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Children’s Sermon

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Why Jesus Has Disciples

June 18, 2023

Third Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Year A

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ASK (a.k.a The On-Ramp)

Good morning!
I have a strange question for you – why do you eat? [wait for answers]
Yes – because it tastes good (sometimes) and because it keeps you healthy and alive. I would say that those are very good reasons for why you eat.
Here’s another question for you, why do you sleep? [wait for answers]
I agree – I, too, would say being tired, not able to stay awake, wanting to be rested for the next day, and because your parents make you are all pretty good reasons for sleeping.
These reasons that you gave about why you eat and sleep can sometimes be described by the fancy word motivation.
Have you heard that word before? Maybe you can say it with me? Motivation
Remember, motivation describes the reasons we give when asked about why we do what we do.

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

It just so happens, that In today’s scripture story, Jesus shares his motivation for why he has disciples and why he is teaching them what he is teaching them.
What we hear is that Jesus has compassion on the crowds of people. We hear that he sees them as lost sheep and that he needs help in providing God’s care, healing, and teaching to those crowds.
We then hear Jesus tell the disciples that that’s exactly what they are going to do: They are going to go out as pairs, and they are going to care for others with God’s compassion, healing, and authority.
Remember: The disciples are still learning at this time. They aren’t ready to do this sharing of God’s compassion, healing, and teaching full-time yet.
Instead, what Jesus is doing is giving the disciples a chance to experience the reasons for why they are learning what they are learning, which will then increase their own motivation to keep learning.

SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination)

And guess what? Jesus’ motivation for teaching his first disciples is meant for us, too!
We are invited to be students of Jesus and to learn from him like the first disciples did.
As his disciples, one of the things we learn from Jesus is how to receive God’s love, compassion, healing and teaching so that we can then share God’s love, compassion, healing and teaching with others.
At first, you might think there’s no way we or anyone else can learn how to do those things that Jesus was doing – which is exactly how the first disciples thought, too.
But today’s story reminds us of something really important – that Jesus thinks his disciples can do these things that he’s teaching them to do.
Remember: that thinking includes us! As his disciples, Jesus thinks we can learn to do the things that he was teaching and doing!
And guess what? I agree with Jesus! I, too, think that we can learn and do the things that Jesus was teaching and doing!
I want to encourage us to use Jesus’ belief in us as some of our own motivation in continuing to learn to receive and then share God’s compassion, love, and healing with others because this world needs that compassion, love, and healing just as much today as it did when Jesus was teaching his first disciples.
That’s the good news for today. Let’s pray.

CLOSING Prayer

This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God,
Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus…

Thank you for Jesus…

…who taught the disciples and us…

…how to receive…

…your compassion, healing, and teaching…

…so that we can then share with others…

…your compassion, healing, and teaching.

Thank you and Amen

Originally posted June 4, 2017

Updated on May 29, 2023
Written and edited by Nathanael Vissia

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