“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (Matthew 24:43-44).

If we think selfishly, we will miss the point.  Scripture says it elsewhere when it says, “Be ready to give an account of the hope that is within you.”  Today may be the day you meet the Lord.  Are you ready?  Always be ready.  He will not judge you on what you do not know, or what you have not done, but upon what opportunities you have taken to know Him and what you have done with what He has given you.

The thief is the wicked one who will attempt to steal the hope that is within you.  We live in a world filled with wickedness that wraps itself in false light.  See the wickedness that will try to steal the faith you have been given.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you through the traps of this world.  Always live preparing yourself for the promise which is the basis for the hope we have been given.  Live preparing to meet Lord Jesus face to face.

Jesus, You know how often I live in the moment.  I am tossed about by waves of thought filled with untruths that swirl all around me.  Your word is truth.  Help me to keep Your word as the anchor that holds me in the place of truth.  From there, guide me to live in the truth of the revelation You have given me.  Let me be ready on any given day to give an account, whether to others or to You.  Amen.

Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Welcome! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy. Ready? One, two, three: Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Good morning, boys and girls! Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads!

Pastor: Yes, happy Father’s Day! Sammy, did you know that our earthly fathers help to show us the heart of our heavenly Father?

Sammy: Do you mean that our dads and granddads and papas and pop-pops and grandpas and daddys show us part of God’s heart?

Pastor: Yes, we are created in the image of God, and God created men as a reflection of his own heart and his great love for his people. When our fathers raise us with the love of Jesus in their hearts, they show us who Jesus is, too.

Sammy: That’s great news! That means that when I run around the pasture and do something that I am not supposed to do, I don’t need to sit in the time-out pen anymore.

Pastor: What do you mean, Sammy?

Sammy: Well, God doesn’t put me in time-out for doing something wrong, my daaa-daaa does. So if my daaa-daaa reflects the heart of Jesus, then I don’t have to ever be in time-out again.

Pastor: That’s not how that works, Sammy. God disciplines his people all of the time in scripture, and in fact, part of his command for fathers in several books, including the Psalms, is for men to discipline their children.

Sammy: Oh.

Pastor: Boys and girls, what are some things that your dad or granddad or a dad here at church does for you that is special?

[Allow time for responses]

Sammy: I like all of these answers. My daaa-daaa plays a lot of games with me in the pasture. He’s fun to be around, too.

Pastor: That’s great, Sammy. I want to encourage everyone here to always look to our Father in Heaven. Our dads here on earth try their best, but they are not perfect. They look to Jesus for hope and encouragement and wisdom to guide them in raising us. But we can always look to our Father in Heaven. He is a perfect Father. Let’s say a prayer. Can we please fold our hands and bow our heads? Dear Jesus, thank you for our earthly fathers. We thank you for being our perfect Father in Heaven. Today we ask for your blessing upon our fathers. We ask that you help them look to you as they guide and raise us. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

John 14:8-17 [25-27]

Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Welcome! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy. Ready? One, two, three: Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Good morning, boys and girls! Pastor, let’s find Phillip!

Pastor: Boys and girls, can you help me find Phillip in the boat? [Use the egg carton to find the plastic egg labeled “Phillip.”]

Sammy: There he is! I like that we can see him.

Pastor: Of course we can see him.

Sammy: Well, today in the Gospel, Phillip told Jesus he wanted to see the Father. He said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Pastor: Yes, he did. And do you know what Jesus said to Phillip?

Sammy: Um, I forget, Pastor.

Pastor: Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus tells Phillip that He is God. And our God left his throne in Heaven to walk with us.

Sammy: Wow. Why would he do that?

Pastor: Jesus is the greatest King. He loves us so much that he chose to come to earth to save us and die for us. And he rose again to beat death and the grave. He saved us forever.

Sammy: Pastor, I think this Gospel has the Trinity in it, too.

Pastor: That’s correct, Sammy. Jesus talks about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Boys and girls, can you say, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” with me? Ready? “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” That’s the Trinity. One God in three persons.

Sammy: That’s a gift. That’s living hope for all of us, Pastor.

Pastor: That’s right, Sammy.

Sammy: One thing I love about the gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of peace that Jesus promises. I mean, sometimes I get gifts and they don’t bring me peace. Or the person giving me the gift wants something from me, too. Or I have to trade. But the Holy Spirit is a gift to us, and Jesus gives us peace, too. He gives the Holy Spirit to us because he loves us.

Pastor: Exactly, Sammy. Boys and girls, let’s bow our heads and fold our hands for a prayer. Dear Jesus, thank you for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thank you for peace in our hearts. Thank you for the peace you give us. We love you. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

John 17:20-26

 

Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Welcome! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy. Ready? One, two, three: Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Good morning, boys and girls!

Pastor: Sammy, did you know that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God were all present before the beginning of the world?

Sammy: What!

Pastor: Jesus talks today in the Gospel reading from John about how God loved him from before the foundation of the world.

Sammy: But how can that be?

Pastor: Our God exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The love that exists between these three persons is so great that God created our world and us.

Sammy: I heard about the great love of God many times here in church. I hear from the readings and the songs about how God keeps coming back to rescue us.

Pastor: That’s right, Sammy. He rescues his people throughout the Old Testament. He walks with Abraham and Sarah, giving them the blessing of a child. He closes the mouths of the lions to protect Daniel. He walks through the blazing fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And then, our God shows us just how much he loves us by leaving the throne of Heaven…

Sammy: And coming to earth to be born of Mary as baby Jesus!

Pastor: Exactly. The ultimate rescue was Jesus coming to earth to save us from our sins. But Jesus was present with God from before the world was created.

Sammy: There’s so much that is a mystery, that I don’t understand, Pastor.

Pastor: That’s okay, Sammy. Today we are going to pray a special prayer to ask God to open our hearts. We can ask him to reveal more of his love and truth to us as we hear his word. Faith comes from hearing. Ready? Let’s bow our heads and fold our hands. Dear Jesus, thank you for increasing our faith. Help us to hear your Word and to trust you. Let us see you walking with your people from Genesis to Revelation. We love you, Lord. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!