Light in the Darkness

 Children's Sermon for December 20, 2020
Prop Suggestion: A Picture of the Planetary Conjunction, available online or in newspapers

Tomorrow is December 21:

• Winter solstice
• Shortest day of the year
• Longest night--most darkness of the year

This year, the darkness of that long night is going to be interrupted by an amazing sight in the sky--the great conjunction of planets Jupiter and Saturn.  Here is an artist's drawing of what will happen tomorrow night.  National Geographic hyped the event by posting on its website:

Stargazers are in for a rare treat in the days just ahead of Christmas, as two of teh solar system's brightest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, engage in a celestial dance that will bring them within planetary kissing distance in the evening sky.

When that happens, we may see what looks like the star pictured on Christmas cards, guiding the wise men to the Baby Jesus.  Jesus came to bring the light and love of God to a dark and hurting world.  Tomorrow night's great planetary conjunction can help remind us of that gift.

Just looks southwest as soon as the sky gets dark, and give thanks to God for all of God's amazing gifts.

Let us pray.

For all of your gifts, dear Lord, we give you thanks.

For light in the darkness,

And for your love.

Amen.

All Saints Day 2020

All Saints Day Youth Moment 2020

November 1 is All Saints Day, which is today! Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579, to parents of mixed race. Raised primarily by his mother, a freed slave, Martin experienced the effects of racism and poverty early in his life. He became the apprentice of a barber, learning not only how to cut hair, but to perform basic medical treatments. Feeling called to give his life to God in service of the lowly, Martin entered the Dominicans, who accepted him as a lay helper and later as a brother. He spent his days caring for the those who were sick and poor, as well as performing menial tasks within the monastery. His nights were spent in prayer, penance, and adoration. Martin treated everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of their race or social status. He was instrumental in founding an orphanage to care for Lima’s many street children.

Saint Martin experienced the exclusion, derision, and discrimination of racism. Instead of growing bitter, he used his experience to reach out and comfort others. Martin’s unwavering love of God and devotion to Jesus sustained him in his charitable works which often went unacknowledged. (Loyola Press website)

Many years later—1962, in fact—Pope John XXIII canonized Martin as a Catholic saint—the saint of social justice and race relations because he cared for all God’s people, regardless of race or social standing.

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul called all Christian believers saints. Not just people whose faith and good works brought special recognition, but also people like you and me. All of us who believe in God and love Jesus and want to serve Him are saints. I am thankful, too, for people like Martin de Porres, whose example can teach all of us how to be better disciples, for example by treating all people with kindness and respect no matter what they look like, where they are from or what they have or don’t have.

Dear God, we thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ who teach us by example what it means to be a faithful disciple. We thank you for those who went before us, like Martin de Porres, and for their stories which help us learn how to follow Jesus, and for those we meet every day who are kind and generous and loving. Help us, too, Lord, to show your love in all we do, in everything we say, and to all we meet. AMEN.

Dealing Faithfully with COVID-19

This sermon was originally delivered earlier in the pandemic, when communities were still shut down and quarantine was in full effect.  It could be updated to reflect the current situation, still using the stuffed animals to reinforce the safety measures we are all asked to follow to keep our neighbors and ourselves as safe as possible.  God bless you and keep you well during this difficult time.

Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy

Three Questions
Matthew 22:36-40

Once there was a certain king who believed that if he knew the answers to three particular questions, he would live a fulfilling and happy life.  The questions were:

1.   When is the right time to begin?

2.   Who are the right people to listen to, and to avoid?

3.   What is the most important thing to do?

The most learned advisors gave unsatisfactory answers, so the king visited a wise hermit who lived in the woods and asked him the three questions.  The hermit didn’t answer right away.  He was struggling with a spade to dig a garden plot.  So, the king took the shovel and started digging.  When he was finished digging two beds, he asked his three questions again.

Still, the hermit didn’t answer as a bearded man ran into the clearing and fell at the king’s feet.  The man was suffering from a serious stomach wound.  The king cleaned and bandaged the man’s wound several times through the night.  He only fell asleep after the injured man stopped bleeding and revived enough to take a drink of water.

The next morning, the king awoke disoriented and wondering who the strange man staring at him from the bed was.

“Forgive me,” said the man, much to the king’s surprise.

“I do not know you, and have no reason to forgive you,” said the king.

“Ah, but I know you,” said the bearded man.  “I am your enemy.  On my way to killing you, I came upon your bodyguard who recognized and wounded me.  I escaped from them, but would have died had you not dressed my wound.  I wished to kill you, and you saved my life.”

The two men reconciled their differences, and the king went outside.  He found the hermit planting seeds in the freshly turned garden.  Again, the king asked his three questions.  The hermit said, “But your questions have already been answered!”

“What do you mean?” asked the king.

"Do you not see," replied the hermit. "If you had not pitied my weakness yesterday, and had not dug those beds for me, but had gone your way, that man would have attacked you, and you would have repented of not having stayed with me. So the most important time was when you were digging the beds; and I was the most important person; and to do me good was your most important business. Afterwards when that man ran to us, the most important time was when you were attending to him, for if you had not bound up his wounds he would have died without having made peace with you. So he was the most important person, and what you did for him was your most important business. Remember then: there is only one time that is important-- Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary person is the person you are with, and the most important thing you can do is to do good for the one you are with, because for that purpose alone were human beings sent into this life!"

There is a statement of faith called “The Shorter Catechism.”  This document lists 107 questions and answers which outline what we, as Christians, believe.  The first question is:

What is the chief end of man?  In other words, why are we here?  Why were we, as Tolstoy puts it, “sent into this life?”

The answer given in The Short Catechism is:

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Doing good things for the one you are with makes God happy and glorifies God.  I think doing good things for others makes us pretty happy, too, don’t you?

Won't you pray with me?

Good and Gracious God, We give you thanks for each person here, and for those of our church family who could not be with us today.  We ask that you help us all to do good things for the people in our lives, in our communities and in our world each and every day.  Amen.