First Thoughts: Finally we close the season of Easter with the glorious ascension of Jesus into heaven. Not only is the resurrection complete in our scriptures -- look around! -- but in our world as well. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the tricky season of spring is settling down to the steady rains and sunshine of summer. It's a time to play outside, swim, and lounge in a hammock reading a good book. This is true for our liturgical calendar as well. We've been racing from Advent to Christmas, then from Lent to Easter. Each season in their turn exciting, exhausting, devastating, uplifting. Now, as we move toward Pentecost we prepare to settle into the ordinary season. Here we can catch our breath, having survived the drama for another year. Now we allow these truths to sink into our souls as we go about the "ordinary" business of being church together. We praise God for the drama, for the adventure, for the shock and awe of the birthing/living/dying/resurrecting Christ. But we also praise God for the extended "green" season, where we learn not just how to observe Christ, but to become Christ.
Teaching On Your Own: (blindfold on) Hey, where is everyone? Oh! (peeks from behind blindfold) I forgot I had this one. Do you want to know why I'm wearing this? Last night I was out playing baseball when I heard this creepy squeaking sound. I looked up and you know what I saw? A bat! It was flying around on its spooky wings, fangs out ready to bite. Yuck! They're so horrible looking they freak me out when I see them. So I put on the blindfold and I haven't taken it off since. I decided that's the best way to deal with my fear of bats -- just not to look at them. After all, what I don't see can't scare me. Do you guys think that's a good idea? No? Well, maybe I should do the opposite. Maybe instead of hiding my eyes from the bats I should look at them more closely. What do you guys know about bats? You know, I remember seeing a nature movie about them once, and they are kind of cute when you really look at them. They have sweet round eyes and furry tummies, and they keep themselves very clean -- kind of like a cat. You know what else? Bats are really helpful. You might think they want to bite you but actually they like to eat lots and lots of bugs. Bats are the reason I can play baseball outside without being bit by mosquitoes. Maybe it is better to look at something rather than hiding my eyes. What do you think?
That's what Jesus taught in our lesson today. After his resurrection Jesus spent several days with the disciples, but now it was time for him to return to heaven. So he called everybody together and asked them to come and witness what was going to happen. Do you know what it means to "witness" something? That means they were to watch what happened and share it with others. Some of the disciples may have been a little scared. After all, a lot of strange things had happened to them in the past several days and they were probably ready to be done with adventure for a while. But they did as Jesus asked. They watched as Jesus blessed them and said good-bye, and then he was carried up to heaven. Do you think the disciples were happy or sad after witnessing Jesus' ascension? They were happy! They returned to Jerusalem full of joy, praising God and worshiping together. Later they would carry their story into the whole world: Jesus has returned to heaven and we are welcome to join him in God's family of love! It turns out that this witnessing thing might be a pretty cool idea, especially when you have friends who will do it with you. The important thing is to keep your eyes open!
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has blindfold on)
Leader 1: Hey (name), why do you on that blindfold?
Leader 2: Last night I was out playing baseball when I heard this creepy squeaking sound. I looked up and you know what I saw? A bat! It was flying around on its spooky wings, fangs out ready to bite. Yuck! They're so horrible looking they freak me out when I see them. So I put on the blindfold and I haven't taken it off since.
Leader 1: So your solution to your fear of bats is just not to look at them?
Leader 2: Yes. What I don't see can't scare me.
Leader 1: But maybe what you do see can teach you something.
Leader 2: (peeks from behind blindfold) What do you mean?
Leader 1: If you really looked at a bat you might feel differently. First of all, I think they're pretty cute. They have sweet round eyes and furry tummies, and they keep themselves very clean -- kind of like a cat.
Leader 2: Hmmm. I do like cats.
Leader 1: Second, bats are really helpful. You might think they want to bite you but actually they like to eat lots and lots of bugs. Bats are the reason you can play baseball outside without being bit by mosquitoes.
Leader 2: Wow! Well, maybe it is better to look at something rather than hiding my eyes.
Leader 1: That's what Jesus taught in our lesson today. After his resurrection Jesus spent several days with the disciples, but now it was time for him to return to heaven. So he called everybody together and asked them to come and witness what was going to happen.
Leader 2: What did he mean, "witness" it?
Leader 1: That means they were to watch what happened and share it with others. Some of the disciples might have been a little scared. After all, a lot of strange things had happened to them in the past several days and they were probably ready to be done with adventure for a while. But they did as Jesus asked. They watched as Jesus blessed them and said good-bye, and then was carried up to heaven.
Leader 2: I bet they were happy to be witnesses then!
Leader 1: I think you're right. They returned to Jerusalem full of joy, praising God and worshiping together. Later they would carry their story into the whole world: Jesus has returned to heaven and we are welcome to join him in God's family of love!
Leader 2: It turns out this witnessing thing might be a pretty cool idea, especially when you have friends who will do it with you.
Leader 1: Yep, it's always better when you have good friends around. Don't forget you have to keep your eyes open!
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, for giving us eyes to see and hearts to understand how you work in our lives. Help us to keep our eyes open to your love, not only so that we can be encouraged ourselves but so that we might share the good news of your love with everyone we meet. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a home or classroom environment walk the children through the action in the Luke passage. You might invite them to act out the steps in the story as you describe it. First all the disciples were gathered around Jesus, hearing him teach his final lesson about his going back to heaven and that they were going to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to share the good news with the world. Then Jesus leads them to the mountaintop at Bethany, raises his hands and blesses them, and then is taken away to heaven. The disciples cheer and hug each other and immediately join together in prayer. They are waiting for the Holy Spirit to empower them so they can begin the ministry Jesus described. (You can let the children know that next week -- Pentecost -- is when we'll be looking at how the Holy Spirit finally did come to them.) Ask the children a few questions about the passage. Why was it important that the disciples be good witnesses? (because Jesus was going to be gone) If anyone was to hear about Jesus' story and his message from God it would need to be these guys. If they missed something, the message might be lost. Remind the children that as Christians, we are also called to be witnesses to God's love. It's easy for people to become discouraged and to only see the difficult or frightening things around them. If we are God's witnesses, we can let them know that God loves them and will never leave them. We can be their friends, sharing the love God has given us with them.
As an activity, take a little "witness walk" outside. (If this isn't possible you can bring some nature items into the classroom: rocks, flowers, pinecones, leaves, and so on.) Ask the children to look around carefully and witness to the way that God is working in the world around them. Encourage them to observe the natural world -- the sun shining, the plants growing -- and how God is using that world to support life on this planet. Also encourage the children to look beyond the natural world, observing the buildings, cars, and even the litter in the street. The buildings provide shelter and cars help us get to church, school, and visit friends. Even an empty hamburger wrapper littering the street reminds us that God has provided food for somebody to eat. Challenge the children to look beyond the things we typically see as beautiful and find God even in the most unlikely places. When you're done with the "witness walk" ask the children how it has expanded their understanding of God's care. How will they share this new understanding with others? Close with prayer.
