Children's sermon Easter Sunday
A change of pace from the sermon at Vigil for those who are interested!
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Easter Sunday St. Mark’s Hazard
March 23, 2008
Children’s Sermon
[Alexa, 8; Megan, 8; Bella, 5; Blake,4]
I want to tell you a dog story, this Easter. One day, I was driving, (I am ALWAYS driving!!) and I was going up a hill. On the other side of the road, coming down toward be was a big white truck, going very fast. Standing right in the path of the truck was a puppy. {Big eyes here!!} So I checked in my rearview mirror, and pulled over. I opened my door and called him and he landed right in my lap! So what was I supposed to do!
Of course, I took him home. Mr. Shannon was VERY PATIENT. But he did not think we could keep him. We tried to take him to the shelters; they would not take him. They all said I was not in their county, although I knew where I was!! So he has stayed with us for a while.
But we could not figure out his name. We tried puppy and Roger Dodger and Dog and even NO NO BAD DOG. He did not answer to any of those names! (He got called No No Bad Dog the most often.)
One day Mr. Shannon was telling someone at work all about him and she really wanted him but did not have a place to put him just yet. She is getting married in June and will have a place after that. So she asked if we could keep him for a few months longer. At this point, Mr. Shannon would say yes to anything to move the dog out of OUR house!! So that was what we are doing. But the really cool thing is that when this dog met his new parents, they chose a name for him. They called him Raleigh, like Sir Walter Raleigh. And do you know what? He knew his name right away when they called him Raleigh and he knew they were his parents. We could not find his name because he did not ever really belong to us.
It was like that for Mary in the Gospel lesson we just heard too. Do you remember that when she saw Jesus she did not know that it was Jesus—she thought it was the Gardener. But when he called to her, “Mary,” she knew suddenly who he was. She answered him with great joy, “Rabbouni,” Teacher. Because she belonged to him, she could recognize him when he called her name.
He told her something else important too that day, as he sent her to tell the others. He told her to tell them, “My father and your father; My God and Your God.” So Jesus, in his dying and rising again, made us all God’s beloved children.
What does that mean to be a child of God? What does it mean to be the children of your parents? {Looking at Blake} What does it mean to be Melissa’s child? Does it mean that you have to do what she asks you to do? {Vigorous nods of agreement.} And sometimes, because you love her, you want to do what she asks you to do? {Blake shook his head and said NO!!} But really, {Looking at all of them} when we are someone’s child, we do want to do the right thing, because we know they love us and we love them! {This time they all agreed.}
{I held up car keys, one with a separate remote and one with a remote in the key.} What are these? {They knew of course.} What do they do? {They unlock things, open windows, and pop the trunk.} Did you ever wonder how the keys for my car do not make your car do things? {They never wondered this.} These keys in my hand are actually for both of our cars and the keys for one do nothing to the other. Why do you think that is? {Lot’s of head shaking.} It is because there is a special signal between the remote and the car. It is like that between you and God. The messages that God gives to Blake and Summer (But wait, you are not Summer- you are Bella! I have been calling you the wrong name- your sister’s name- and you did not correct me! Well, GOD knows who you are and that is the important thing!{Bella lit up and smiled but never said a word here}) and Megan and Alexa- to all of us- match the gifts that we have. And that is also part of what it means to be a child of God. God knows each one of us in a special way. He knows us by name.
So does God only speak to us here in church? {Yes. Lots of nodding.} NO!! God speaks to us everywhere! So some of us were here last night for church; why did we have to come back today? {It is Easter!} That is right it IS Easter, and it is Sunday. This is the place we come to especially listen to that “special signal” that God has for each of us. We get busy and we forget to listen, so this day in this place is where we can come to pay attention to God.
Last night was about coming from darkness into light. We had bells and Alleluias. But look around you today. What is different? {FLOWERS!!} Yes, we have flowers EVERYWHERE. But if you look closely, you will see that they are all LIVE PLANTS. There are no cut flowers here. The Easter Lilies and the pansies and the violas are all living. We can plant them outside and keep them alive.
Today is about Jesus rising from the dead and living into his Resurrection. It is about us listening and trying to begin to live into the Resurrection too, to live the lives we are supposed to live as children of God. It is about listening to God for the special signal we each get, so that we can begin to use our gifts and our lives to make the world work as God intends.
Alleluia!
Amen.
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Easter Sunday St. Mark’s Hazard
March 23, 2008
Children’s Sermon
[Alexa, 8; Megan, 8; Bella, 5; Blake,4]
I want to tell you a dog story, this Easter. One day, I was driving, (I am ALWAYS driving!!) and I was going up a hill. On the other side of the road, coming down toward be was a big white truck, going very fast. Standing right in the path of the truck was a puppy. {Big eyes here!!} So I checked in my rearview mirror, and pulled over. I opened my door and called him and he landed right in my lap! So what was I supposed to do!
Of course, I took him home. Mr. Shannon was VERY PATIENT. But he did not think we could keep him. We tried to take him to the shelters; they would not take him. They all said I was not in their county, although I knew where I was!! So he has stayed with us for a while.
But we could not figure out his name. We tried puppy and Roger Dodger and Dog and even NO NO BAD DOG. He did not answer to any of those names! (He got called No No Bad Dog the most often.)
One day Mr. Shannon was telling someone at work all about him and she really wanted him but did not have a place to put him just yet. She is getting married in June and will have a place after that. So she asked if we could keep him for a few months longer. At this point, Mr. Shannon would say yes to anything to move the dog out of OUR house!! So that was what we are doing. But the really cool thing is that when this dog met his new parents, they chose a name for him. They called him Raleigh, like Sir Walter Raleigh. And do you know what? He knew his name right away when they called him Raleigh and he knew they were his parents. We could not find his name because he did not ever really belong to us.
It was like that for Mary in the Gospel lesson we just heard too. Do you remember that when she saw Jesus she did not know that it was Jesus—she thought it was the Gardener. But when he called to her, “Mary,” she knew suddenly who he was. She answered him with great joy, “Rabbouni,” Teacher. Because she belonged to him, she could recognize him when he called her name.
He told her something else important too that day, as he sent her to tell the others. He told her to tell them, “My father and your father; My God and Your God.” So Jesus, in his dying and rising again, made us all God’s beloved children.
What does that mean to be a child of God? What does it mean to be the children of your parents? {Looking at Blake} What does it mean to be Melissa’s child? Does it mean that you have to do what she asks you to do? {Vigorous nods of agreement.} And sometimes, because you love her, you want to do what she asks you to do? {Blake shook his head and said NO!!} But really, {Looking at all of them} when we are someone’s child, we do want to do the right thing, because we know they love us and we love them! {This time they all agreed.}
{I held up car keys, one with a separate remote and one with a remote in the key.} What are these? {They knew of course.} What do they do? {They unlock things, open windows, and pop the trunk.} Did you ever wonder how the keys for my car do not make your car do things? {They never wondered this.} These keys in my hand are actually for both of our cars and the keys for one do nothing to the other. Why do you think that is? {Lot’s of head shaking.} It is because there is a special signal between the remote and the car. It is like that between you and God. The messages that God gives to Blake and Summer (But wait, you are not Summer- you are Bella! I have been calling you the wrong name- your sister’s name- and you did not correct me! Well, GOD knows who you are and that is the important thing!{Bella lit up and smiled but never said a word here}) and Megan and Alexa- to all of us- match the gifts that we have. And that is also part of what it means to be a child of God. God knows each one of us in a special way. He knows us by name.
So does God only speak to us here in church? {Yes. Lots of nodding.} NO!! God speaks to us everywhere! So some of us were here last night for church; why did we have to come back today? {It is Easter!} That is right it IS Easter, and it is Sunday. This is the place we come to especially listen to that “special signal” that God has for each of us. We get busy and we forget to listen, so this day in this place is where we can come to pay attention to God.
Last night was about coming from darkness into light. We had bells and Alleluias. But look around you today. What is different? {FLOWERS!!} Yes, we have flowers EVERYWHERE. But if you look closely, you will see that they are all LIVE PLANTS. There are no cut flowers here. The Easter Lilies and the pansies and the violas are all living. We can plant them outside and keep them alive.
Today is about Jesus rising from the dead and living into his Resurrection. It is about us listening and trying to begin to live into the Resurrection too, to live the lives we are supposed to live as children of God. It is about listening to God for the special signal we each get, so that we can begin to use our gifts and our lives to make the world work as God intends.
Alleluia!
Amen.
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