Not Sitting Around

for Sunday, June 9, 2013
Third Sunday after Pentecost
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proper 5
Year C
lectionary focus: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17
Note: If you haven’t done a Graduation Sunday, these texts can certainly lend themselves to the Go Forth with God theme.
Inspiration: A thought provoking idea from Rob Moss…

Good Morning!

It is June! It is Summer! It is Vacation! Time for traveling! When I was a kid, we traveled a lot, sometimes far away and sometimes down the street. My mom would always remind us before each trip, before each outing, before  each going out the front door: we needed to learn something, to have fun, to be safe, and to remember that we were representing the family and should behave ourselves.

In our Bible stories today, we hear about a lot of traveling. God sends the Prophet Elijah on a trip; St. Paul shares news from his travels; and Jesus goes to the small town of Nain. All of these are traveling stories. But actually, there are very few people in the Bible who just ‘sit around.’ God likes for us to travel. God wants us to get out in the world, to see other places, to learn about God’s people. But our travels are not just about learning things and having fun. Whenever we go on a trip or an outing or out the front door, we have an opportunity to represent God and to share His love. Yes, this is our church, but by going out, we connect with our neighbors and build God’s community beyond the walls of our church. This is one of the ways we make the world a more beautiful place.

Today’s Bible stories remind us that God’s people do not sit around. While Jesus never traveled very far from His birthplace in Bethlehem, He did not just sit and wait for people to come to Him. Jesus went out into the world–to their tables to eat, to their houses to visit, and to the seashore and countryside to share stories. As we each travel this summer, let us remember to learn something, to have fun, to be safe, and most importantly, to represent God and to share His love wherever we go.

Will you pray with me? (This is an echo prayer: the leader says a line and the children repeat it.)

Dear Lord,
Thank You
for Your love.
Help me
to share Your love
in all my travels
far away
and down the street.
Amen

We are not Christians alone.
My mission is to share, inspire, and encourage.