An Encounter with Yourself

August 6, 2023 Genesis 32:22-31 An Encounter with yourself 10th Sunday of Pentecost Year A Prelude Welcome Call to Worship L: Good Morning! Welcome to a celebration of God’s love for us! P: We surely need to see that love; stresses weigh us down. L: You’ve come to the right place. This is a place where all of us can seek God’s presence and share our deepest inmost concerns with God. P: We are glad to hear that, for we wrestle with our faith far too often. L: Don’t fear! God is with you always, loving and transforming your lives. P: Lord of mercy and compassion, be in our hearts this day. Help us to reach out with love to others. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer In the darkness of night and the brightness of day, you, O Lord, are present to us. As we wrestle with situations which seem to drain us of our energy; as we struggle to find out who you call us to be, you reach out to us with reassurance of empowerment and courage for the days ahead. Calm our spirits and prepare our hearts and lives to receive your awesome grace. It is in Jesus’ name that we pray. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Song Break Thou the Bread of Life UMH 599 Children’s Sermon Put the ice cubes in a bowl and keep them frozen until you’re ready to use them. Set out the rest of the supplies. Keep the hair dryer out of sight until you use it. You’ll need to be near an electrical outlet. Have you ever watched a wrestling match? Wrestling is a popular sport all over the world. Wrestlers have to be strong and determined to win. Wrestling isn’t a modern invention, though. It’s one of the oldest sports in the world, and it dates back thousands of years. Have everyone show you their best wrestler face and pose. In today’s Bible lesson, Jacob spent an entire night wrestling with an angel of God. After an entire night of wrestling, God’s angel told Jacob to walk away. Jacob left the wrestling match with a new name and a limp from his hurt hip. We sometimes struggle with God, too. We may want to do things our way instead of His way. When is it hard for you to obey God? (Allow time for responses.) Give each child a paper towel. Explain that they’re in charge now. They’ll each have to choose how they think they can most quickly melt an ice cube. They can use a straw to blow hot air on it, sprinkle salt on it, or hold it to try to melt it most quickly. Pass around the supplies so kids can choose, then distribute the ice cubes. Give kids one minute to try to melt their ice cube using their chosen method. Meanwhile, turn on the hair dryer and blow hot air on your ice cube. Call time, then compare everyone’s efforts. How did your way compare to my way of melting the ice cube? Why was my way more effective? My ice cube melted much faster because I had more power. And with God’s power, we can do greater things. We can stop doing things our way. We can surrender to God’s will and trust that He knows best. Dear God, please help us remember that You are the One who knows what’s best for us. We can surrender to Your will and trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen! Responsive Reading Psalm 17 UMH 749 Prayer for illumination Since we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your divine mouth, make us hunger for heavenly food, that it may nourish us today in the ways of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Dana Mould) Scripture Genesis 32:22-31 Sermon An Encounter with yourself How many of you are into the sport of wrestling? I guess I should clarify which kind of wrestling I’m talking about, because there are a surprising number of competitions with the word “wrestling” in them that aren’t exactly sports. I’m sure all of us have tried arm wrestling or thumb wrestling at one time or another. But have you tried toe wrestling? Two barefoot opponents lock their big toes together and try to pin each other’s foot down. Ouch. Some folks in Staffordshire, England, created the World Toe Wrestling Championships in 1976. Reportedly, they were trying to create a competition “where Brits could reign supreme” and this is the best one they could think of. (1) Lancashire, England is home to the World Gravy Wrestling Championship, which happens every year in August. There are separate competitions for men and women. Wrestlers earn points for “fancy dress, entertainment value and wrestling ability.” The man and woman wrestlers with the most points at the end are declared the winners. The World Gravy Wrestling Championship is a charity event that raises funds for the East Lancashire Hospice. (2) In case you’re envious of the Brits for getting all the good wrestling competitions, Barnesville, Minnesota, is home to a mashed potato wrestling competition every year during its Potato Days Festival. The competition takes place in the parking lot of the Assumption Catholic Church in Barnesville. A pool is set up and filled with potato flakes and water. Competitors get two three-minute rounds in the pool. The competitor with the most 3-second pins per round moves on to the next round. At the end of the day, local cattle are brought in to eat up all the leftover mashed potatoes in the pool. (3) Wrestling, no matter whether it’s with arms or thumbs or toes, in gravy or in mashed potatoes, is not for the faint of heart. For many competitors, the secret to success is in holding on until your opponent simply wears out. Of course, that strategy won’t work if you’re wrestling an angel of God. So, what did Jacob hope to get from his wrestling match in Genesis 32? In our scripture, Jacob is in a wrestling match that changes his life. Who don’t know who he’s wrestling with, or even if he wins the fight. This story is a good one to remind ourselves that life is difficult. Now Life is a blessing, life is a gift, life is a journey. But most of all, life is a struggle. No ones comes out of life alive. And at some point in the midst of that ongoing struggle, we find ourselves in a wrestling match – with an opponent that we can clearly see, but we just can’t give it a name. We may wrestle with a relationship, a feeling, a challenge, a situation, a condition that we just can’t overcome. For Jacob, it was all fo the above. The book of Genesis tells is Jacob’s whole life story. He was born on the heels of his twin brother. That is what he name Jacob means – grabber. The modern translation of the name Jacob, is John. Jacob had to fight for everytrhing in his life, his blessing, his wives, his children, his animals, his livelihood. And now he must face the fight of his life, reuniting with his twin brother. After living in exile for 14 years, on the night before his encounters his brother. He sends his family on ahead of him. He is all alone with his thoughts in the middle of the night. At least he thinks he is alone. But he ends up wrestling with all of his regrets, his misdeeds, his resentments. All of the things that stand in the way of reununting with his brother. The story says that he ends up wrestling with a man. But the story never tells us who the man is. Was it his conscious? An angel, God or even Jesus. The poet, James Thurber, once said, “All men must learn before they die, what they are running from and to and why.” Henri Nouwen, in one of his last writings, says, “I found myself in a hospital following a car accident. At first I thought it was nothing. Then I was told I was bleeding internally and might not live. Surprisingly, I found the threat of death to be peaceful beyond my understanding. It was when I woke up and discovered myself still alive in this world, that I became re Sometimes the struggle that makes for growth is simply a tension between an old idea and a new one. For years all sane and stable people knew that human beings could never fly. But when the Wright brothers flew their airplane, the world had to adjust its thinking – but not without a struggle. Centuries ago, some crazy people came along insisting that the world is round instead of flat. They were ridiculed and persecuted until someone sailed around the globe and reached the east by sailing west. We’ve had to change our way of thinking – but not without a struggle. In fact, some people haven’t given up yet. In England there is a group of people called “The Flat Earth Society,” still stubbornly insisting that the earth is flat! An old, false, or inaccurate idea will not be released until it is pushed out of our minds by a new and better idea. I may insist that the sum of two and two is three – I may invest myself emotionally in that contention – and I will stubbornly hold on to that until someone, in the battle of ideas, proves to my satisfaction that the correct sum is four. Without such a conflict of ideas there is no intellectual growth. Such growth is often difficult and painful. It does not come without the struggle of ideas. Now, as difficult and painful as that is, even more difficult is the growth occasioned by changes in our life situation. We lose a job, or we take on a new job. We experience divorce or difficulty in our family. We experience a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. A financial reversal comes to us. We or a loved one becomes ill. Someone close to us dies. Someone we care about betrays us or disappoints us. We are presented with an opportunity and our resources are inadequate. You could add to this list, but you know what I am talking about: something happens to shake us to our foundation. All of our trusted ways of coping are called into question and we are forced to grow. We have to think new thoughts, or try new things, or reach out for new resources. That’s all called growth! It’s frightening. It’s unsettling. Often it’s painful. But without such experiences we would not grow. I’m convinced of it. We would settle down and become comfortable with far less than our best efforts. The familiar and the safe would become good enough for us, and we would never become all that we can be. God has a way of coming to us in so many ways and forcing us to rethink, reform and move forward in a whole new way. For Jacob, before he could even think about forgiving his brother, he had to forgive himself. But that was a process, a struggle, a wrestling match. But when we wrestle, we learn 2 things. We learn to encounter God and we learn that there is always a blessing in the end. There is no way for us to grow without a struggle and without some pain. This story has a lot of meaning. But one important theme is the forgiveness with our sisters and brothers. The ten commandments gives us direction on the relationship with our parents. In Sunday School a teacher, was teaching about the ten commandments. She said the commandment for our relationship with our parents is honor your mother and father. She asked what is the one for sibling. One little boy said – Thou shalt not kill”. But this story is closest to what it means to deal with our siblings. We fight all of the time, but how do you move beyond that. We have brothers and sisters that we grew up with, but we also have brothers and sisters in church, in the groups that the live in, in the nation that we live in and even on the plane together. We have to learn to get along. There can be no continuing relationship without forgiveness and reconciliation. The story says that Jacob wrestled with his opponent all night, until daylight. No one won the fight, but the opponent was getting tired of fighting. He touched Jacob in the side wounding his hip socket, But Jacob said that he would not give up until he received a blessing. Once he got that blessing he was at peace with himself, so he could not seek peace with his brother. The reconciliation with Essau is not a part of our story – but I think it is one of the most important story in the bible. It gives us hope that reconciliation with our siblings can happen. First Jacob sends gifts to his brother, then he sends his family. At last he comes face to face with his brother. All is forgiven. They agree that they can live together in the same land and be civil with each other. Their parting words to one another becomes a beautiful Christian benediction. May the Lord watch between you and me, one another, while we are absent one from another. What a wonderful blessing. But it actually meant that reconciliation is tentative. They were twins, they knew each other. They still didn’t trust one another, but they both trusted God. And may that is how it should be with us all – we don’t know what will happen in the future, but we put our people, relationships, situations, conditions, our unnamed opponents, into the hands of God and just leave them their. Throughout this process, God gives Jacob.a wound that all of his desendents carry on from generation to generation. But God also gives Jacob a new name. He was born the grabber. His new name Isra el. Isra means one who prevails. El means God. Life is a struggle for all of us. All of us are wrestling with things that we cant name. God is there for us. The good news is that in Jesus – we are all new people. We all receive God’s blessing. We all have to the power to prevail. The writer of Genesis closes this chapter in Jacob's life with a beautiful picture. It is a picture of a limping Jacob preparing to meet his brother Esau. He is no longer afraid of Esau. After all, he has wrestled all night with God. How can he fear a mere mortal? But now he is a new Jacob. He even has a new name, Israel. He will become a prince among men. Forevermore his descendants, millions of them, will be known as the children of Israel. As the sun rises over Peniel we see him standing there with a dislocated thigh indicating his brokenness. Yet, he is stronger than he has ever been before. His life is now aligned with the eternal purposes of God. How about you? Have you been wrestling with God? Isn't it time to let God be Sovereign over your life? There is a story about a man who had mis-spent most of his life. A friend was teasing him about it. "Say John," he asked mischievously, "You still spending a lot of time wrestling with the old Devil?" The fellow answered good-naturedly, "Nowadays, I spend most of my time wrestling with God." His friend asked incredulously, "Wrestling with God? How do you hope to win a wrestling match with God?" John smiled and answered, "Oh, you misunderstand. In this wrestling match, I'm hoping to lose." Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan When our will loses, God wins. When God wins – everybody wins. Amen. Song Let us Break Bread Together UMH 618 Prayer As the crowds followed Jesus, eager to be filled with hope, we come this day to this place, seeking nourishments for our souls. We hunger and thirst for the word of hope and truth, but our lives are battered by anger and hostility. Our hearts are filled with concerns for family and friends, for our country and our world. We don’t see how we can be of help to others. Sit us down, as Jesus seated the multitude. Calm us down, as Jesus reassured the disciples that all would receive care. Lift us up, as Jesus encouraged others to reach out in compassion. Give us hearts of confident faith in your presence, O Lord. Place your hands of healing on the many situations which we name at this time with our voices and in our hearts. [Prayer concerns are lifted up here]. Lord, we ask your merciful goodness for these situations and these loved ones. It is in Jesus’ name that we pray. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Perhaps some of you can sympathize with Jesus. He’d been working non-stop, healing, teaching, and responding to the demands of the crowds. When he heard of the murder of John the Baptist, he tried to break away for some time alone. Yet when he looked up from the boat he’d taken across to what he hoped would be a deserted place, a crowd had already gathered! Instead of turning around, or simply dropping anchor out on the water, Jesus came ashore, and “had compassion for them”. Even when we are exhausted, discouraged, uncertain or depressed, we have the model of Jesus standing before us. Jesus engaged, once more, with people who needed food in that deserted place. So he took what was available, gave thanks to God for the bread and fish, and gave the food to his disciples to pass to the crowds. Today, we have opportunity to demonstrate our compassion – our “pity with” others. Not the only way, but one way to respond to the needs of those without food, without shelter, without clothing, without hope, comes by sharing our morning offering. Will you put compassion to the forefront for this moment? Will you respond, knowing a portion of our offering goes to ____________________ (support the food pantry, provide new underwear for those coming to our free clothing shop, pay our minister as s/he counsels with disconsolate folks)? Let us present our gifts as signs and symbols of the compassion we know most clearly from the life of Jesus, the Christ. Prayer of Thanksgiving As one family we sing while these, our gifts, to God we bring; who in love has made us one in the church of Christ, God’s Son. Use us and use our gifts, good Lord, for holy service in the world. Hope to all your people give as to your glory we now live. AMEN (adapted from P. 126, Gifts of Many Cultures, Maren C. Tirabasi and Kathy Wonson Eddy, 1995, Pilgrim Press) Invitation to Communion (inspired by Matthew 14) Each time we come to this Table, we hear an invitation extended to all who will come. Here there are no tests to pass, no threshold of giving to exceed, no affirmation from some authority to present. Here we find the gifts of God for the people of God, presented in simple bread and juice. Counting on the compassion of Jesus Christ, we recognize our hunger and our thirst may be assuaged here even as we remember in a deserted place, long ago, Jesus took simple foods, blessed them, broke the bread and gave the bread and fish. So, today, knowing these gifts will not fill our stomachs, but can satisfy our soul hunger, we remember Jesus taking bread, blessing it, breaking it, giving it. With gratitude, come to receive the bread of life and the cup of salvation. Communion Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold onto what is good; return no on evil for evil; send no one away; instead, feed all those who are hungry; support the weak; help the suffering; honor all people; love thy neighbor as thyself; love and serve the gracious and merciful Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Dana Mould) Community Time - Joys and Concerns Benediction Go today full of God’s love and ready to notice God in your neighbors’ hungers. Go today at rest in God and ready to struggle in loving service for your neighbors. And as you go, may you find the face of God in the hungering, feeding, wrestling, and resting. Amen. (United Methodist Discipleship Ministries) Additional Illustrations

The Meaning of a Blessing

Genesis 32:22-31 August 3, 2014 8th Sunday after Pentecost The Meaning of a Blessing We acknowledge to You, O Lord, that You are our God, as You were the God of our ancestors, forever and ever. Rock of our life, Shield of our help, You are immutable from age to age. We thank You and utter Your praise, for our lives that are delivered into Your hands, and for our souls that are entrusted to You; and for Your miracles that are with us every day and for your marvelously kind deeds that are of every time; evening and morning and noon-tide. Thou art good, for Thy mercies are endless: Thou art merciful, for Thy kindnesses never are complete: from everlasting we have hoped in You. And for all these things may Thy name be blessed and exalted always and forevermore. And all the living will give thanks unto Thee and praise Thy great name in truth, God, our salvation and help. Selah. Blessed be Thou, O Lord, Thy name is good, and to Thee it is meet to give thanks. This is the final benediction of the amidah- the standing prayer that one should say every day. It is 19 blessings to God. It is 19 acknowledgements of what God does for us daily. In the Jewish tradition every blessing is a blessing of God. We are the ones to bless God. Blessing simply means a praise, We praise God for what he had done for us. And we can admit that God has done a lot for us. Today, I want to talk about another Jacob story. This is the story of how Jacob became Israel. The name Israel means one who strives with. But us not Jacob who strives with God, it is God who strives with Jacob. God strives with each one of us and we are all better because of it. Everytime that I hear this story –I love it more and more. This is the story of each of us –sinners who reach a point in our lives that we need God’s help to survive. To prevail over our circumstances. Jacob had finally reached the point in life – where his chickens had come home to roost. He stole a blessing from his older brother, he had spent his life running, now it was time to come home, and in order to be at home, he had to face his brother. He had ruined his brother’s life, and would his brother pay him back by ruining his. He wouldfind that our tomorrow, but tonight he encountered someone else. Some people say the stranger in the night was God, some say an angel, some say God, some even say it was leviathan, the river demon that God defeated in the creation story to bring order out of chaos. Jacob was next to a river, and there was a belief that every river had a demon that lived in it and protected the water. If you got too close to the water, then the demon would rise up and attack you. Some one attacked Jacob in the night and they fought all night. This story is in Genesis, intended to answer a lot of questions about the history of the Jews. According to the story, they do not eat meat surrounding the hip, because that was where Jacob was injured in this fight. There is a lot of symbolism and mystery in this story. Jacob fights this man all night, neither win, but neither give up. When the man is tired and ready to walk away, Jacob will not let him go until he gets a blessing. Only God can give blessings, so Jacob names the place Panuel – the face of God. We are all a lot like Jacob, we know what we have done in life, we know who we are – but all we want in life is a blessing. Someone to say that they care and that they love us. This is from a writer named Mary Ann Bird: I grew up knowing I was different. I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate. When I started school, my classmates made it clear how I looked to others. Little girl, misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, garbled speech. When schoolmates asked, 'What happened to your lip?' I'd tell them I'd fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than been born different. I was convinced nobody outside my family could love me. Then there was a teacher in the second grade we adored, Mrs. Leonard. Annually we had a hearing test. Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everybody in the class. Finally, it was my turn. I knew from past years as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper, and we'd have to repeat it back, something like, 'The sky is blue' or 'Do you have new shoes?' I waited there for the words. God must have put in her mouth those seven words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said in a whisper, 'I wish you were my little girl.'" To people made ugly and twisted by sin, God whispers through Jesus, "I wish you were my little girl. I wish you were my little boy." All those blessings flow from the Cross; Blessed,blessed, blessed, blessed. It was those words of blessing that made all of the difference in the world. That is why Jacob was looking for a blessing. And the only person who could fill the hole in his soul completely was God. Jacob says I prayed, I persisted,I prevailed, and Iwas preserved. That is life for all of us. The request for a blessing was the request of a desparate man in a desparate situation. This is the story of all if humanity. We have to strive with God day by day. We wake up. Face the day and we prevail. Things are not perfect, but as long as God is with us, we have enough fight in us to deal with the day. Is it my strength that helps me to prevail, or God’ strength, it God blessing me or am I blessing God. Jacob becomes Israel because God and man went toe to toe and both prevailed. That is what it means to be blessed – to be in God’s favor. In the Jewish understanding of blessing, we bless God, in the Christian understanding God blesses us. But what does that mean. It is just a difference in focus. All things in our life come from God. So we say thank you. Christ reminds us that God blesses us, so that we can be a blessing to others. John Ortberg, a Presbyterian pastor says that the story of Jacob is important – because the people of God identified with this story. They themselves became Israel- ones who strive with God. Jacob was blessed his whole life, but he didn’t know what to do with it. He received his blessing from his dad. In those days there was only one blessing –for the oldest child. But Jacob took it. When it was time for Jacob to pass the blessing on, he gave it to all twelve of his sons. He loved them all. He even blessed his grandsons. He crossed his hands so that he could bless the younger one before the older one. Joseph assumed because his dad was blind he didn’t know what he was doing, so he uncrossed his hands. But Israel crossed his hands back – and gave the least the blessing. Jesus continues that tradition with us – which is why we are blessed. Jesus spread the blessing to all, even those who were outsiders and sinners and didn’t deserve a blessing. Through God’s grace we got it anyway. At age 16 Andor Foldes was already a skilled pianist, but he was experiencing a troubled year. In the midst of the young Hungarian's personal struggles, one of the most renowned pianists of the day came to Budapest. Emil von Sauer was famous not only for his abilities; he was also the last surviving pupil of the great Franz Liszt. Von Sauer requested that Foldes play for him. Foldes obliged with some of the most difficult works of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann. When he finished, von Sauer walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. "My son," he said, "when I was your age I became a student of Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson, saying, 'Take good care of this kiss--it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play.' I have waited for years to pass on this sacred heritage, but now I feel you deserve it." Source Unknown. There are actually three elements to a blessing. First there is a touch, a kiss or a hug. That is why we lay hands on people- touch is a part of the blessing. Then you give positive words of encouragement, then you promise to do all you can to make the blessing a reality. – all of this is in the story – God touches his hip, God gives him a new name, and them God gives peace that surpasses all understanding so that Jacob can face the challenges of tomorrow. God blesses us, so that we can bless others. The blessing of Israel was extended to all who strive with God and who through God’s grace are able to prevail. Who have you blessed today? It is not too late – the day is still early, and there are still those in your life who need to know that they are loved. Bless someone – because you have been blessed. Here are some of the blessings promised in the bible. F.E. Marsh has enumerated some of God's blessings: An acceptance that can never be questioned. (Ephesians 1:6). An inheritance that can never be lost (I Peter 1:3-5). A deliverance that can never be excelled (2 Corinthians l:10). A grace that can never be limited (2 Corinthians 12:9). A hope that can never be disappointed. (Hebrews 6:18, 19). A bounty that can never be withdrawn. (I Colossians 3:21-23). A joy that need never be diminished (John 15:11). A nearness to God that can never be reversed (Ephesians 2:13). A peace that can never be disturbed (John 14:27). A righteousness that can never be tarnished (2 Corinthians 5:21). A salvation that can never be canceled (Hebrews 5:9). F.E. Marsh. One morning R.C. Chapman, a devout Christian, was asked how he was feeling. "I'm burdened this morning!" was his reply. But his happy countenance contradicted his words. So the questioner exclaimed in surprise, "Are you really burdened, Mr. Chapman?" "Yes, but it's a wonderful burden--it's an overabundance of blessings for which I cannot find enough time or words to express my gratitude!" Seeing the puzzled look on the face of his friend, Chapman added with a smile, "I am referring to Psalm 68:19, which fully describes my condition. In that verse the Father in heaven reminds us that He 'daily loads us with benefits.'" Source Unknown. Amen. Extra illustration…… Historically, God has always worked with people, and through people, to get things done in the world. Remember, please, that it was with the food the disciples brought to Jesus that he fed the multitude. And he didn't feed them, really; it was the disciples who did that; it was from their hands those people received that food that day. It is the way of God to use human instrumentality to accomplish his purpose. Perhaps he could by-pass the human instrumentality and get his work done without the participation of his people, but he rarely does, if ever. A story has long been told concerning a country preacher who came upon a member of his parish working in his newly-made garden alongside the road. With an air of great piousness, the preacher said, "Brother William, you ought to be very grateful to God for all the beautiful tomatoes and potatoes and beans the Lord will give you in your garden this year." Glancing up and down along neat rows of planted vegetables, Brother William slowly replied, "Yes, Parson, I suppose so, but, you know, you really should have seen this patch of ground last year when the Lord had it all by himself." Leonard W. Mann, Life-Size Living, CSS Publishing Company Children’s Sermon…… Some Things Money Can Buy, For Everything Else There's Grace by Brett Blair Passage: Isaiah 55:1-13 • Lectionary: Proper 13 Item 2 of 2 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: God's gift of mercy is given without cost. Props: Give everyone a nickel, a dime, or a quarter. The money should work out so that the children can make the first two purchases. Additional props: Can of Sprite, a toy from a gumball machine (e.g. small deck of cards or one of those gooey toys-leave the toy in the container), a freshly cut tree branch that is budding, and a communion chalice. Optional: A small table to set the objects on while they are being sold. Lesson: Good morning. (response) How much money do you have on you this morning?(response) Everyone dig in your pocket count your money and tell me how much you've got.(response) That's not a lot. Let me give you some more. Give everyone a dime. Ok, I am the store and I brought some things with me to sell but now I don't know if you can afford them. The first thing for sell this morning is this. What is it? (can of sprite) How much is a can of sprite? (fifty cents) Does anyone have enough? (response) If no one has fifty cents suggest that some of them team up to buy it. Here is a hard question for you: Why is that can of sprite worth fifty cents? (response) The second thing for sell this morning is this. What is it? (small deck of cards) How much is the small deck of cards? (fifty cents) Does any body else have enough? (response) Suggest again that some of them team up to buy it. Why is the small deck of cards worth fifty cents?(response) The third thing for sell this morning is... What is this? (a stick) What is it worth? (nothing, it's a stick) Ok, now look a little closer. What's on the ends? (buds) What do those buds mean?(getting close to summer) It means spring is almost here. In fact this Tuesday is the first day of Spring. Now I would like to sell spring to you. How much is Spring worth? (you can't sell spring) Why not? (response) Place the chalice on the table The last thing for sell this morning is God's forgiveness. How much is God's forgiveness worth? (response) I can't sell God's forgiveness either? (response)Why not? (response) Application: You are right. And the Old Testament book of Isaiah tells us that there are things money can buy but for everything else hold up the branch there is grace. We can't buy Spring but we can enjoy it because God gives it to us. We can't buy God's Forgiveness but we can receive it because God in his mercy gives it to us. Let's Pray: Lord, we thank you for all kindness and mercy you show us. And, we thank you that there is no cost for them. They are worth more than we could pay! Amen. OT Children's Sermons, Brett Blair, ChristianGlobe Network, 2001, 0-0000-0000-1