December 4, 2005 - The Second Sunday of Advent - Children's Sermon, 10:30 Service - Mother Stephanie Parker

FIRST READING: Isaiah 40: 1-11
PSALM: 85: 1-2, 8-13
SECOND READING: 2 Peter 3: 8-15a
GOSPEL: Mark 13: 24-37

(Children's - and adults' - participation will be noted in bold print and italics)

I would like all of the adults to please sit at this time, and all of our young people, our children, to come forward and join me here - not just the ones in the choir, but any young people that are with us today, if you would like to come up. If there is anyone out there that is really young at heart that wants to sit up here, you can come on up, too!!!!

(A veritable plethora of children sit around Mother Stephanie in front of the altar)

(Or about 9)

O.K.! Let's have a seat. Let's have a seat!

Now, I am going to ask you guys some questions, and I want the grown-ups in the audience to also hear these questions; because I think, if you are like me, you might remember some of these things for yourselves.

Now, I am going to ask you some kind of scary questions that might make you have some scary memories.

Yeah!

eah! Was there ever a time, like when you were at a shopping center, or when you were maybe like at an amusement park, that you got separated from your mom or dad, or from your parents? - like in a store, especially at a park or at the fair - and suddenly you looked around, and you saw that they weren't there? Or maybe, even, you got mad because they wouldn't let you do something, and you stormed off to hide from them for a minute, and then they didn't realize you were gone, and then, suddenly, you were standing there all by yourself. How did that make you feel when you realized you were separated from your parents? Can you remember that? How did that make you feel?

Bad!

Bad! What else?

Scared!

Scared! Yeah! It made you feel bad. It made you feel scared. Did it make you want . . . What? What did it make you feel?

It made me feel afraid!

Afraid! Yes! It makes you feel very afraid when you get separated from your parents, because they are the ones who what? They keep you safe, and they make you comfortable. How did it make you feel?

Bad and somebody could take me!

Bad and somebody could take you - you could get stolen away! That's true!

Well now, here's the thing - whether we are little kids, or whether we are grown-ups, do you think we can get separated from God the same way?

Yes!

Yes! God takes care of us, but, sometimes, either just by accident, we wander off from God, or sometimes we maybe get mad at God, just like we get mad at our parents, and we storm away, because we don't want to talk to Him. But then, when we get all by ourselves, what do we do? We change our minds!

And then we go!

We go! We want our parents to find us, and we want to be with our parents, right?

Well, I'm going to tell you a story. This happened to me when I was probably - who is in about second or third grade? - O.K., that's a good bit of you! Now, when I was in second or third grade, we moved all the way away from our house that I had lived in, and we moved to a place called Turkey.

Turkey!

Turkey! Way far away, where people . . . . well, not only was it not what I was used to, but the people didn't even speak my language. And, guess what happened to me when I got off the bus on my first day of school.

You got lost!

I got lost! I got off at the wrong stop! And so, I am standing there in the middle of this street, in the middle of this place, and my mom or my brother, who was supposed to be there to meet me, was nowhere to be found. And I think that something is wrong, but I don't even know the language, so I can't ask the person who is selling pocketbooks on the street beside me if she has seen my mom, because I don't even know how to speak to her.

Now, how do you think I felt during that time?

Bad! Scared!

Bad! Scared! I was really scared! And I wanted more than anything for my mom or my brother to find me.

What?

You would feel brave.

Well, I hope I would feel brave, but how do you think I really felt?

Bad! Scared! Sad!

Yeah! Sad! Scared! And so, suddenly, I hear this . . . .

Now, I'm going to let you into a little inside story. My family, when I was little, when I was your age, they called me "Stevie"!

Hah!

I know; it's funny! And so, suddenly, here I am, as lost and afraid as I had ever been, the same way you feel lost and afraid when you get separated from your parents - or when you are someplace scary, and you want to be rescued - and suddenly here is what I hear:

"Stevie! Stevie! (Southern accent, remember!) Stevie!"

I heard my brother's voice. I heard him in all the noise of this marketplace where I had gotten off the bus. I suddenly heard my brother's voice calling my name!

"Where are you?"

I had gotten off a block too soon, and my mom had sent my brother ahead of her - because he could move faster through the street - to find me and to see where I had, in fact, gotten lost. And so, my brother, when I hear his voice, I know that my mom is not far behind, and that my mom is coming to make me feel, what?

Sad?

No, I'm safe! Remember how it feels when you get back with your mom or your dad or your parents? You feel safe again! You feel happy!

And brave!

Yeah! You do feel brave when your parents are coming to get you!

So, suddenly, we look at today's Gospel, and we see John the Baptist - right? Now, who would John the Baptist be in my story?

Jesus!

No, he would be like my brother! He would be like my brother who has gone ahead of my mom to call me by name and help me to know that, soon, my mother will be coming, and that I won't have to be scared or lost or afraid anymore.

That's a true story! That is a true story!

And so, John the Baptist comes to us, and he calls us by name; and he tells us, "Hey! Wherever you are lost, don't be scared! Don't be sad anymore! God is coming, and God in Jesus Christ is coming to make you feel safe and comfortable and bring you back home! Yeah!

Now, do you remember how it felt when you were lost, and your parents found you? How did it feel, Austin?

Good!

Good! It felt great! How did it feel?

Bad!

No, when your grandmother or your father found you?

Great!

Great! Now, I think probably many of you have been lost, too, and we don't only get lost as children, but we get lost as adults, and, sometimes, in even scarier places than that. So, today, the message that we should all remember is what? If we are ever lost or separated from God, will God find us?

Yes!

Yes! Will God bring us home?

Yes!

Yes! Will God make us feel safe all over again?

Yes!


Thanks be to God! AMEN