Hope ... riches... greatness Ascension of the Lord
Object: baseball cards
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Sometimes people collect baseball cards. Some people have lots of money tied up in their collections of baseball cards. Some collections are worth a lot of money. Some people like playing baseball and hope someday to become such a good baseball player that they might have their own card. Do any of you hope to become a great baseball player? (Let them answer.) Others admire how much money famous baseball players get paid. Some get lots and lots of money. They are rich. Some baseball players make millions and millions of dollars! Really famous baseball players are called "great" because they are so well known and so good at what they do.

I've mentioned three words here today about baseball: hope, riches, and greatness. I mention those words because those are the words mentioned in the reading today from Paul's letter to the Ephesians. He talks about hope, riches, and greatness. The hope he speaks of, however, is a hope in the Lord Jesus. We have that hope. We know that someday we shall live forever with Jesus. That is our hope.

We may not have much money, like famous baseball players, but we are very rich. We are rich because we have far more than we want or need if we have God. God has promised us so many things. We are really rich people! You are rich!

About greatness we know that no one is greater than Jesus. And we know Jesus and Jesus knows us!

We have hope, riches, and greatness! What more could we want or need? I'm so thankful to know Jesus. I don't know any great baseball players, but I know it's fun collecting cards. I don't have much hope myself of becoming a great and rich baseball player, but I know Jesus and that's enough for me. That's more than I could ever need!

Dear Jesus: Thank you for the hope, riches, and greatness you give us. Amen.