Telling It Twice

For the 16th Sunday after Pentecost

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.” (RSV)

Preparation: Bring a Bible with some verses in large type or highlighted. An illustrated Bible might be helpful.

Have you ever noticed that some things we need to hear more than once? Some things we need to hear more than once. It’s true. It’s really true. Some things we need to hear more than once. We may get tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, but sometimes it’s necessary.

Let’s say that your family is driving in the car on a long trip and you’re heading toward your favorite amusement park. (You may substitute a specific name here.) You all really want to get there, but you get lost. And somehow, your mom convinces your dad to pull over and ask for directions. The first person you ask knows exactly how to get there, but the directions are a little bit complicated. You listen to the directions once, but you’re not sure you’ve got everything straight. Do you think you should ask this person to repeat the directions? (Let children respond.) How could you make sure that you understand and remember how to get to the park? What might help you remember? (Children can offer suggestions.) You could have them repeat the directions several times. You could memorize and repeat the directions back. You could write the directions down on a piece of paper. All of these things could help you remember how to get there. And if you were really paying attention to the directions, you would finally make it to that amusement park.

We don’t mind hearing directions over and over again if they are important to us. And we don’t mind hearing the stories from the Bible over and over again, because they are important to us. We memorize Bible verses because they are important directions for our lives. We go to classes and study the things that Jesus said and hear the stories from the Bible told in many different ways. We keep learning new things from those old stories.

Some things are hard to hear over and over again. We don’t like being told once again to clean up our rooms or to clear the table or to do the dishes. But we have to hear these things because they have to get done. Some things in the Bible are difficult to listen to, but we have to know that we have all sinned and that Jesus died on the cross to save us. We need to hear it over and over again because it’s so very important. It’s much more important than finding an amusement park. Your whole life direction depends on hearing those stories in the Bible over and over again.

Prayer: Jesus, open our ears to hear the stories and Bible verses so that we will remember. Help us to listen and lead us in the right direction toward your heavenly kingdom.

Key Words: Understanding, Bible, Teaching, Guidance