Under the mask
Children's sermon
Object:
a mask
"And it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (v. 20)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Have any of you seen the movie Freaky Friday? (allow answers) The movie is about a girl and her mom who, through a magical accident, end up switching bodies. On the outside, they still look like themselves -- but on the inside, the mom is stuck in her daughter's body and her daughter is stuck in her mother's body! The movie is about the two of them trying to fit in as each other until they can get the problem reversed. While they are living in each other's skin, however, they learn a lot about what it is like to be the other person. And when they switch back to their own bodies, they have a better understanding of what it is like to be that other person.
Have you ever wanted to do that? Switch bodies with someone else? (allow answers) Who? (allow answers) Sometimes we just want to step out of our lives and put on a mask. We want to be someone else or do something unexpected or go someplace where no one will recognize us. We want to be something different for a little while.
Unfortunately, Freaky Friday is just a movie. We can't actually switch bodies with other people. We have to stay in our own skin.
However, our second reading today talks about a way that we can do something that is kind of like switching bodies. The verse says: "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Saint Paul wrote this passage. Paul is saying that even though he looks like Paul on the outside, on the inside he is really Jesus! Paul is letting Jesus live through his body. How do you think Paul does that? (allow answers)
Paul lets Jesus live through him in the same way that you or I can let Jesus live through us. We let Jesus live through us by showing God's love to others. We let Jesus live through us when we can put aside the things we want in order to help someone else. Maybe we want to play with a toy or eat the last cookie. If we let Jesus live through us, we can have the strength and self-control to share our toys or let someone else have the last cookie. When we let Jesus live through us, we ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?"
It's not quite the same as switching into someone else's body; instead, it's letting Jesus come to live in our own. And even though it can be difficult, we know that we are never alone. God is with us as we live our lives in Christ. And that's no disguise. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Have any of you seen the movie Freaky Friday? (allow answers) The movie is about a girl and her mom who, through a magical accident, end up switching bodies. On the outside, they still look like themselves -- but on the inside, the mom is stuck in her daughter's body and her daughter is stuck in her mother's body! The movie is about the two of them trying to fit in as each other until they can get the problem reversed. While they are living in each other's skin, however, they learn a lot about what it is like to be the other person. And when they switch back to their own bodies, they have a better understanding of what it is like to be that other person.
Have you ever wanted to do that? Switch bodies with someone else? (allow answers) Who? (allow answers) Sometimes we just want to step out of our lives and put on a mask. We want to be someone else or do something unexpected or go someplace where no one will recognize us. We want to be something different for a little while.
Unfortunately, Freaky Friday is just a movie. We can't actually switch bodies with other people. We have to stay in our own skin.
However, our second reading today talks about a way that we can do something that is kind of like switching bodies. The verse says: "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Saint Paul wrote this passage. Paul is saying that even though he looks like Paul on the outside, on the inside he is really Jesus! Paul is letting Jesus live through his body. How do you think Paul does that? (allow answers)
Paul lets Jesus live through him in the same way that you or I can let Jesus live through us. We let Jesus live through us by showing God's love to others. We let Jesus live through us when we can put aside the things we want in order to help someone else. Maybe we want to play with a toy or eat the last cookie. If we let Jesus live through us, we can have the strength and self-control to share our toys or let someone else have the last cookie. When we let Jesus live through us, we ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?"
It's not quite the same as switching into someone else's body; instead, it's letting Jesus come to live in our own. And even though it can be difficult, we know that we are never alone. God is with us as we live our lives in Christ. And that's no disguise. Amen.
