Kids Korner: Pentecost (May 19th)

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Read Acts 2:1-21 with your family.

The day of Pentecost is a celebration for our faith community. It is the day we know the Holy Spirit came to the people. The early followers of Jesus didn’t have him in his human body to follow and talk with anymore. What they had instead was the energy and spirit of God that had made Jesus in human form so wonderful to listen to and learn with.

God did not leave the people when Jesus died on Good Friday.

God did not leave the people when Jesus ascended to heaven.

God will never leave us because we have the Holy Spirit filling us with God’s love all the time, and flowing out of us to the world around us.

God lives in us thanks to the Holy Spirit.

Today we celebrate!

Sunday Reflection – May 12, 2024

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From 2022

Saying goodbye

Luke 24 44 Jesus said to them, “While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.”

45 Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them:

The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. 47 They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, 48 you must tell everything that has happened. 49  I will send you the one my Father has promised, but you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven.

50  Jesus led his disciples out to Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them. 51 As he was doing this, he left and was taken up to heaven. 52 After his disciples had worshiped him, they returned to Jerusalem and were very happy. 53 They spent their time in the temple, praising God.

Kids Korner: Ascension (May 12th)

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Read Luke 24:44-53 with your family.

Remember back to Good Friday, how sad everyone was that Jesus had died? Jesus came back Easter morning and everyone was shocked. Then they started getting used to Jesus’s visits. He only visited his closest friends, however, Jesus didn’t teach anything to new followers after Easter morning.

This week we hear about Jesus leaving for good, but this time his closest followers were not sad. This time Jesus had spent 40 extra days teaching them all about how God wanted to change the world, and this time they listened.

All of Jesus’ friends and followers knew that death was not the end, that God loved them very much, and that they now had the responsibility to share that with everyone. This time the disciples were ready to say in public “We believe in Jesus, the risen Christ!”.

Sunday Reflection – May 5, 2024

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Originally recorded 2021

Love on another

John 15 9 I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. 10 If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

11 I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. 12  Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. 13 The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. 14 And you are my friends, if you obey me. 15 Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything my Father has told me.

16 You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. 17 So I command you to love each other.

Kids Korner: Love, that’s it, that’s all (May 5th)

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Read John 15:9-17 with your family.

It is easy to think of church as a building where we pray and sing, and probably get bored. But when Jesus and his followers were travelling around Galilee and Judea, there were no church buildings or regular worship plans that induced singing and prayers and sermons like we have today.

Jesus taught them that worship meant respecting and loving God, that’s it. Their job, like our job today, was to show people that God loved them and what love looked like.

Love can be words telling someone else how special they are and how glad you are that they are there.

Love can be actions like feeding people, giving them clothing and making sure they have a safe place to sleep at night.

Love can be feelings, thinking good thoughts and sending happiness to anyone you meet.

All of that is living our faith. Jesus told us to love because God first loved us.

The church is the people, and love is how we treat each other.

Sunday Reflection – April 28, 2024

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Abide in love

John 10 Jesus said to his disciples:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of what I have said to you.

4 Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. 5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.

7 Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. 8 When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored.

Kids Korner: Be patient with each other (April 28th)

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Read John 15:1-8 with your family.

The passage from this week has the word “abide” in it an awful lot. Abide is a ‘churchy’ word, and sometimes when we hear words like that we don’t stop to think about them for long.

Abide means to stick with someone, to wait, to endure, to put up with, to stay with someone.

In the word picture, or metaphor of the vine and the branches, Jesus was telling us how God lives with us and endures us even when we are not doing the things God asked us to do. Sometimes we have to ‘prune’ ourselves, that means to get rid of the things inside us that are not God-friendly and keep us from treating people kindly. God knew that people would fail often, but we can always do better.

When we prune roses, that means cut specific parts off the plant, the rose starts to grow better and we might get more flowers. When God ‘prunes’ us, we will grow better too and be able to show more kindness and love.

But throughout it all, we are always connected to God and God is always connected to us. We can never forget that. Even when it feels like God is very far away, God is really right beside us.

ENCORE: The Noah Episode

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In this episode, Debb and Deb grab their umbrellas, gather together the pets, and head off for a voyage with Noah and the gang. From archeological geekery to an honest look at the power of forgiveness, get ready for a stormy ride!

Sunday Reflection – April 21, 2024

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Jesus tells his followers what comes next

John 10 11  I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. 12 Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. 13 Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep.

14  I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15  Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must also bring them together, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.

17 The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so I may receive it back again. 18 No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as my Father commanded me to do.

Kids Korner: Good Shepherd (April 21st)

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Read John 10:11-18 with your family.

Sometimes it is very hard for adults to understand the lessons God is trying to teach us. Kids have an easier time understanding God (which should mean that adults listen more to kids, but sadly that doesn’t happen).

It was difficult for adults to understand in Jesus’ time as well, which is why Jesus used word pictures to help grown-ups understand the lessons of God. Jesus used things like candles, coins, bread, and fig trees to explain what he came to teach. One of the most popular word pictures Jesus used was sheep.

Sheep might be hard to understand in our time if we only ever live in the city, but in Jesus time sheep were everywhere. Even people who did not work with sheep were able to watch sheep and how they behaved.

So Jesus used the idea of sheep, that even when we were in trouble, like a shepherd, God would come find us and take care of us, even when the ‘shepherd’ had to risk their lives to make sure we stay safe.