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Jesus Walks on the Water
Proper 14, Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Matthew 14:22-33
Preparation: bring some art supplies with you; ideally some modeling clay, but a pad of paper and some markers would work as well.
Would anyone like to volunteer to be our artist this morning and create something? I am going to ask my artist to draw something that you think might be frightening to someone else. (Pick a volunteer artist and let them sculpt or draw something.)
While our artist works on their creation, I want to tell you about a time when the disciples of Jesus encountered something that was really very frightening. Matthew chapter 14 tells us about a time when the disciples were out fishing on the Sea of Galilee and a storm started to blow. The Sea of Galilee is not a small lake; it is huge. It is 21 kilometers (or 13 miles) long and 13 kilometers (or 8 miles) wide. It is known for its sudden, strong storms.
The disciples were out in their fishing until very late at night and Jesus was not with them. The storm was tossing their boat around and it was getting so bad that they thought that they might drown. They were terrified of the dark, wild water that threatened to sink their boats and take their lives. Suddenly, the disciples saw something coming towards them through the dark, walking on top of that dangerous water. They cried out in fright because they thought it was a ghost. This was not a ghost, however. This was not one more thing to be frightened of. This was Jesus, walking towards them on the water. As soon as Peter recognized Jesus, he got out of the boat and started walking out to Jesus. Peter was actually walking on the water looking at Jesus until he realized what he was doing and then he started to sink, and Jesus reached down and pulled him up. As soon as Jesus stepped into the boat, the wind died down and the storm stopped.
Why wasn’t Jesus afraid of the wind and the storm? Why wasn’t he afraid of the water and the waves? Well, let’s think about that while we see what our artist has created. Can you show us what sort of frightening thing you have made? (Let artist show his or her creation.) Let me ask the artist something…. Are you afraid of the thing you have created? Does it surprise you or scare you? (Let artist answer.) The creator is not afraid of his own creation. All things were created through Jesus. He is the creator of wind and waves. He controls the wind and waves. They do not control him. Jesus, the Creator, is always in control. And as long as Peter was focusing on the creator, Jesus, he was safe. As soon as he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.
There are things in this world that we need to be careful of, and dangerous things that we need to stay away from, but as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, the creator, we never need to be afraid.
Prayer: Help us to keep our eyes on you, Jesus. Thank you for creating our world and thank you for loving us and keeping us safe. Amen.
Thank you to Luann Nakazawa for requesting this sermon.
Pentecost Proper 22
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Mark 10:13-16
Preparation (optional): You may bring along a “welcome†mat or sign from your home.
Does anyone know what the word “welcome†means? You sometimes see the word on a mat in front of a door. Or you might see a sign along the road that reads “Welcome to Minnesota†or “Welcome to the Dew Drop Inn.†(You may pass around your own welcome sign.) A welcome sign is a good thing to see, especially if you’re looking for a place to stay.
There are some places where a child might not be welcome. You might not be allowed into a scientific laboratory where there are expensive test tubes and machines. If you bumped into a table you might set off an explosion. If you were in Washington, D.C., you probably wouldn’t be allowed to walk right into the president’s office. Children, and even adults, aren’t always welcome in every place.
What are some places where you are always welcome? (Children may offer answers.) You are always welcome in your own home. You are welcome in your school. You are welcome in the church. Who are some people who always welcome you with open arms when they see you? (Let children share.) Moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, and best friends all welcome you when they see you.
And all of you are sitting in a place where you are welcome to come. When it’s children’s time during the church service, we get to gather up here and talk to each other and learn about God. All the children in church are welcome up here with us. And once upon a time, long ago, there was another important children’s time when little boys and girls were welcomed to come up and learn about God. It happened while Jesus was preaching and teaching on the earth.
One day, parents brought their little children to Jesus so that he could bless them. But Jesus’ disciples tried to send the children away. They thought Jesus was too busy for these children. Jesus told his disciples: “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these†(Mark 10:14 nlt). Children like you are always, always welcome in the arms of Jesus. He is never too busy for you. He is always waiting to hear your prayers and to welcome you into his kingdom. Children’s time is a wonderful reminder to all of us that Jesus welcomed and blessed children. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.â€
Remember that Jesus wants children to come to him. Children have a special place in God’s heart. You never have to wait to talk to Jesus. He’s always ready to listen to you and to welcome you.
Prayer: Â Thank you, Lord, that all of your children are always welcome in your embrace.
Pentecost Proper 21
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â James 5:13-18
Preparation: A good illustration for this talk is a portable CD or cassette player with a familiar song ready to play.
How many of you sing in a choir? Raise your hands. Do you enjoy singing with other people? What do you like about it? (A volunteer may respond.) What would it sound like if a choir got up to sing, and one section started to sing “Happy Birthday,†a second section sang “Jesus Loves Me,†and a third section sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star� (Children can answer.) That would just be a confused noise. A choir has to sing together with parts and music that all fit together.
Let’s see what happens if we try to listen to one song while we sing another. (Here you may play your recorded song while you lead the children in singing a completely different song. Make sure the recorded song is loud enough to compete with the voices of the children.)
That did not sound very good. Those two songs didn’t really go together. They clashed with each other, and it was hard to sing our song while listening to a different one.
How many of you pray to God? Raise your hands. A lot of us pray to God, but I wonder how many of us pray with God. Praying can be like singing in a choir. If we are praying with God, our voices work together, and the prayer is a beautiful and powerful thing. When we are just praying to God, we might be just asking and asking God for things we want. When we pray with God, we are also listening carefully for what God can tell us, for what God wants us to know and wants us to have. For example, we might pray to God for a motorized scooter, but God really wants us to run and walk more in order to make our bodies stronger. Or we might pray to God that a bully would disappear from our lives while God really wants to help us turn that bully into a friend.
So even though it’s tempting to kneel down and ask God for everything we want to have, even better things can happen if we try praying with God. Pretend that you and God are singing in a choir together, and before you ask for something, listen carefully to what God might be saying. Find out what God wants to give you and what God wants to do with your life. Then jump right in and start praying for those things.
Prayer: Teach us to listen to your voice, dear Lord. Help us to pray with you; not just to you.
Pentecost Proper 20
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Scripture Reference:Â Mark 9:33-37Â 
Preparation (optional): You may wish to bring a photograph of Olympic medalists standing on the awards platform.
How many of you have watched the Olympics? When they give out the medals—gold, silver, and bronze—which medal-winner gets to stand on the highest platform? (Let the children answer.) The highest platforms are for the top prizewinners, the athletes who won the gold medals. (You may show your photo here.) Gold-medal winners also get to see the flag of their country raised up higher than the other flags as the band plays their national anthem. It’s wonderful to see how happy those winning athletes are.
One day, the disciples of Jesus were holding their own kind of Olympics. They were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. Can you imagine Jesus’ own disciples doing that? It seems pretty silly doesn’t it? When Jesus asked them what they were arguing about, they wouldn’t answer him. Jesus knew, of course, so he told his disciples, “Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else†(Mark 9:35 nlt). To the disciples, it must have seemed like Jesus had turned everything upside down. The highest was the lowest, and the lowly servant was on the very top getting the gold medal.
If we tried to figure out who was the greatest among all of the children up here this morning, like Jesus’ disciples did among themselves, we might ask questions like: “Who is the fastest runner?†or “Who has the best toys?†But to be great in the kingdom of God, we don’t have to be the fastest or the richest. To be great in God’s eyes, we have to be humble and loving. Being humble means not thinking that we are better than others. Being humble means letting others have their way and being ready to be kind and helpful to others.
If we used Jesus’ method, we wouldn’t ever try to figure out who was “best.†Instead, we would look at ourselves and ask questions like: “Can I help my parents clean the floors this morning?†or “How can I make my brother or sister feel happy about themselves?â€
It might be hard to ask ourselves questions like these. We all like to do things that seem important and that make people think we’re “winners.†When we watch the Olympics or other sporting events, it’s easy to get the idea that the winners are the ones who come in first, who are better than others. But God wants us to remember that the humble servants are really the winners in his kingdom. We are at our very best when we are serving others.
Prayer: Â Dear Lord, give us a humble spirit and make our hands always ready to serve others. Help us remember that putting others first is better than being first.
For Rally Day or Teacher Commissioning
From “Barefoot in the Snow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Acts 1:8
Preparation: Bring a toy sailboat or picture to illustrate.
How many of you have gone sailing? (Let children respond.) Can you tell me what moves a sailboat when it’s out on the water? (Children may answer.) Yes! The wind fills the sails and pushes the boat across the water. What happens to a sailboat when you take the sails down? Does it go anywhere? No! A sailboat doesn’t move much when its sails aren’t up. And if the wind stops, the sailboat stops. In order to move, a sailboat needs wind and its sails must be up.
We’re starting a new year of Christian education here at our church, and during our year of teaching about the Bible on Sundays, the Holy Spirit will be blowing through this church. The Holy Spirit is often described as a wind, and this wind will be blowing through these teachers and helpers, as the truth of God’s love is being taught. I’m not saying they are long-winded, but they will be allowing the Holy Spirit to work through them. So we have the wind, but now we need the sails
Did you know that all of you are a little bit like sailboats? You may not look much like a sailboat, but God’s Spirit, like the wind, can move people in the right direction. They can be moved, that is, as long as their sails are up. Guess where your sails are? (Let children guess.) Your sails are on either side of your head; your sails are your ears. I’m not saying that you have ears as big as sails, but if your ears aren’t open to the word of God, you won’t move very far. If you open your ears and listen to your teachers, it’s like putting up your sails to catch the Holy Spirit wind. When you do that, you’ll learn a lot and you’ll really go places, too! That mighty wind will blow you closer to God and will strengthen your love for your Heavenly Father.
Prayer: Â Dear Lord, thank you for this opportunity to teach and for a chance to learn. Help our Sunday School teachers to be willing bringers of the Holy Spirit wind. Help our children to be good listeners and sailors. Bless our time together every week.
Key Words: Recognition, Gifts, Talents, Holy Spirit
Pentecost Proper 19
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â James 3:1-6
Preparation: Bring a small match and, if possible, a picture of a forest fire or burned buildings.Â
Who can name some dangerous things—things to be careful of? (Let children give answers; help them if necessary.) Are tigers dangerous? Are lightning bolts dangerous? Some dangerous things are fairly large, and we can see they’re dangerous just by looking at them. But some very small things are dangerous, too. I have something in my hand that could destroy a whole building. It could even destroy a whole city or a huge forest. (Show children the match in your hand.) This little match could start a very destructive fire.
I’m sure all of you know how dangerous it is to play with matches. Fire is not a toy to play with. You have to be very careful because a fire can get so huge so quickly that you can’t control it. (Here you may give an example of a recent destructive fire from the news or share one of your own experiences. My example follows.) Some recent forest fires started with just a small blaze that quickly grew so big that fire fighters couldn’t put them out or control them. Big fires get so hot that you can’t even get close enough to throw water on them.
None of you is carrying a match in your pockets. That would be a silly and risky thing to do. But all of you are carrying something that can be even more dangerous than a match. I invite every one of you to stick out your tongue and look at it. (Let children do this now.) That tongue doesn’t look very dangerous, does it? It may even look silly. But your tongue can cause so much damage. It can’t burn down a building, but it can make someone else feel very sad. The things you say can really hurt people. And the older you get, and the better you get at using words, the more you can hurt others with your tongue. Words can make people so sad that they don’t like themselves anymore.
The book of James in the Bible says, “The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life†(James 3:5-6 NLT). Did you know you were carrying around something so dangerous?
But we don’t have to use our tongues for evil things; we can say wonderful and good things with our tongues. What are good things we could say to someone else? (Let children give examples like, “I love you,†and “Can I help?â€) I hope that all of you will be careful with your tongues and always use them to help people and not hurt them.
Prayer: Â Dear Lord, help us to learn to control our tongues. Help us always to use our voices to praise you, tell the truth, and help others with loving words.Â
Pentecost Proper 18
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â James 2:14-17Â 
Have any of you ever gone to school and forgotten your lunch? (Children may respond.)Â
I know I have. It’s a terrible feeling. Lunchtime comes and your stomach growls. Then you have nothing to eat and no money to buy a lunch.
Now imagine that your friends come and sit down next to you and notice you have no lunch. Imagine that they shake their heads and say, “Well, I sure hope you find something to eat before the bell rings!†Does that help you very much? (Let children answer.) It’s nice that they’ve noticed you and it sounds like they care about you, but if they don’t share any food with you, are they really helping you?
Sometimes we hear about or see pictures of people who need our help. We may hear about local food pantries needing donations of food for hungry families. Our hearts may feel bad for those hungry families, and we want them to know how much we care. But if we don’t try to help by donating food or money, then we don’t give our hands a chance to follow what our hearts are telling us.
We also may hear about people who don’t know Jesus. And our hearts may feel sad because those people can’t tell how good it feels to know that God loves them. But if we don’t tell them about God or invite them to church, they may never hear that Good News.
The Bible says in James, chapter 2, “Suppose you see a brother or sister [in Christ] who needs food or clothing, and you say, ‘Well, goodbye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well’—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless†(vv. 15-17 NLT).
It does matter that we feel love toward others and that we care about them. It’s a very good and important thing to pray for others and to ask God that things get better for them. But if we don’t also give some of our time and money and actions, then our faith may start to shrivel up and die. What do you think would make a person’s hungry tummy stop growling—to tell them we hope they will soon get a wonderful feast or to hand them a healthy sandwich? (Children can answer.) What do you think would warm up a shivering person—to say, “I hope the weather gets warmer for you!†or to give them a jacket to wear? (Discuss.) What you do makes a big difference. You act your faith out in the things you do and say.
(Here you may wish to talk about a special offering or a community service that members, including children, can participate in. This also may be a time to recognize teachers who are giving their time and talents to help with Sunday school in the coming year.)
Prayer: Â Dear God, may we actually do those things that we know we should do. Give us the strength and courage to do your will and show our love to one another.
Pentecost Proper 17
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference: Mark 7:1-8Â 
Preparation: Bring a bowl of water, some soap, and a towel.
Do any of you like to play in the dirt or make mud pies? (Let children respond.) Dirt can be lots of fun. And if there is water nearby, you can make mud pies and build towers and channels for the water.
But if you’ve been playing outside in the dirt and you’re called in for supper, what do you need to do before sitting down to eat? (Let children respond.) We need to wash our hands, don’t we? Why do we wash our hands? (Discuss.) If we eat with dirty hands, we might get sick. We might get dirt on the food as we pass it to others at the table, and they might get sick, too. Washing your hands before a meal is a good rule, isn’t it?
A long time ago, before people knew about germs and bacteria and before they knew the scientific reasons for washing hands before eating, God made a rule for his people. He told the Israelites always to wash their hands before eating. This was a very good idea. God was trying to keep his people healthy. The Israelites followed that law long before they even knew why God had commanded it. They were still following it when Jesus was preaching here on earth.
If you have dirt on your hands, you can clean it off with soap and water. The germs get washed away along with the grime, and your hands are clean.
But if your hands aren’t dirty, and you are thinking bad things—your mind is “dirty.†Maybe you are thinking that you’d really like to use your hands to slug your brother or to push your sister out of the way. If that happens to me and I want to free myself from those bad thoughts and actions, would soap and water help? Would it work to wash my hands in this bowl of water? (Children can answer.)
There’s only one thing that can clean us from bad thoughts and actions and get rid of sin in our lives. Does anyone know what that is? (Someone may answer.) Because Jesus died on the cross for us, he has the power to forgive our sins and wash away all the bad things in our lives. And he promises always to do this for us. So when we are sorry and tell Jesus, he washes away our sin.
I’m going to pass this bowl of water around and let each of you dip your hands in. (Pass around the bowl and towel.) As you do this, remember that just as surely as soap and water wash your dirt away, Jesus washes away the sin from your lives. He makes us clean on the inside, which is even more important than being clean on the outside.
Prayer: Â Wash our hearts and minds clean with your forgiveness, Lord Jesus. Thank you for saving us.
Pentecost Proper 16
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Eph. 6:10-20Â 
Preparation: You might bring an arrow or a picture of a soldier’s shield and armor to illustrate your talk.
Do you sometimes hear about wars that are being fought in our world today? (Let children respond.) It’s always sad to hear that a war is going on somewhere, but wars have been fought for a long time. Even two thousand years ago, when Jesus was walking around here on earth, people were fighting wars. They didn’t have guns, fighter jets, or bombs back then, but they did have other weapons that could hurt people.
Arrows were a weapon soldiers used long ago. If an army attacked a walled city, the city had archers stand along the top of its walls and shoot arrows down on the attacking soldiers. Sometimes the archers set their arrows on fire, and the soldiers down below would have to dodge fiery arrows.
If you were one of those soldiers below the city wall, you would have to run or jump out of the way to avoid being hit by an arrow. If you had a shield, you could hold it up to protect yourself. Back then, some shields were so big they covered you completely. A soldier would have a shield made for him that fit him perfectly. If arrows were zooming toward the soldier, he could step behind his shield and be protected.
There were other pieces of armor that a soldier could wear to protect himself. He could wear a wide belt to protect his stomach, an arrow-proof vest across his chest, and a metal helmet to protect his head. But a big shield was one piece of armor that could protect the soldier from head to toe.
There is a Bible verse in Ephesians, chapter 6, that talks about putting on every piece of God’s armor to protect us against evil and the power of the devil. The Bible says, “In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan†(v. 16 nlt).
What kind of fiery arrows do you think Satan tries to shoot at us? They are arrows that we can’t see. They are things that can hurt our friendship with God and with other people. (Let children discuss.) Satan’s “arrows†might be bad or angry thoughts that the devil tries to put into our heads. They might be temptations to take something that isn’t ours. They might even be bad words that we suddenly feel like saying but know we shouldn’t.
Those fiery arrows might sound scary, but remember that God has given each one of you a shield of faith. Believing in Jesus protects you. It protects you from harmful thoughts and actions. If you remain under the protection of the shield that Jesus gives, the arrows of Satan can never harm you. You are safe in the power of God.
Prayer: Â Almighty God, thank you for protecting us from evil. Keep our faith shields strong.
Pentecost Proper 15
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Prov. 9:1-6, 10
Preparation: Bring a loaf of bread to distribute among the children. You may package it in a bag labeled “Wisdom Bread.
Can anyone tell me what “wisdom†means? Can you make wisdom? Can you give someone else wisdom? (Allow children to respond.) Let me read some verses to you from the Bible book of Proverbs:
Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars. . . .
She has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!â€
To him who is without sense she says,
“Come and eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight†(Prov. 1, 3–6 NLT).
The Bible talks about wisdom as if it were a woman who wants to help foolish people. She calls to those who don’t have much sense to come into her house and eat “wisdom bread.â€
I brought some bread with me this morning. And, as you can see, it’s called Wisdom Bread. Do you think that you’ll become wise if you eat this bread? Not really. We can pretend. And by eating this bread we can show how much we’d like to put wisdom into ourselves. Everyone who would like to be wise can have a piece of this Wisdom Bread. (Have a helper pass around the bread while you continue to talk and ask questions.)
The opposite of wisdom is foolishness, isn’t it? Do any of you ever do things that are foolish? I know I do. Can anyone think of something that would be foolish to do? (Listen to the children’s answers and respond to them, or give your own example.) It would be foolish to poke a tiger with a stick, wouldn’t it? The wise thing to do would be to keep your distance. It would be foolish to dive into the shallow end of a pool. You could bump your head on the bottom, or worse, you could break your neck. It would be foolish to start smoking cigarettes. Your lungs would fill up with gunk, and you might get cancer.
What do you think is the most foolish thing a person could possibly do? (Let children give ideas.) People do many foolish things. But the most foolish thing any of us could do is to turn our backs on God, to not believe in Jesus.
God loves the world so much that he sent his only son, Jesus, to save us from our sins and to bring us to heaven to be with him. It would be foolish to keep Jesus out of your life, wouldn’t it? The wise thing to do would be to keep Jesus in your heart and stay close to God for the rest of your life. I pray that we will all live lives of wisdom, whether we have this wonderful wisdom bread or not.
Prayer: Â Lord Jesus, come into our hearts to stay. Bring your love and wisdom into our lives.
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