The Narrow Gate: Day 363 - Our Greatest Joy Children's Lesson

The Narrow Gate

Welcome to the continuation of my blog, post-seminary. Ministry and evangelism have brought me back home to Chattanooga. I welcome your company on my journey.

The original blog, Down In Mississippi, shared stories from 2008 and 2009 of the hope and determination of people in the face of disaster wrought by the hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005, of work done primarily by volunteers from churches across America and with financial support of many aid agencies and private donations and the Church. My Mississippi posts really ended with the post of August 16, 2009. Much work, especially for the neediest, remained undone after the denominational church pulled out. Such is the nature of institutions. The world still needs your hands for a hand up. I commend to you my seven stories, Down in Mississippi I -VII, at the bottom of this page and the blog posts. They describe an experience of grace.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Day 363 - Our Greatest Joy Children's Lesson

This Children's lesson was given at First Presbyterian Church, Soddy Daisy, TN

Peace be with you! (The children have learned the response, "And also with you!")

Do you ever hope for something that will make you so happy you can hardly stand it?

That is what I would call our greatest hope. I’ll call it our “crazy hope.” When it happens it will be our greatest joy.

What do you hope for?

Is it your brother or sister stops fighting with you?

Is it that you get a special Christmas present?

Is it that your team wins the big game?...

( wait for responses )

Today our Bible story is told by a prophet we call Isaiah. He tells us about the time when our “crazy hope” will come true. Isaiah uses a lion, wolf, goat and lamb to tell us about this greatest hope.

First, let me ask you a question. What do you think will happen If I put a lion with a lamb? Would you want to be the lamb and have to worry about the lion? What about a wolf with a goat?

Well, Isaiah says our greatest hope is that a Christmas time will come when we a will all get along with each other, even with those we can’t stand. We will be like putting a lamb and wolf, or lion and goat together. The wolf and lion won’t eat the lamb and goat but will play with them.

Isaiah’s crazy hope is that people who love God will find the kind of peace that is like the lion playing with the lamb, not eating it. He says it is God’s promise to us.

Isn’t that a crazy hope? Can you imaging a lion and lamb just playing together? It would be like all the sudden liking someone you can’t stand the most. That would be crazy, but a happy time.

Do you want to know what Isaiah says is going to be the greatest joy?

He says it will be when that crazy hope happens and all over the world everybody who loves God loves each other.

Some many people will find the joy that comes when that peace from God comes that everybody will come to worship and thank him for all their hopes come true. There won’t be room even in the balcony for them all, not in any church buildings!

That is what Christmas is all about, waiting for our greatest hope to come true so we will feel our greatest joy.

And when that hope comes true, do you know who will have the greatest joy? It will be God’s greatest joy for all of us.

That’s one reason why we sing the Christmas hymn, Joy to The World.

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Gates

The gate pervades the Good News. Peter entered the temple gate after the Jesus’ arrest to deny him. Poor Lazarus lay at the rich man's gate, longing for the crumb's from the table, while dogs licked his sores. The blind, lame and paralyzed lay at the Sheep Gate at the Jerusalem temple waiting at the pool with five porticoes for healing water. Jesus warned of the easy road and wide gate to material ease and spiritual destruction and calls us to the hard road and narrow gate to the waters of life.

necessary disclaimer

This blog is created solely to communicate to my brothers and sisters how one person sees adversity bringing out the greater character of humanity. It's early part relating connection to the volunteer relief effort in Mississippi after Katrina and later work with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program and the Presbyterian Church(USA) is solely through my participation in them; this blog does not carry any sponsorship from these fine organizations or purport to speak for them. All original content is that of the writer who holds the copyright to all original writings and art or other works (See Creative Commons License above). Every effort is made to identify content from other sources which have been obtained from open internet sources. It's more recent content contains sermons and lessons used in preaching and teaching. The url to scripture are obtained via http://bible.oremus.org unless otherwise indicated.

Texts quoted from oremus bible viewer are from "New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved." and "New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved."