First Thoughts: This is the second part of our story from last week. Last week we heard Jesus deliver his triumphant sermon in which he proclaimed the year of the Lord's favor; this week we see the crowd's reaction to it. There seems to be a couple of things going on here. First, the people are distracted by the fact that Jesus is someone they knew growing up. He is so familiar to them that it's difficult to take Jesus seriously as a prophet from God. Second, the people seem to be offended that Jesus is spending so much time doing great miracles in other places and is neglecting them. Shouldn't his first loyalty be to his hometown? Of course, it's their familiarity with Jesus and their rejection of his divine calling that make it impossible for Jesus to really minister in this place. This lesson points us to a very serious danger in our lives as Christians: our familiarity with something can block the way for God to do new things in our lives, whether it's a favorite scripture passage or an old friend, a situation we have encountered "a million times," when we think that we know the script for things we forget that God is constantly renewing the old and making things new. Although this really is good news, it's also disturbing for those of us who prefer things to be predictable and comfortable. It disturbed the people of Nazareth so much that they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff! Can you think about a time in your life when you were resistant to the new thing God was doing? How did God help you to move toward faith? What were the results in the growth of your faith? Carry your reflection with you into a time of prayer.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey everybody. I have a problem this morning and I'd like to share it with you. It's about some of my friends. Most of the time I make a lot of jokes and goof around a lot, you know? So everybody thinks of me as a clown. But the other day in Sunday school I heard about people in other parts of the world who don't have any water. They're actually getting sick and weak because they're so thirsty. So I decided I wanted to raise money to dig some wells over there. But my friends won't take me seriously. They don't believe that a clown like me is really interested in something so important. I got so frustrated. I mean, why can't I be a clown and care about getting water to thirsty people? Do you ever have a hard time getting people to take you seriously?
You know, Jesus had that same problem when he visited his hometown of Nazareth. The people there had known Jesus when he was a small boy and many of them still thought of him as just a youngster running and playing in the streets. So when Jesus tried to preach to them, and help them understand his calling in the world, they laughed at him. In fact, even though Jesus was doing miracles everywhere else, he couldn't do anything in Nazareth because the people had no faith in what he was doing. He had to move on to another place to continue God's work. Hey, maybe that's what I need to do -- go somewhere else to try to raise money. What do you think? I think the most important thing is that I need to try to be true to who I am and what God wants me to do, whether people understand it or not. I feel pretty strongly about this water thing. I'll have to pray about it and see where else God might send me.
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 looks down)
Leader 1: Hey (name), is something wrong? You look a little sad today.
Leader 2: I'm just having a problem with my friends.
Leader 1: What's that?
Leader 2: Most of the time I make a lot of jokes and goof around a lot, you know? So everybody thinks of me as a clown.
Leader 1: I can see that.
Leader 2: But the other day in Sunday school I heard about people in other parts of the world who don't have any water. They're actually getting sick and weak because they're so thirsty. So I decided I wanted to raise money to dig some wells over there.
Leader 1: That sounds like a great idea.
Leader 2: Yeah, but my friends won't take me seriously. They don't believe that a clown like me is really interested in something so important. I got so frustrated. I mean, why can't I be a clown and care about getting water to thirsty people?
Leader 1: That is a good question. Jesus had the same problem when he visited his hometown of Nazareth. The people there had known Jesus when he was a small boy and many of them still thought of him as just a youngster running and playing in the streets. So when Jesus tried to preach to them, and help them understand his calling in the world, they laughed at him.
Leader 2: They did?
Leader 1: Yeah. In fact, even though Jesus was doing miracles everywhere else, he couldn't do anything in Nazareth because the people had no faith in what he was doing. He had to move on to another place to continue God's work.
Leader 2: Do you think I'm going to have to do that, to go somewhere else to try to raise money?
Leader 1: Maybe. The most important thing is that you need to be true to who you are and what God is asking you to do -- whether other people understand it or not.
Leader 2: I feel pretty strongly about this water thing. I guess I'll have to pray about it and see where else God might send me.
Leader 1: Sounds like just the right thing to do.
Closing Prayer: God, thank you for taking us seriously and asking us to do important work, even if other people don't accept it. Help us to be courageous and faithful in sharing your love with the world. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom setting, share the rest of the story with the children. Not only did the people of Nazareth reject Jesus' message, they were so angry that Jesus wouldn't do any miracles in their town that they tried to throw him over the cliff. Sometimes people want God to do things for them even though they're not ready to really let God into their hearts and minds. Jesus was very brave to go to Nazareth and to share God's word, even though it meant the people might laugh at him or get angry with him.
What are some ways God might want us to be brave in our world? How can we believe in our mission when other people are making fun of us? Remind the children that Jesus wasn't alone in Nazareth. He had lots of friends who went with him, and God was protecting him. In fact, it was God who rescued Jesus from the angry crowd. The bottom line is that God will never ask us to do anything on our own. God will always send other people to pray for us and give us support, and God will also go with us. Ask the children to identify the people in their lives who would take them seriously and support them in doing God's work. If you have a gift for music, you might lead the children in singing the song "I Am a Promise." If music isn't your strength, you can read the words to the children. This song tells us that God doesn't see us just as children, but as promises to the world -- and God fully intends to fulfill that promise in each of our lives.
As a craft idea, give each child a piece of construction paper and invite them to draw a bubble letter "P" on it. (You could also provide a template prepared in advance.) Invite the children to color the "P" or cover it with glitter and then cut it out. Make two hole punches in the top of the letter and string a piece of yarn through it. Tie the yarn to make a necklace and remind the children that the "P" stands for God's promise to them, and that they are a promise to the world. Close your time with prayer.
