Today is the 17th Sunday of Pentecost. During Pentecost, we grow closer to God and closer to one another. There are 9 Sundays left in the season of Pentecost.
In today’s gospel, Jesus and his disciples are traveling and as they travel the disciples are arguing. Jesus asks them what they are arguing about. They say they are arguing about which one of them is the greatest.
Watch today’s video and hear what Jesus had to say to them:
Jesus said that whoever wants to be first has to be last and they have to serve others. That’s not what we usually think, but with Jesus things are different than what we might think. We usually think that in order to be the greatest someone has to be first, they have to win, they have to be the best, they have to be famous, they might have people who wait on them and bring them what they want when they want it. But Jesus says something very different. Whoever wants to be first has to be last and they have to serve others. When we serve others, we are serving Jesus himself. That is a great thing!
Then Jesus took a child into his arms and he said that whoever welcomes children welcomes him and whoever welcomes him welcomes God.
Jesus loves children. Sometimes people think adults are more important than children. That’s not what Jesus thinks. He says children are so important that when we welcome children we welcome Jesus himself. When we welcome Jesus, we welcome God!
I’ll Do My Best. Go Fish Guys.
Play a game of Jenga. It’s a game where the last become first. You take blocks from the bottom and put them on top! Here’s a video that reminds you how the game works. Jenga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrtkgywTO7w
Jesus talks about serving others. Consider serving in one of these very simple ways:
(based on ideas from www.goodtogether.org)
Jesus, help us remember that with you things aren’t always the way we expect. Help us serve others. Remind us that you love children. Help always welcome you in our lives. Amen.
Pastor Dan Fugate, Assistant to the Bishop for Discipleship in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, ELCA, put this lesson together for Sunday School @ Home. There will be a new one for each Sunday as we continue through this COVID wilderness. Contact him at dfugate@iksynod.org.