First Thoughts: This is such a poignant image of Jesus, weeping over the town and the people he loves -- knowing they will not receive his love. Many of us have had this experience, watching someone we really care about make decisions that are not in their best interest. The temptation in such times is for us to become angry and judgmental, preaching at them about their mistake. But the deeper truth is we feel sadness and grief. Our pain comes from a place of deep compassion and love. Faced with Jerusalem's obstinacy and knowing that this is where he will be betrayed and murdered, Jesus stays open to his emotional connection to them, even as it hurts him terribly. How different would the world be if, when we experienced the pain of grief and hurt, we could just stay there, allowing it to fill us? How much deeper would our compassion grow if we allowed the suffering of others to touch us, rather than push it away through anger and judgment? Spend some time reflecting on this image of the weeping Jesus, allowing it to touch your heart. Carry your prayerfulness with you in your time with the children.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey everybody, I'm really angry today. Want to know why? My friends are making a big mistake! Our teacher has given us some hard math homework this week, and she told us it's really important that we do it because it's practice for a test we'll have at the end of the month. So I've gone straight home every day to do it. But my friends are just blowing it off and playing soccer instead. Not too smart, right? I tried to tell them that it wasn't a good idea but they just ignored me. I'm just so angry at them! But I can't really figure out why I'm angry. I mean, they're really not doing anything bad to me, are they? Maybe I'm not all that angry, just worried. I think they're going to regret their decision. Have you ever been so worried about someone you got angry?
You know, Jesus was worried about the people in Jerusalem. He really cared about them and wanted them to understand how much God loved them. But they just wouldn't listen to him. At one point he said that he wanted to protect them and gather them under his arms the way a chicken gathers her chicks. But they wouldn't let him love them. It made him so sad that he cried about it. And you know what? God loves us the same way. When we make mistakes, God doesn't get angry with us; God hurts for us. God knows that our bad decisions don't work out well for us, and God wants us to have lives that are as happy and blessed as possible. That's how I feel about my friends too. I guess I'll just try to keep on loving them, even when they're making mistakes. Maybe I'll get another chance to help them later on.
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 1: Hey (name) you look a little sad today.
Leader 2: I'm not sad, I'm angry. My friends are making a big mistake!
Leader 1: What are they doing?
Leader 2: Our teacher has given us some hard math homework this week, and she told us it's really important that we do it because it's practice for a test we'll have at the end of the month. So I've gone straight home every day to do it. But my friends are just blowing it off and playing soccer instead.
Leader 1: Yeah, that doesn't sound too smart.
Leader 2: I tried to tell them that it wasn't a good idea but they just ignored me. I'm just so angry at them!
Leader 1: But why are you angry? They aren't hurting you.
Leader 2: (considers) Well, I guess I'm not angry. I'm just worried about them. I think they're going to regret this later.
Leader 1: Sounds like you're right to be worried about them. You know, Jesus had a similar problem with the people in Jerusalem. He really cared about them and wanted them to understand how much God loved them. But they just wouldn't listen to him. At one point he said that he wanted to protect them and gather them under his arms the way a chicken gathers her chicks. But they wouldn't let him love them. It made him so sad that he cried about it.
Leader 2: Wow. Jesus really loved them that much?
Leader 1: And loves us the same way. When we make mistakes, God doesn't get angry with us; God hurts for us. God knows that our bad decisions don't work out well for us, and God wants us to have lives that are as happy and blessed as possible.
Leader 2: That's how I feel about my friends too.
Leader 1: Then just try to love them, even when they're making mistakes. Maybe you'll get another chance to help them later on.
Leader 2: Yeah, maybe so.
Closing Prayer: God, help us to be loving to people, even when they're making mistakes, and even if those mistakes hurt us. Help us to stay open to your heart of compassion, even if that means crying our hearts out sometimes. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, invite the children to share times when they were worried about choices a friend was making. Did they feel angry, sad, confused? Was it hard to keep being a friend to that person anyway? It's normal for us to want to pull away from anything that causes us pain, but when we really care about somebody that doesn't stop just because it gets hard. Jesus gives us a picture of someone who is loving no matter what. Invite the children to think about the image Jesus uses, that of the mother hen gathering her chicks. How does that image make them feel? Isn't it nice to know that even if we're making really bad decisions, God's response to us is always loving and God wants nothing more than to love us and keep us safe?
For a craft idea, the children can make mother hens with baby chicks. First you will need a paper plate for each child and a printout (requires Adobe Reader®) of a hen and chick template. Let the children color the features of the chicken and then paste them on the plate. Next give each child two yellow pom-poms that they can glue together to make the head and body. (You might want to do this step ahead of time to allow the glue to dry completely.) Have the children cut out tiny triangles for beaks and wings out of construction paper and glue them on, along with two black beads for the eyes. (You could also use wiggly eyes or eyes cut from construction paper.) Finally, glue the chick on the front of the mother hen and allow to dry. Invite the children to use their craft as an image of God, there for them all the time, whatever their life choices. Close with prayer.
