Samaritans thought the proper place of worship was a mountain called Mount Gerizim, because that was a special place where in past history, God often associated himself.

But Jesus came and told us that where we worship isn't nearly as important as the attitude we have when we worship. Jesus told us that we can worship anywhere as long as we want to have God come meet with us.

After Jesus went back to heaven, a person named Stephen and a person named Paul said that God doesn't live in temples and things made by people. Paul also said that when we choose to become God's person, we become his temple and the Holy Spirit, who is God, comes to live in us.

When we choose to become God's person and the Holy Spirit lives in us, we become able to really worship God.

Many people worship God because they think they have to, or because they're afraid of him. Many people think, like the people of long ago, that by worshiping God in just the right way, they can control him. But people who have the Holy Spirit living in them worship God because they love him. They worship God because they are thankful for all the help God gives in living life.

Jesus said that God is looking for people who worship him because they love him with all their hearts. Do you want to be that kind of person?

Children's Story: Seals

Seals

Props: 1 or 2 reproductions of government seals, or seals on official documents.

This morning we're going to talk about seals. No, not the kind of seals that you find in the waters around here.

What I'm talking about are seals like these. [Show reproductions of government seals.]

What are these kinds of seals used for?
On government documents
On official correspondence

Can you think of some reasons why governments place these seals on important documents?
To identify the documents as being from the government (identification)
So the recipients can have confidence in the source of the document (affirmation)
To show that the bearer of the seal speaks for the government (authority)
To show that the document or item bearing the seal belongs to the gov't. (ownership)

In the part of the world we live in, we don't really give too much thought to seals. Today our signatures are often sufficient for conducting business. But in years past, seals were much more important in everyday life. Even today though, in some other parts of the world, seals are much more important.

For example, in the country where I was born, Japan, instead of signatures, seals are still used to identify, affirm, and to claim authority and ownership in transacting business.

Did you know that the Bible talks about seals too? In the last book of the Bible, called Revelation, we learn that God's people can be identified as His because they have God's seal on them.

Is God's seal something like the seal of the State of Alaska, or the seal of the City of Petersburg? Is it something that is stamped onto us? It is, but not in the way that you might expect.

The book of Ephesians tells us that the seal of God that identifies people as His is the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit lives in a person's heart, that person is then identified as belonging to God.

What's even more interesting is that people who love Jesus become seals themselves. We read in John 3:33 that "Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true." What this is saying is that anyone who learns to trust in Jesus become seals that identify and affirm that what Jesus says is true.
How does this happen?

It happens like this. When a person learns to love Jesus, she wants to spend more and more time with Jesus. When she spends more time, she becomes more like Jesus. Becoming more like Jesus means becoming more loving, patient, and kind with one another, even people that might annoy you at times -- even your sister or brother.

When a person begins to show that kind of love, other people around them begin to notice. They see that what Jesus said about loving one another really can be true.

So you see, when you learn to love and trust Jesus, you become seals that help show the world that Jesus' words are really true. You become seals that show to the world that you've made Jesus' words the rule (or authority) for your life, that you've made Jesus a part of your life, and that you identify yourself with Jesus kingdom.