Login / Signup

Free Access

Lame Ducks

Children's Story
Jane's mother wasn't very pleased. Jane had come home cradling a tiny kitten inside her coat. It was a dear little thing, all fluffy and warm, but Jane's mother didn't want the hassle of yet another new kitten in the house.

The trouble was, Jane was always finding lost kittens or injured hedgehogs or birds with broken wings, and once a duckling with a broken leg. Jane's mother quite liked animals, but as she kept telling Jane, she wasn't a vet and didn't know how to look after them properly.

Jane didn't think that mattered. As far as she was concerned, the important thing was to love the animals and feed them. It was true that a lot of them recovered their health that way, but nonetheless the vet's bills were getting rather high.

"I'm sorry," Jane's mother said firmly. "Yes, I agree it's a dear little kitten, but we already have four animals in the house and I just can't cope with any more. Besides, it's costing me a fortune. We'd have to take this kitten to the vet to get all its injections, and I'd have to go straight out to buy some special kitten food."

"I'll buy it, "Jane said eagerly. "I'll buy it out of my pocket money. And I'll save up to pay for the injections. If you pay for them now, I'll owe it to you. But I'll pay you each week."

Jane's mother sighed. "It's not just that," she said. "Animals are such a tie. We haven't been away on holiday for three years and I feel so tired. You can put a dog into kennels, but how can you ask anybody to come in and look after lame hedgehogs and baby kittens and sick goslings?"

Jane frowned. "I don't want to go away on holiday," she replied. "I like it here. And besides, I would much rather be looking after my animals than wasting my time on holiday."

"Well, it's all right for you then, isn't it?" Jane's mum said quietly. But as she walked away her face looked rather sad and very tired.

Jane realised for the first time that her mother was getting older. And Jane suddenly felt rather selfish. Until now, Jane had felt rather proud and virtuous as she'd helped all these animals. Everyone else had seemed to think she was rather marvellous too, and the local newspaper had even written a whole article about her with a photograph of her and all her animals.

But now, Jane began to wonder. Perhaps she couldn't go on and on and on helping sick and damaged animals and birds, because all her helping involved other people too and they might not be quite so happy about it. Maybe she shouldn't keep bringing the sick animals home and expecting her Mum to care for them. But if she didn't, who would look after them?

She thought about it for a long while, trying to work out whether there was a different way of helping animals which might perhaps help her mother as well. Then, she quietly gathered up the kitten and slipped out. She went round to her friend Poppy's house and spoke to Poppy's mother. Then she handed over the kitten and went home.

Her mother was sitting in the kitchen with her head in her hands and didn't look up when Jane came in. "I'm sorry, love," said her mother. "You can keep the kitten if you want to. We'll sort it out somehow."

Jane ran over to her mum and hugged her. "I've given the kitten to Poppy," she said. "Poppy's always wanted a kitten and her mum said it was OK." Then she added, "I think I'll try and get a Saturday job. That way I can help pay for the animals we have,and save a bit towards a day out. I don't expect I could afford a full holiday, but I reckon I could save enough for us both to go out for the day. What do you think?"

Jane's Mum hugged her very tightly. "I am lucky to have a daughter like you," she said, "even if it does mean looking after half a dozen animals all the time as well!"

And they both laughed.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 19
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 20
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For October 19, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 31:27-34
John Calvin makes very clear why a new covenant is needed according to this text. He observes:

… the fault was not to be sought in the law that there was need of a new covenant, for the law was abundantly sufficient, but that fault was in the levity and the unfaithfulness of the people. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.X/2, p.130)
David Coffin
What happens when one’s past life narrative or goals in life have drastically shifted or collapsed? How do they rebuild hope? For Israel, they lost their land, monarchy, and national identity. In the days of the New Testament,they could easily be identified as living in the “fourth world” country. That is, existing in substandard conditions in one’s own native land?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Rose sat back in her chair and opened her magazine. She heard the thump of the stairs and caught a glimpse of her daughter and son in the corner of her eye. She turned her head as they put water bottles in their backpacks.

“What are you two doing?” she looked over at the clock. “Don’t you have homework?”

“All done,” Paul and Linda announced at the same time.

Rose ignored Linda but locked eyes with Paul. He met her gaze for a few moments and then sighed.

“Okay, I’m almost done but still have some math questions,” he admitted.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus told us that we should always pray and not lose heart, for God is on our side. In our worship today let us pray to the Lord for the needs of others and for all our own needs.


Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes you don't seem to be there when I pray and I feel like I'm talking to myself.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes my prayers seem so dry and boring that I give up.

Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Psalm 119 is well-known as the longest chapter in the Bible. The poem is actually an extended, and extensive, meditation on the meaning of the law. Given the sterile connotations often associated with "law" and "legalism," it's hard sometimes to appreciate the lyrical beauty of these reflections. One thing is for certain, the writer of this psalm does not view the law as either sterile or void of vitality.

Schuyler Rhodes
There is perhaps no better feeling than knowing that someone "has your back." Having someone's back is a term that arose from urban street fighting where a partner or ally would stay with you and protect your back in the thick of the fray. When someone has your back, you don't worry about being hit from behind. When someone has your back you can concentrate on the struggle in front of you without worrying about dangers you cannot see. When someone has your back you feel protected, secure, safe.
David Kalas
I wonder how many of us here are named after someone.

Chances are that a good many of us carry family names. We are named for a parent, a grandparent, an uncle, or an aunt somewhere on the family tree. Others of us had parents who named us after a character in the Bible, or perhaps some other significant character from history.

All told, I expect a pretty fair number of us are named after someone else.

John W. Clarke
Our reading today from the prophet Jeremiah is one in which the Hebrew people, not knowing what else to do in terms of addressing their predicament, decide to blame it all on God. They believed their problems to be the result of their sins and the sins of their fathers. Of course, one person's sin does indeed affect other people, but all people are still held personally accountable for the sin in their own lives (Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:2).
Donna E. Schaper
As usual, the epistle is a little more graphic than we can quite grasp. Itchy ears: what a concept just in physical terms. Experience it for a minute. You itch, you scratch, you sort of know you shouldn't scratch because it will only make the itch worse. But still you scratch, while wondering how the itch ever got started in the first place. What a concept: itchy ears as a vehicle for spiritual truth.

John E. Berger
Did Jesus ever do comedy? Indeed he did, and the Parable of the Unjust Judge is partly comic monologue. The routine began with a probate judge so ridiculously dishonest that he announced, "... I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone...." (There must have been a gasp of disbelief from Jesus' audience.)

The Unjust Judge was nagged by a widow, however, who had every right to nag, because she had been cheated by somebody in the community. A good judge would have helped the widow, but remember, this judge "neither feared God nor had respect for people."

CSSPlus

And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? (v. 7)

Good morning, boys and girls. Yesterday, I was riding in my car and I kept hearing this noise. I call it a squeak. Do you know what a squeak sounds like? (let them answer) Squeaks are very annoying. It is hard to find a squeak in your car, so it is still squeaking.

I also have a chair that has a squeak and I brought it in with me today because it is

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL