Jesus as the Gate

4 Easter a         May 11, 2014  

Acts 6:1-9, 7:2a 51-60   Ps. 23 

1 Peter 2:19-25    John 10:1-10               

Lectionary Link

  Today we have read another riddle of Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the Gate.”  I am the Sheep Gate.  That is quite a riddle to say, “I am the Door.”  How can Jesus be a Gate or a Door?

  Well in the time of Jesus a Shepherd was a Gate.  A shepherd would sleep in the gate opening to the sheepfold.  The shepherd would not let the sheep out during the night.  And the shepherd would not let the foxes and the wolves attack the sheep because the Shepherd slept in the doorway of the sheep fold.

  We call Jesus the Good Shepherd and one of the roles of a good shepherd was to be gatekeeper.

  Today is mother’s day and your mom is a good shepherd for you; she is a good gatekeeper for you.  And she is the best looking door or gate you have ever seen.  But please don’t say to your mom, “Mom, you are the best looking door I’ve ever seen.”

  But let me try to show you how a human door works.  I stand in this door way here.  And I won’t let you go through this door because there is something dangerous in this next room and I want to protect you from it.  It may be a snake or an alligator or it may be a busy street with lots of traffic and so I am going to block you from going into the street because I want to protect you.  Do you think that I would be a good door if I could protect you and keep you from getting harmed or injured?

  But I am also another kind of Door.  I can also be an Open Door.  Come, into this room.  In this room there is the adventure of new learning.  There is beauty and truth and books and a museum.  There is sports and exercise and dance and stories.  So I am an open door for you to learn new things that are good for you.

  But I am a closed door to protect you from going to the wrong places.  But I am also a closed door to keep the bad things outside from getting inside to hurt you.

  So now do you see why Jesus as the Good Shepherd said, I am the Sheep Gate and I am the Door.

  Jesus is the one who opens good things up for us but he is also the one who teaches to protect ourselves from the bad things which can hurt us.

  We all need to have moms and dads and teachers and gatekeepers in our lives.

  You too need to be good doors and gates.  Is that silly?  How and you be a good door?

  You can be a good door when you protect babies and animals from getting harmed or hurt.  You can be a good door when you take good care of younger babies and children and when you help them to learn new things in their lives.

  So now we understand the riddle of Jesus when he said that he was the Gate to the Sheepfold.

  We need people in our lives who are good gates and doors; people to protect us from wrong things but people who open up for us new learning.  We also need to be good gates and doors and we protect those who need protection and as we share our learning with those who need it.

  So remember these riddles about Jesus.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  Jesus is a good gate-keeper.  And on this day, remember that your mom is a good gate keeper too.  But please don’t say to her, “you’re the most beautiful door I’ve ever seen.”

Emmaus Road: Peek A Boo, I See You

3 Easter a         May 4, 2014   

Acts 2:14a,36-47   Ps. 116:10-17

1 Peter 1:17-23    Luke 24:13-35              

 Lectionary Link

   How many of you have ever played the game of “Peek-a-boo?”  It is one of the first game that we probably learned to play as a baby.

  We cover our face with our hands and then we suddenly take them away.  And say “Peek-a-boo”  I see you.

  Or we cover baby’s head with a blanket, and baby pulls the blanket off and we say, “Peek-a-boo.”

  What is the meaning of this game?  I pretend to be gone away and absent.  I pretend that you cannot see me.  And then I suddenly return by saying “Peek-a-boo.”

  When you are a young baby or a child, can you see and touch your mommy and daddy all of the time?

  No, they sleep in another room; they go to work.  They go into the kitchen.  You go to preschool or school.  So sometimes we cannot see or touch or hear our mommy and daddy.  But even though we do not see, or touch or hear them we know that they still live.  We know that at anytime they can surprise us when they come to be with us.

  And that is what our Gospel story is about.  When Jesus died, they put his body in the tomb.  And suddenly his body was gone from the tomb.

  And his disciples suddenly began to have peek-a-boo games with Jesus.  Suddenly Jesus would appear to them to let them know that they were okay and he was still alive.

  And now God still plays peek-a-boo with us.   Although we don’t actual see God or Jesus.  We still know his presence.

  In the love of our parents and friends, Christ is jumping out and saying “Peek-a-boo, I love you and I care for you.”  In the fun that we have, in learning, in seeing the beautiful world that God has made for us, God also has hidden his presence.  And God is saying to us, “Peek-a-boo, I see you….I love you and I care for you.”

  And you and I, are to be God messengers for the game of Peek-a-boo.  When we are loving and kind, when we care for one another and when we help each other, Christ is saying “Peek-a-boo” to this world through us.

  So even though we don’t see or touch Christ, let us remember that Christ is still present in many, many ways and he is ready to surprise us at anytime with love and care, and he is saying, “Peek-a-boo, I see you and I love you and I care for you.”  Amen.

Cloning the Insides of Christ to Be Everywhere

Easter Sunday        April 20, 2014     

Acts 10:34-43  Psalm118:1-2,14-24
Colossians 3:1-4 Matthew 28:1-10

Lectionary Link

  Children do you know what imagination is?  Do you ever use your imagination?  Do you think that imagination was used to make Disney movies?  And to write books?  And to invent things?

  So today, I am going to ask you to join me in using our imaginations.  With our imaginations we can do magical things.  Did our first president George Washington drive a Cadillac?  No, he didn’t, but with our imagination we can pretend that he did.  And wouldn’t it be kind of funny to thing about George Washington driving a car among all of the other horseback riders and people in carriages pulled by horses?  We can do this with our imagination.

   I would like for us to imagine Jesus living in a home in Jerusalem.  But his home has also become his office.  It is his office and the sign on the door says, “Welcome to Jesus Ministries.”

  And when go into the office of Jesus, we see him sitting at a desk and there are lots of desks and with phones on each desk.  Jesus is talking on the phone.  He finishes one phone call and he has to take another phone call.  And his disciples are also taking phone calls.  And there are so many calls, they have to bring in people to answer the phone in the evening and throughout the night because phone calls are coming in from people who live around the world.

  And the disciples are getting worried.  They go to Jesus when he has a break and they say, “Jesus, there are too many people calling.  People are asking for all kinds of things.  A little girl needs some medicine.  And  a family does not have enough food, but they live too far away.  We cannot get the food to them.  And there is a sick man who wants to be healed, but he lives so far away.”

  Jesus said, “Yes, we have thousands and thousands of requests for help, but I am located here in Jerusalem.  I can only be here in one place at one time.”  One of the disciples said to Jesus, “How can we clone you Jesus?  Can we make a million copies of you?  And then one of your clones could be in places all over the world.  If we could clone millions of copies of you, you could be everywhere and then lots more people could get the help which they need.  Jesus what are you going to do about all of the problems of people in this world when you only live in Jerusalem?”

  Jesus said, “Well, I’ve got a plan.”

 So you know what happened?  Jesus went out on the street and he began to heal and preach good news.  He told the Romans citizens and the Jews they had to love for one another.  He told them that God was near to them and God was coming to them.  And you know what happened?  Jesus made the Romans and the religious people angry.  “What do you mean Jesus, that God’s kingdom is coming?  This is the Caesar’s kingdom or this is the kingdom of King David where someone great like David will come back and be a powerful king.”  So the people got so angry at Jesus for preaching about God’s kingdom.  They were worried that God’s kingdom would be a threat to the kingdom of the Emperor Caesar.  They were worried that this kingdom of God would not be another great military king like King David.

  So do you know what they did to Jesus?  They did not like his message about the kingdom of God’s love, so they put him to death on the cross.  And they thought that this was the end of Jesus.  They thought that Jesus would be gone forever.

  But you know what?  When the friends of Jesus went to the grave and tomb of Jesus, they found it empty.  And you know suddenly people saw Jesus popping up all over.  People suddenly saw him in Jerusalem.  And some saw him on the Emmaus road and on the same day some saw him way up north in Galilee, quite a distance from Jerusalem.

  And the disciples got together and they said, “This Jesus is really clever and he has found the perfect solution to the problem of so many people needing the help of Jesus.  When Jesus died, he has come back and he has had the life that was inside of his body cloned to go into the lives of us and many people.

  And since the insides of Jesus have been cloned and put inside the lives of millions and millions of people, the work of Jesus can get done all around the world.  Jesus is no longer limited to being in just one body in Jerusalem; now Jesus can be the risen Christ in the lives of people everywhere.

  And you know what?  The insides of Jesus have been cloned and is inside us too.  I see it in you.  I look at Wes, and Jackson and Cole and I see Christ is risen and in them.  I look in your eyes and I can see the risen Christ in you and I know that your hands perform the works of kindness and love that allows Christ to do so much in this world now that he is not just limited to the one body of Jesus in his Jerusalem office.

  I look at you and I know that Christ is alive; I know that Christ has risen from the death and I know that the life that was inside of Jesus, his Spirit, has become cloned and is in you and me.

  Isn’t that wonderful?  To know that Jesus is not limited to just one time or place but that the risen Christ can now be everywhere.

  Let me hear you say, “Alleluia.”  Can’t hear you.  Christ is Risen!  Can you say that?  Now say, “Christ is risen, in me!”  Can you say, “Christ is risen in you!”  Now can you say?  I am a Christ-clone.  Because the Spirit of Christ is alive and well in me.  Amen.

Baptismal Sermon at the Great Vigil: God loves you! Deal with it!

Easter Vigil         April 19, 2014

Ex.14:10 Canticle 8, Ez  36:24-28 Psalm 42:1-7

Rom.6:3-11         Luke 24:1-12

 Lectionary link

  Tonight we are gathered to celebrate something wonderful about grace.  The most wonderful thing about grace is that you and I don’t have any choice about it being offered to us.  Grace is given to us whether we want it or not. 

  And so Peter and Payton are here tonight to be initiated into God’s wonderful grace.  They like us do not have any choice about Grace being offered and given to them.

  Peter and Payton do not have any choice tonight about being loved.  Their parents, grandparents and family and friends have and will continue to love them.  They have no choice about that.  They may grow up and try to resist this love and grace but they can never take it away nor can they deny that it has been given to them.

  Tonight baptism at the Easter Vigil expresses the grace of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This grace has been known by all of us. This grace that has already come to Payton and Peter in the love of their parents, grandparents, family and friends.  The grace of the resurrection of Christ   is expressed in the lives of the people who are letting themselves be the hearts, the hands, the feet of the risen Christ tonight.

  Jesus did not remain in a tomb; Christ rose and entered and energized the countless numbers of people.  Christ has taken us over to the point of we cannot help but be expressions of the love and grace of Christ toward Payton and Peter and towards each other and towards even our enemies.

  This is the living Gospel of the resurrection of Christ.  We are to be the living proof of the resurrection of Christ in how we offer active grace and love to Peter and Payton and to everyone tonight.

  We, church are gathered tonight, to confess to Peter and Payton and to the entire world:   People, you have no choice; you are loved, by God and by us, even in our fumbling and feeble efforts to do so.  No, we are not perfect in our love but we are perfect in having the heart of the risen Jesus Christ within us to inspire us always to be at the work of loving better.

  A major reason why we baptize babies and children and people of any age is this: People you do not have any choice about these fact.  God loves you.  God cares for you.  God forgives you.  God gives you many wonderful gifts to develop.  And when you finish your life in your body, God is going to give you eternal life.  Folks, just accept it.  You don’t have any choice about whether God loves you.  Deal with it.

  Lots of religions over-emphasize the human choice in choosing baptism or faith or religion.  If someone offers me a million bucks, am I to be profusely congratulated for graciously deciding to take the million bucks?  “O, Phil you are so wonderful for graciously deciding to take the million bucks.”  Absurd right?  What is marvelous is the generosity of the giver and not the minor event of my decision to take the money.

  That is the nature of God’s love and grace for Peter and Payton tonight and for you and me and for all of the people of this world.

  We have the privilege of receiving this generous grace and love and we as the church have the responsibility not to make this grace and love look bad because of the way in which we live.  We are called tonight to be the very proof and evidence of the resurrection of Christ.

  Can you say, “Alleluia, Christ is Risen?”  And now say, “He’s risen in Me!”  Can we also be fully committed to let this resurrection life of Christ in us be grace and love to Payton and Peter and to all whom God would bring into our lives?

  Alleluia!  Christ is Risen in You!  And in Peter.  And in Payton.  Let us rejoice that we have no choice about whether this resurrection power and grace and love is given to us.  But let us humbly accept it and be conduits for the grace, the love and the power of Christ tonight.  Happy Easter to you!  I can see Easter shining in your eyes tonight.  Amen. 

We Become the Words that Form Us; A Baptismal Sermon on Prevenient Grace

13 Pentecost, Cp15,August 18, 2013

Jeremiah 23:23-29  Psalm 82

Hebrews 12:1 – 14  Luke 12:49-56

  Everyone take a deep breath?  Why do we breathe?  We need oxygen to live.  We take it into our lungs and it goes into our blood and carried throughout our body.  So air becomes us when we breathe.

  Why do we eat and drink?  We need food and drink to run our bodies just like a car needs gas to run.

  When we eat and drink, food and water become us.  So if you’ve eaten lots of pizza, how come you don’t look like a pizza? 

  Well, pizza gets changed into energy; pizza has sugar, fats, carbohydrates and protein and these are the kinds of fuel that we need to make our bodies healthy.

  So we become our breath and we become our food and drink.

  Do you know what else we become?

  We become our words.

  We don’t eat or drink words.  We don’t breathe words but we do hear words and we read words.

  And words go inside us  and they make and they form us.  We become words.  Words educate us and teach us.  Words take over our bodies because our bodies speak a language through our actions.  If I hit you with my fist, what is my body saying to you?  If I hug you or smile at you what is my body saying to you?

  Today, we are baptizing Hailey and we are promising to help form her life by the words that we give to her.  The words that we give to Hailey will become her.  So it is very important that we give Hailey our very best words because we want to help her become the very best person that she can become.

  What good words are we giving to Hailey today?  First we are telling her that God loves her and cares for her and so we are going to love and care for her too.  We are telling her that God forgives her so that she does not have to be perfect from the start of her life.  We are telling her that God has given her some very special gifts that she can develop and when she finds her gifts she will help make us better.  We are telling her that her life has special meaning and purpose.  We are telling her that she has freedom and that she can choose many wonderful things in life.

  Hailey can not understand all words yet but she can already understand the body language of the people who care for her.  She can see their smiles; she can feel their touch; she can know that people who love her are giving her food and bathing her and protecting her.  Hailey is already receiving the good body language of the people in her life.

  So do you see how Hailey is becoming the words that she comes to hear and take in?

  You and I are the words that we take in.  We need to take in good words so that we give out good words to Hailey and to each other so that we help each other perform the best body language of all.  The language of love and care for each other.

  So this is what we’re doing today.  We are promising to give Hailey and each other the best words in life.  Why?  Because we become the words of our lives and we want to become the very best words of life.  And we become the very best words in life when practice love and kindness and care.

  Let us say together: Hailey, we give you our very best words today.

We give you love.  We give you kindness.  We give you care.  Welcome to the family of Christ.  Amen.

Children Can Be "People Whisperers too"

5 Pentecost, Cp7, June 23, 2013   

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a  Psalm 42

 Gal. 3:23-29   Luke 8:26-39

 Lectionary Link

  Have you ever been to a circus?  Have ever seen someone who works with animals?  With wild animals?  Have you seen a lion tamer?  Or have you seen someone who teach a dog to do amazing tricks?

  Have you ever taught your dog some tricks? Can you get the dog to fetch a ball?  Or roll over?  Or sit?  Or does your dog train you to feed it whenever it wants?

  Some people have a special gift with animals.  A person who can tame a wild horse is sometimes called a horse whisperer.  A horse whisper has such a calming effect upon the horse so that the horse will become very friendly and peaceful.  Sometimes a horse is wild and seems to be angry because the horse has been taught to be fearful and not trust anyone.

  Did you know that as people we can have things that make us wild?  Do you know what can make us wild?  Pain, loss and fear can make us wild.

  Do you ever remember falling and hurting yourself and all you can do is scream in pain; you cannot do anything else.  Pain makes us seems as though we are wild.  Fear also makes us seem like we are wild.  Losing important things and people in our lives makes us have a sadness and this sadness controls our lives.

  Just as a wild horse needs a horse whisperer; we as people need people whisperers.

  When we hurt ourselves, we need our parent or someone with us to hold us and help us, to give us a band aid.  We need someone to calm us down from the wildness caused by pain.

  When we are afraid, we need a people whisperer; we need someone with us to show us that we are safe and that everything is okay.

  Jesus was a wonderful person because he was a people whisperer.  Jesus knew how to calm and tame people from the wildness of pain and fear.  We have many stories of Jesus helping people when they suffered from pain and fear; he gave them hope and encouragement and he made them peaceful and calm just to be with them.

  And Jesus wants us to be people whisperers too.  He wants us to learn how to be with each other when we are hurt by pain and fear.  Everyone has pain and fear at some time in their lives and so it is very important that we learn how to be people whisperers with each other.

  We need to know how to be with each other in pain and fear.  When your friend gets hurt on the playground what do you do?  You try to help them; you run and get help, you call 911 if they are really hurt badly.  When people are in the hospital what do you do?  You visit them, you send them cards or flowers, you pray for them, you let them know that you care.

  Why?  Because Jesus wants us to be people whisperers.  Jesus wants to know how to help each other when we have pain and fear.

  Can you say today, “I will be a people whisperer when people are in pain or fear?”  Because I want to be cared for too when I have pain or fear.  Amen.

Two Childrens Sermons for Easter

Easter Sermons for Children

In this sermon, have the entire congregation, one by one share the Easter Message "Christ is Risen."  Make a baton and write on it the traditions that the church has passed on.  This is to illustrate to the children the transmission of the Easter message for all of these years.

Sermon One: Passing the Baton in the Great Relay Race

   What Christian Feast Day is more important? Christmas or Easter?  They are both very important but Easter is the most important Christian day of the Christian year.  Why?  If Jesus had not come back alive, we would not celebrate Christmas and we would not even exist as a church

  When the resurrection of Christ happened, the friends of Jesus who saw him alive again after his death began to share the story.  And now that story has been share for about 2000 years.  If the church is about 2000 years old, that means that there has been about 100 generations using 20 years as the average length of a generation.  So how has the message of the life, the death and resurrection Jesus been remembered for 2000 years?  By one parent sharing the message with their children and their children share the message with their own children. 

  If we have about 100 people here let us see how long it takes to share the message. One by one, let’s share the message, one time for each generation.  Let’s see how long it takes to say Christ is Risen around this entire gathering.  Okay start.

   But the church has not just passed on spoken message.  We have passed it on in things that we can see and touch and feel.  And so I have made a baton for a relay race and I’ve written some things on the Baton.  The Bible.  The Old Testament Stories.  The New Testament Stories.  Creeds. Holy Spirit. Water of Baptism. Oil of Baptism and Confirmation.  Fire of Baptism.  Bread and Wine of Eucharist.  Prayers for the Sick.  Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Lay Persons.  Marriage Rings.

  These are things of the church that have been shared for 100 generations.  These things have been passed on from family to family for 2000 years.  And that is why we are here today, because someone told us the message about Jesus Christ and because the church has passed on the various things that have helped us to remember that Jesus rose again.  And because the Holy Spirit is inside us giving us the hope that we are going to live beyond our deaths.  And why do we believe that we will live beyond our deaths?  Because Jesus Christ lived beyond his death; he did it to show us what will happen to us after we die.  We will live beyond our death and we will live with God.  That is why this day is such a happy day and it is why we shout: Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!  Amen. 

Sermon Two:  The empty Easter Egg

  Let me tell you today about an Easter Egg hunt that took place on Easter Sunday in a church.  And the Sunday School teacher wanted to teach a lesson to the children on Easter Sunday.  So Mr. Jones during Sunday School on Easter Sunday, said to his class, “Today is Easter Sunday and so we want to do something special.  We are going to have an Easter Egg hunt.  I’ve have already hidden the eggs.  So let’s go outside and look.  And I want each of you to find only one egg.  And when everyone has found one egg, then we will come back to the classroom and each of us will open our egg in front of the entire class.  So the entire class of twelve children ran outside to look for the eggs in a place on the lawn where Mr. Jones had hidden the eggs.  One by one each child found an egg.  One child said, “I’ve found my egg.”  Another child said, “Please help me find my egg.”  And finally after about 10 minutes each child found an egg.  Mr. Jones rang a bell and said, “Come into the classroom.”  And so the children came back into the classroom each holding an egg.  Now these eggs were not real eggs, they were plastic hollow eggs so that there could be a hidden treat inside of the egg.

   When they were seated in the classroom, Mr. Jones said, “Now one by one we are going to open each egg to see what’s in the egg.  And let me tell you, there is a surprise in one of the eggs and whoever has the surprise will get something special.”

  One by one the eggs were opened.  Johnny said, “I have a dollar bill in mine…I bet I won the prize.”  Mary opened hers and she found some very nice chocolates so she said, “No, these are really the best chocolates, so I bet I won the prize.”  Jimmy opened his egg and he had a little Lego man so he said, “I think I got the best prize.”  Grace opened her egg and she had a cute little furry bunny rabbit and she said, “I won!”  Gloria opened her egg and found a silver dollar and she said, “Wow!  I hit the jackpot!”  Jeremy opened his egg and he found a lovely ring that fit his finger and it had a red jewel on it, so he said, “Surely this must be the best prize.”  Betsy then opened her egg and she found a cute little baby chick, and she was thrilled because she knew she had won.  Todd opened his egg and found a shiny whistle and he blew the whistle because he thought he had won.  Everyone who heard the loud noise, said, “Stop blowing the whistle, it hurts our ears.”  Joey opened his egg and he found a little race car…just what he wanted, and so he believed he was the winner.  Margaret opened her egg and she found a cute little teddy bear and she was happy.  Harry opened his Easter Egg and he found a porcelain little Dalmatian.  And he just loved those spotted dogs.  And then there was only one person and one egg left to open and it was Lucy’s egg.  Everyone said, “Hurry and open it let us see.”  But Lucy got very shy and so she hid her egg under desk so that no one could see her open it.  She looked down as she opened it and when she got it opened, her face turned red and said.  Everyone shouted, “What did you get Lucy?  Did you win?  What did you get?”  And Lucy looked up and said, “I lost…I did not get anything…my egg is empty.”  And the children laughed at her and said, “Mr. Jones really played a joke on you.”

  Then the children asked Mr. Jones, “Tell who won the best prize?”

 And Mr. Jones said, “Children, Lucy won the best prize and so she get this special prize, a new Bible.”  The children said, “Why did Lucy win?  Her egg was empty?”

  Mr. Jones said, “Today is Easter.  And when the women went to the tomb of Jesus what did they find?”  They found that the tomb was empty and because it was empty they were winners, because that meant that Jesus was still alive.

  And so Lucy’s egg was empty.  And she wins the prize on Easter to remind us that the empty tomb of Jesus means that Christ is alive and that he is still with us today. 

   So as winners today let us be happy about the empty tomb of Jesus.  Let us say, Alleluia, Christ is Risen.  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia! 

Puppet Show on the Meaning of Halloween

A lesson about Halloween

Puppet Show starring Roary the Lion

Roary:  Roar…Good morning boys and girls.  My name is Roary the Lion.  How are you today?

Do you know what holiday is coming up?

What is it called?

It is called Halloween.

Can you say Halloween?

Do you know what Halloween means?

Does it mean we get dressed in costumes?

Does it mean that we go Trick or Treating?

Yes, it does mean that but I want to tell about how we came to have Halloween.

Are you ready?

Okay….

Can you say, “All Hallow’s Eve”

All Hallow’s Eve.

When people began to say, “All Hallow’s Eve” real fast it began to sound like Halloween.

If you say All Hallow’s Eve real fast…it can sound like Halloween.

All Hallow’s Eve, All Hallow’s Eve, All Hallow’s Eve,   Halloween!

Do you know what All Hallow’s means?

How many of you know what a super hero is?

Is Batman a superhero?

Is Superman a superhero?

Are Ninja Turtles superheroes?

Are Power Rangers superheroes?

Also we have other kinds of heroes like princesses.

Snow White.  Belle.  Oriel.  Cinderella.

And at Halloween we wear costumes of superheroes and princesses.

We also have other heroes like baseball players.  The San Francisco Giants?

And football players?

And we have famous Olympic gymnastic heroes?

But do you know what All Hallow’s means?

It means All Saints.  Can you say All Saints?

Have you heard the word Saint?

What church are we at today?  We're at Saint John's church today.

Who was Saint John?  St. John was a famous hero.  He loved God and he helped other people to love God.

Have you heard about St. Mary?  St. Mary was a hero too.  She was the mother of the baby Jesus.

So saints are heroes.  They are God’s heroes.  They are heroes of our church.  And there are many heroes who did some very nice and kind things.

All Saint’s Day or All Hallow’s Day is the day when we celebrate all of the heroes who loved God in a very special way.

And so the evening before All Saint’s Day is called All Hallow’s Eve or Halloween.

It is the Day before the celebration of God’s famous heroes.

So as you put on your superhero costumes and your princess costumes remember God’s heroes.  And they are called saints.

And you are called to be a hero too.  You are a hero when you are kind and good.

Can you say, Thank you God for Halloween?

Can you say, Thank you God for heroes?

Faith, Even When Bad Things Happen

3 Pentecost Cycle b Proper 7    June 24, 2012

1 Samuel 17:  32-49  Psalm 9:9-20

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41    

 Lectionary Link

  We read a story today about the friends of Jesus.  They were sailing with Jesus in a boat across the Sea of Galilee.  And suddenly a wind storm came up and caused some very big waves.  And where was Jesus?  He was sleeping in front of the boat.  And so they woke him up and said, “Don’t you care that we are in danger?”  And Jesus woke up and said to the wind and sea, “Peace be still.”  And  the wind and the sea became quiet.  And Jesus asked them, “Why are you so fearful?”

  Jesus knew that his friends were fishermen.  They fished on this lake all of the time and they had gone through many storms.  So why were they more fearful now than other times?

  Well, they probably thought that nothing bad should ever happen to them if Jesus was with them.

  Some times we think that nothing bad should happen to us when our parents are with us.  And you know what?  Your parents never want anything bad to happen, but still some things can go wrong.  Why?  Because they believe in freedom.  Have you ever lost a game when your parents were watching?  Yes.  Now it would look silly if your parents tried to play on your team to help you win.  Have you ever fell down when you are playing and when your parents are watching?  Of course.  So we can have accidents even when our parents are watching.

  Have you ever gotten a B on your homework, even when your parents helped you to do your project for school?

  Should we quit playing baseball and soccer, just because we lose some games?  Should we quit playing on the playground, just because we fall down and skin our knee a few times?  No… If we quit, then we would let fear of bad luck control our lives and we would never try anything because of fear.

  Just because we have some bad things happen to us in life, it does not mean that God is not caring for us.  God does not want us to be afraid of life.  God wants us to keep on trying to do new and better things.

  So when we fall, what do we do?  Yes we cry when our knee hurts.  We get some love from our parents.  We get a band aid on our knee.  And we try to be careful.  But do we quit playing?  No.  We keep on playing and having fun.  Why?  Because we want to live in faith about the good things in life.  We don’t want to live in fear about the bad things and the hurt that can happen in life.

  Jesus tried to teach his disciples to live by faith instead of fear.  That is a good lesson for us to learn too.  Let us learn to live by faith today. Amen.

The Holy Spirit, God's Breath as a Sign of Life

Day of Pentecost   May 27, 2012  

Acts 2:1-21  Psalm 104: 25-35,37
Romans 8:22-27  John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

 Lectionary Link

  I have a harmonica here.  What makes this harmonica make a sound?  I blow in the little holes, and my breath pushes across some little reeds. The reeds in each hole are different sizes and that is what makes each sound higher or lower.  I also have a Pan Flute.  And when I blow across these bamboo tubes I can make many sounds.  What is the difference between a whistle and the harmonica and the Pan Flute?  How many sounds can a whistle make, you know that whistle that the referee uses at the soccer game.  A whistle only makes one sound.

  Today is a special feast day.  It is the feast of Pentecost. It means that the season of Easter is finished.  It means that the season of Pentecost begins.  And what is the color for the Day of Pentecost?  How did you know?

  Pentecost is the day when we celebrate the birth of the church. So it is our birthday party.

  And how was the church born?

  Well, more than 2000 years ago after Jesus left this earth, his friends were wondering if God was going to be gone and absent from their lives.  But you know what they discovered?  They discovered that God was still with them.  They discovered a wonderful energy and a wonderful happiness and joy within them.  And even though Jesus was gone, they felt that God was very close to them and with them.

  And so when God was close to them and with them, do you know what they called God?  They called God the Holy Spirit.

  The word for Spirit means wind or breath.  Can you blow air out of your mouth?  What does blowing air out your mouth mean?  Does it mean that you are alive?  Can you see your breath when you blow it?  You can’t see it but you can feel it, right.  How do you know your breath is there?  You feel it against your hand.

  So do you see why people began to call God, the Holy Spirit.  Even though God’s Spirit could not be seen, the results of God’s presence was known.

  So we can know God’s presence without seeing God or without seeing Jesus, because God is the Holy Spirit.  And the Holy Spirit gave birth to the church, because the church feels and knows the presence of God without seeing God.

  Just as I blow into the harmonica and the Pan flute and make different sounds.  Can you imagine the breath of God blowing through you?  Can you imagine God’s Spirit in you, living through you and doing something special in this world?  Just like each sound in my harmonica is different when I blow through, so each one of us is different and when the Holy Spirit blows through and lives through us, the Holy Spirit is able to do something special and different through each of us.

  Today, on Pentecost Sunday, let us each know that God’s Spirit is in us, teaching us to love and help this world in a special way.  I want you to remember always that the Holy Spirit is living in you.  Can you remember that?

Christ as the Vine; a Baptismal Sermon for Children

5 Easter  B         May 6, 2012

Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:24-30
1 John 4:7-21  John 15:1-8

 Lectionary Link

  Today is a special day of Holy Baptism for Bailey.  And we are going to look at Bailey's life as a branch growing out of the Vine of Christ.  In the Gospel lesson, we read that Jesus said I am the Vine, you are the branches.

  What happens if a branch is cut off a vine?  Can it continue to grow or live?  No, why?  Because the branch gets its food from the sap that flow in the branch.

  This parable was used as a teaching riddle by Jesus and the early teachers about Jesus.

  If a grapevine is going to produce good grapes what is needed?  You have to have a good grape plant.  You have to have good soil and the right amount of water.  And you need a good gardener to make sure the grape vine is taken care of.  The branches have to be protected from birds and insects and deer and any plant diseases so that good grapes can grow on the vine.  And the branch has to be supported and not get cut off from the vine or the branch will die.

  So what do Bailey and you and I need to be good Christians?  We need to have a good source of life.  Bailey has a good source of life; her mom and dad.  And even though David and Taryn are almost perfect, all of us need a more perfect source for our Christian life.

  And that source of life is Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the vine and we are his branches.  And we can know that we are connected to Christ as our vine since way down inside of each of us we are connected to the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ.  And this is like a sap or an energy or a power for our lives.  And it is always there, but sometimes we need to remember to go there for this energy or power of life.

  And so we are going to baptize Bailey today and we are going to promise to remind her and ourselves about Jesus Christ as a source of energy and power for our lives.

  Just as a grapevine has to be taken care of so that the branches do not get damaged or broken off from the vine; so we need to take care of Bailey and each other so that we do not get cut off from Jesus Christ as the Vine and the source of our lives of love and faith and joy and hope.

  So we are here today to remember that we can find a wonderful connection with Christ.  And when we baptize Bailey, we are celebrating the fact that her life is connected with Christ too.  And we are going to remind her every Sunday and every day of her life that her life is connected to Christ.  Can you make that promise to her today?  Can we make that promise to each other?  To remember that our lives are connected to Jesus Christ because God’s Spirit is within us as a place where we are connected to Christ.

  Jesus said that he was like a Vine and we are like his branches.  He said this to remind us how closely connected we are to him.  And today we are here to celebrate that Bailey too is a branch of the Vine of Christ.  Amen.

Getting Ready for an Important Guest

1 Advent  Cycle B      November 27, 2011

Is. 64:1-9     Psalm 80:1-7

1 Cor.1:1-9   Mark 13:24-37

  Do you ever ask you mom or dad,  "When is my birthday?"  And you are so excited about your birthday arriving that your mom puts an X on each day as you count down the days until your birthday.

  In the church we do a count down to Christmas because whose birthday is Christmas?  It’s the birthday of Jesus.

  Today is the First Sunday of Advent.  This is the first day of the Christian New Year.  So Happy New Year to you.

  And in Advent, we have a special way of counting down till Christmas.  We use the Advent Candles on the Advent Wreath.  You can make one of these for your home too.  It is a good way to count down the time till Christmas.

  There are five candles here.  And we light one new candle each week.  And on Christmas Eve we light, the big white candle in the middle for the birthday of Jesus.

  The season of Advent is a Season of practice.  It is when we get ready to welcome the most important guest in the world.

  When does your house usually get cleaned the best?  When you have some guests coming for dinner or for a visit, right?  When a guest is coming, your parents ask you to clean up your room real well, don’t they?

  In the Season of Advent, we are supposed to be getting our world ready for a visit from someone very important.  We are supposed to be getting our world ready for a visit from Christ.

  How do we get our world ready for the visit of Christ?

  We get ready by showing God how much we care for one another.  We get ready by showing God that we love one another, by helping the poor and the sick and the people who are sad and suffering.

  So we have four weeks to get ready for Christmas.  Let us do some special things in these four weeks to show God that we are ready for a visit from Christ.  Amen. 

A Children's Sermon: God's Image Is On Us

Lectionary Link

23 Pentecost, Cycle a, Proper 24, October 16, 2011

Exodus 33:12-23  Psalm 99
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10  Matthew 22:15-22

  If I had all of the children sit on this side of the room and all of the parents sit on the other side of the room.  And then I have a stranger who did not know anyone here come into the room and look at you.  Do you think that this stranger could tell which children belonged to which parent?  And how could a stranger match you and your parents?  Because you look like your parents…you have their noses, their eyes, their hair color.  So you look like your parents.  You in some way are an image of your parents.  And so you belong together as a family.

  We’ve read a story today about some people who tried to trick Jesus about taxes.  Do you know what taxes are?  Taxes are the money that we pay to the government to pay for the army, the roads, the courts and all of the things that the government does for us.  It is a law that if we make money, we have to pay taxes.

  So some people came to Jesus and asked him if he paid taxes to the King, called the Caesar.  Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him into saying that people should not pay taxes and that would get him into trouble.

  What did Jesus do?  He taught them a lesson.  He asked them to show them a coin.  I’m going to show some of the coins that are just like the one Jesus asked for.  These coins are more than two thousand years old.  If you look carefully at these coins you can see that the head of the King called Caesar is stamped on these coins.  And these coins were used to pay taxes to the King.

  Jesus asked his questioners?  "Whose image is on this coin?"  And they said, “It’s the King’s image.”

  And Jesus said, “Then give the coins that belong to the King to him, but give to God the things that belong to God.”

  Now this was a very smart saying.  Do you know why?

  Jesus had read the book of Genesis about the creation of the world.  And in the book of Genesis it is written that men and women are created or made in the image of God.  So if men and women are made in the image of God, who do they belong to?  To God.

  Was Caesar the King a Man?  Who did he belong to?  To God, because he was made in God image.

  The most important lesson in life is to learn that we belong to God because God made us.  And how do we show that we appreciate God?  We worship God.  We praise God.  We thank God.  And obey God’s rules about how we should live.  And we are to love God and love our neighbors.  That is how we show that we belong to God and how we give the very best of our lives.

  Do we have to pay a tax to God, since we are like God’s coins?  Yes, we do pay a tax to God by loving God and loving our neighbors as our self.

  Jesus came to remind us that we are all children of God and so we need to learn to live as children of God.  Can you remember that?  Amen.