First Thoughts: This lesson challenges us on our beliefs about formal worship. Most organized religion is just that, organized. We have come to understand that our Sunday mornings will look and feel a certain way. There will be hymns sung, prayers said, a sermon delivered, and we'll be heading home in about an hour! This predictability is comforting, but we best not forget that comfort isn't exactly God's top priority in our lives as Christians. Our lives in Christ call us to keep our eyes open to the needs of others, even to set aside our own expectations and comforts to meet these needs. Jesus does just that in our passage today -- setting aside the expectations of Sabbath to respond to the immediate need of the woman in front of him. The religious leaders try to argue that this isn't God's will. God is concerned with propriety and is offended by this spontaneous act of mercy. But, of course, we know that mercy, spontaneous or otherwise, is always God's top concern. Think about areas in your life where you find you're reluctant to let go of the "program" you have in mind (maybe in leading the children's sermon!). Are you able to trust God's design enough to follow it even when it leads in a different direction than you anticipate? Spend time in prayer inviting God to open and broaden your heart -- especially in your time with the children -- so that you are sensitive to whatever needs they have and can offer the healing power of your loving presence.
Teaching On Your Own: (fake, weepy smile) How are you guys today? I'm doing great... just great. (breaks into sobs) No, really, I'm fine. I need to be fine, or at least pretend to be fine, right? I mean, we are in worship and there are some things you just can't do in worship -- like cry. I should just pull it together, shouldn't I? What do you guys think? Do you think it is okay to cry in church? You know, now that I think about it, I might have the wrong idea about church. Maybe church isn't supposed to be a place where we pretend we're fine when we're not. Maybe it is a place where we can be totally honest about what's hurting us. After all, here we know God who loves us and wants to help us. I was thinking that talking about what's wrong would be a distraction from more important things. But God thinks I'm important, right? That's what Jesus teaches in our lesson today.
A woman who had been crippled for eighteen years came to Jesus for help, but she came right in the middle of a worship service. Jesus stopped everything to take time to pray with her and heal her. He thought her need was that important. That's great, right? But some people had the same idea I had, and they were annoyed that she had interrupted worship time. They thought she should have waited until later to get help. But Jesus set them straight. He said helping people was a great way to worship God, maybe the best. We should never delay helping someone for the sake of pleasing God, because that definitely wouldn't please God. So that means God would just drop everything to help us. We're important to God, and we're important to each other. So you want to hear what's wrong? Okay, right after this prayer.
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 looks down)
Leader 1: Hey (name). You seem kind of sad today. Is something wrong?
Leader 2: (smiles a big fake smile, quivery voice) Oh, no. Everything's just great.
Leader 1: Really?
Leader 2: Oh yes. Things couldn't be better.... (breaks in sobs)
Leader 1: I really don't believe that. Why don't you just tell me what's wrong?
Leader 2: But we're in the middle of worship right now. It's just not right that I talk about this right now. I need to pull it together, pretend like things are okay. Maybe tomorrow I can find someone to talk to about it.
Leader 1: But wait a minute -- I think you might have the wrong idea about church. This isn't a place where we're supposed to pretend we're fine when we're not. This is a place where we can be totally honest about what's hurting us, because here we know God who loves us and wants to help us.
Leader 2: You mean I should just talk about what's wrong? But it seems like that would just distract from what's important.
Leader 1: But God thinks you're important. In fact, in our story today, a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years came to Jesus for help, but she came right in the middle of a worship service. Jesus stopped everything to pray with her and heal her. He thought her need was that important.
Leader 2: But weren't people annoyed that she interrupted the worship time?
Leader 1: Some people were. They said that Jesus should have waited until another day to help the woman. But Jesus set them straight. He said helping people was a great way to worship God, maybe the best. We should never delay helping someone for the sake of pleasing God, because that definitely wouldn't please God.
Leader 2: Wow! God would just drop everything to help me?
Leader 1: Of course. To God, you are everything. And you're pretty important to me too. So let me help you, okay?
Leader 2: Okay. Right after we say this prayer!
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, for loving us and caring about our feelings of sadness and pain. Help us to accept your love and to offer that same love to others who need care. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, revisit the scripture story again. Talk about this woman who had been suffering for eighteen years. On one hand we might say she'd been suffering so long, why not just make her wait another day, when it wouldn't disrupt worship. Do the children think that's a good perspective? It wasn't Jesus' perspective. The moment the woman asked for help, the moment she was available to be healed, was the moment her suffering came to an end. Ending her suffering was more important than anything else in the world, not only for her, but for those gathered to worship. They needed to understand that God is more interested in us being kind and attending to each other's needs than whether we pray just right or sing the right hymns. Ask the children to think of other situations where we might have to be reminded that people are more important than plans: Like when we're at school playing a game at recess, and we see someone crying by themselves. Maybe we would rather keep playing, but what would God ask of us? Or maybe we're at a birthday party at our favorite restaurant, but we see some folks outside who are asking for food. What would God want us to do -- take food out to them or maybe even invite them to join us for a meal? These are difficult actions to take because they're not what we expect, and they interrupt our original plans. But the more we're willing to allow God's kindness to move through us, the more we become like God -- and the greater impact we can have in our world. Close with a prayer that we have open hearts to God's kindness, and we will always value people over plans.
