Object:
a football or other sport paraphernalia
First Thoughts: I want to focus a bit on John the Baptist -- who is such an interesting character we can bet the children will like him! Everyone was looking for the Christ but it was this wild man in the wilderness, dressed in animal skins and eating locusts (both of which put him squarely outside appropriate religious decorum), who spotted him. How quick are we to ignore or silence the people who are different from us in our congregation? Can you recall a time when you received wisdom or enlightenment from someone who surprised you?