First Thoughts: In this passage Jesus gives us an understanding of the sacrifice and the commitment of being a true disciple. It means putting ourselves in God's hands completely. We no longer occupy ourselves with controlling our future ("where will we sleep?"), nor do we try to define ourselves by our past relationships ("let me go and bury my father.") This is a pretty steep challenge, particularly for those of us who like to reserve some sense of control over our lives. As we become disciples we forfeit this control, forfeit even the idea that we know what's best for us, and leave it all to God. Where do you find yourself struggling most with this challenge? Do you worry about the future? Do you hold too closely to the past? What prevents you from living this day fully into faith, from committing your full self to serving God? Share your insights with God in prayer.
Teaching On Your Own: (gloomy) Hey, guys. Guess what happened yesterday -- I got fired! See, I had this really great job mowing lawns this summer. I love riding those big tractor mowers, you know? I was doing my first job yesterday, and I kept looking behind me to see those cool lines the mower makes on the lawn. But I guess I looked at those lines a little too long and -- uh -- I ran into a tree. I didn't get hurt, but the tractor has a busted nose. My boss told me that if I couldn't keep my eyes on the lawn ahead, then I just wasn't ready for this job. She sent me home. Tough break, huh?
It reminds me of our lesson today. There were lots of folks who wanted to travel with Jesus and be part of his mission. Jesus' teaching was exciting and new, and people's lives were being changed. But some of those folks weren't quite ready to leave behind their old lives yet. Jesus told them that someone who puts his hand to the plow and turns back wasn't ready to follow him. What do you think that means? It means that when they decided to follow Jesus, they needed to keep their eyes looking forward, to do the work ahead and not look back at what they were missing. All their attention needed to be on Christ. If they weren't ready for that, they needed to go back home. I guess that's what happened to me. I just wasn't ready for such a big responsibility. Do you think maybe I can try again next summer? I think I'll try. If my boss is anything like Jesus, I bet she'll give me a second chance!
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 looks glum)
Leader 1: Hey (name), something got you down?
Leader 2: Yeah. See, I got this really great job mowing lawns this summer. I love riding those big tractor mowers, you know?
Leader 1: Yeah, I know.
Leader 2: Anyway, I was doing my first job yesterday, and I kept looking behind me to see those cool lines the mower makes on the lawn. But I guess I looked at those lines a little too long and -- uh -- I ran into a tree.
Leader 1: A tree? Are you okay?
Leader 2: Oh, yeah. I'm fine, but the tractor has a busted nose.
Leader 1: What happened?
Leader 2: My boss told me that if I couldn't keep my eyes on the lawn ahead, then I just wasn't ready for this job. She fired me.
Leader 1: Oh, that's too bad. But you know, this does remind me of our lesson today. There were lots of folks who wanted to travel with Jesus and be part of his mission. Jesus' teaching was exciting and new, and people's lives were being changed. But some of those folks weren't quite ready to leave behind their old lives yet. Jesus told them that someone who puts his hand to the plow and turns back wasn't ready to follow him.
Leader 2: Hand to the plow? What does that mean?
Leader 1: That means that when they decided to follow Jesus, they needed to keep their eyes looking forward, to do the work ahead and not look back at what they were missing. All their attention needed to be on Christ. If they weren't ready for that, they needed to go back home.
Leader 2: I guess that's what happened to me. I just wasn't ready for such a big responsibility. Do you think maybe I can try again next summer?
Leader 1: I think that's a great idea. If your boss is anything like Jesus, I'm sure she'll give you a second chance!
Closing Prayer: God, steady our hearts for the task of sharing your love in the world. Help us to keep our eyes focused on what you would have us do today, so that we don't become sidetracked by worries about the future or regrets about the past. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, spend some time talking about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. What are some characteristics that are important for a disciple to have? A disciple needs to be focused on following God's will every day -- she needs to pray regularly, spend time with fellow disciples, keep her mind calm -- so her anxiety doesn't get in the way of God's work. Compare this with a professional athlete. What does a professional athlete need to do to compete? Eat well, practice skills, and work in a team. Let's say someone wants to be an athlete but they don't want to practice, and they want to eat junk food all day long. Are they ready to do the job? No. How about when the athlete is playing a game? Should he be worrying about what he's going to eat for dinner, or thinking about a fight he had with his best friend when he was ten? No. He needs to be focused on playing the game. The same is true with a disciple. A disciple who doesn't want to pray or spend time worshiping with other disciples isn't ready to follow Christ. Neither is he ready if he is worrying about the future or concentrating on the past. He needs to be "in the game." How can we "stay in the game" in our life with Christ? We can pray every day, worship together, and try not to pay attention to the things that distract us. If we find we're worrying about something in the future, we can ask God to release us from that. If we're still upset about something that happened yesterday (like being sad about losing a friend, or angry about having a fight) we can ask God to remove that hurt from us, so we can focus on the people in our lives right now.
For a craft idea you can give your children materials to make a basketball ornament. (If you'd like to do a different sports ball, just change your materials accordingly.) You will need cardstock, orange yarn, black yarn, scissors, and glue. Cut out a circle on cardstock and punch a hole at the top. On the back side, have the children write the words "Stay in the game with Christ!" Line the outside of the circle with glue and then make a line of glue down the middle with two curving lines on the sides to create the seams of the basketball. (You could also provide pre-cut templates for the children, with lines already drawn in, depending on time and skill level.) Attach black yarn on all these surfaces. Snip lots of tiny pieces of orange yarn (so they're fuzzy). Cover the rest of the ornament with glue, filling in with the orange fuzz. Cut a piece of orange yarn about 8 inches in length and weave through the hole at the top for hanging. Close with a time of sharing, asking the children if there are any distractions in their lives right now they need to pray about. Pray together as you close.
