ASK (a.k.a The On-Ramp)
- Good morning!
- Can you tell me what your favorite sport is?
- [Let just one child answer – choose a more brash child who you have a good relationship
with, who you spoke with ahead of time to let him/her know that s/he should not let
you change his/her mind.]
- Thank you for sharing, but I hate to tell you that even though that ____ is your
favorite sport, it’s not the BEST sport. See, the best sport is [insert a sport
here that was not named by the child] – which is MY favorite sport.
- Here’s why my favorite sport is better than your favorite sport: [at this point
say a few things about why the sport you picked is better. It is preferable and
recommended to NOT say disparaging things about the sport the child chose…even if
it’s soccer.]
- So it’s really good that I found out what your favorite sport is because now I can
save you from a life of sporting frustration. You really need to change your favorite
sport from your favorite sport to MY favorite sport.
- So, what do you think: Have you changed your mind? Do you have a new favorite sport?
- [ Child volunteer says, “No.” ]
- What do you mean “No?” I just shared with you all these things about why my favorite
sport is better than your favorite sport. How can you resist such logic and reason?!?
- [Let child have last word, hopefully something like, “Sorry. I’m not changing my
mind. Because my favorite sport is better than yours.]
- So…isn’t it strange that we’re willing to get in an argument about which sport is
better?
- I mean – does it really matter who likes which sport the most? Why do you think we
argue about things like this?
- That’s right! Because we want to believe that the things we like are the best things.
We don’t want to like things that are less than the best thing, right?
TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)
- So, in today’s scripture story, Jesus is telling his disciples that people are going
to argue against him and what he’s teaching.
- Jesus tells them that brothers and sisters will argue about him
- That moms and dads will disagree about him
- That people will disagree about whether God’s better way to live is actually the
better way to live.
- And the people will disagree about Jesus for the same reason that you and I disagreed
about what sport is better: People want to believe that what they do and like is
the best thing.
- So if someone isn’t choosing to live God’s better way as Jesus teaches it, then they
might want to argue or fight about what the better way to live looks like.
SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination)
- But, WE (you, me and all of us [motion to the congregation] ) don’t have to have
that argument.
- Because, it is NOT our job to convince or argue with other people about whether God’s
better way is better or not for them.
- Our job is to follow Jesus, learn how to live God’s better way and then actually
LIVE God’s better way.
- As we live God’s better way, then instead of arguing with other people, we can share
with others the goodness of God’s better way.
- And that’s way better than arguing, isn’t it?
- 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 does not argue with us…
…who does not argue with us…
…but shares your love with us…
…but shares your love with us…
…so that we would do the same with others.
…so that we would do the same with others.
Thank you and Amen
Originally posted August 10, 2013
Updated on July 15, 2022
Written and edited by Nathanael
Vissia
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