Fly away home
Children's sermon
Object:
a nest
And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." (v. 58)
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have seen a bird's nest before? (allow answers) Where have you seen a nest? (allow answers) A bird's nest is like a bird's home. It's where the bird goes at night so that it can sleep, or where the mama bird can sit on her eggs and raise her baby birds.
Lots of animals have specific homes, just like birds have nests. Foxes live in dens, which are holes they dig into the earth. Can you think of other animal homes? (allow answers) Bears spend their winters in dens. Rabbits live in underground tunnels called "warrens." Squirrels make nests in trees out of sticks and leaves.
Where do people live? (allow answers) That's right -- houses! You all have a house or an apartment or somewhere to sleep at night. What do you like about your house? (allow answers) How does it feel to come home after a long time away? (allow answers) We usually feel comforted when we come home to our houses. We like to have a "home base" -- a place that, no matter where we travel, we can always come back to. We keep our things at our home. We have friends and school and jobs at home. Home is where we feel safe and confident.
Our gospel lesson talks about someone who didn't have a home. It might surprise you to know who it was. Does anyone have a guess? (allow answers) The answer is Jesus! When Jesus is talking to his disciples, he says, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Wouldn't you think that he would have a home? (allow answers) He's the Son of God! He's the most important person who ever lived! But he doesn't have a home.
That makes me feel sad. I want Jesus to have somewhere to lay his head. I want Jesus to have somewhere that he feels safe. But that wasn't what Jesus came to earth to do. Jesus' mission on earth was to spread God's word -- and if that meant traveling without a home, then he would not have a home.
I guess Jesus did have a home. It wasn't a home on earth; he would have to travel a long way and a long time before he could reach it and rest. Jesus' real home is with God. Jesus didn't want a home on earth because he knew what he was traveling toward: eternal rest with God in his heavenly home.
We are also traveling toward God's heavenly home. If anything would happen to our home on earth -- fire, tornado, earthquake, flood -- we know we can get through it. We have an eternal, indestructible home in heaven. Someday we, like Jesus, will have a beautiful place to rest our heads forever. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have seen a bird's nest before? (allow answers) Where have you seen a nest? (allow answers) A bird's nest is like a bird's home. It's where the bird goes at night so that it can sleep, or where the mama bird can sit on her eggs and raise her baby birds.
Lots of animals have specific homes, just like birds have nests. Foxes live in dens, which are holes they dig into the earth. Can you think of other animal homes? (allow answers) Bears spend their winters in dens. Rabbits live in underground tunnels called "warrens." Squirrels make nests in trees out of sticks and leaves.
Where do people live? (allow answers) That's right -- houses! You all have a house or an apartment or somewhere to sleep at night. What do you like about your house? (allow answers) How does it feel to come home after a long time away? (allow answers) We usually feel comforted when we come home to our houses. We like to have a "home base" -- a place that, no matter where we travel, we can always come back to. We keep our things at our home. We have friends and school and jobs at home. Home is where we feel safe and confident.
Our gospel lesson talks about someone who didn't have a home. It might surprise you to know who it was. Does anyone have a guess? (allow answers) The answer is Jesus! When Jesus is talking to his disciples, he says, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Wouldn't you think that he would have a home? (allow answers) He's the Son of God! He's the most important person who ever lived! But he doesn't have a home.
That makes me feel sad. I want Jesus to have somewhere to lay his head. I want Jesus to have somewhere that he feels safe. But that wasn't what Jesus came to earth to do. Jesus' mission on earth was to spread God's word -- and if that meant traveling without a home, then he would not have a home.
I guess Jesus did have a home. It wasn't a home on earth; he would have to travel a long way and a long time before he could reach it and rest. Jesus' real home is with God. Jesus didn't want a home on earth because he knew what he was traveling toward: eternal rest with God in his heavenly home.
We are also traveling toward God's heavenly home. If anything would happen to our home on earth -- fire, tornado, earthquake, flood -- we know we can get through it. We have an eternal, indestructible home in heaven. Someday we, like Jesus, will have a beautiful place to rest our heads forever. Amen.
