Hats Off To Jesus!
Children's program
WHO - ME? DO A PROGRAM? Volume 2
Program Resources For Congregational Events
Leader's Helps
Preparation
Invite your people to wear a hat for this program. Decorate with hats, hat trees, hatboxes. Ideal program for a dinner meal. Programs can be done as hats. Hat magnets for momentoes or prayer favors can be made.
Participants
Leader
Six readers
Props
Place a hat tree on which are hung the following hats which each of the readers describes: Hat of Salvation, Hat of Wisdom, Hat of Righteousness, Hat of Faith, Hat of Authority, Hat of Compassion, Hat of Love.
Readers enter wearing appropriate hats.
Reader 1 (hat with a cat in it)
Reader 2 (winter chook)
Reader 3 (winter hat)
Reader 4 (nightcap or stocking cap)
Reader 5 (police hat, military hat, firefighter's hat)
Reader 6 (nurse's cap)
Song Sheets
The following songs may be sung to tunes listed.
"The Lord God Is Three Persons"
(Tune: "My Hat, It Has Three Corners")
(Words by Cynthia E. Cowen)
The Lord God is three persons,
Three persons is our God.
The Lord in these three persons,
Truly is an awesome God.
The Father in first person,
Who loves and cares for all,
The God, who is our Father,
Is Creator, Lord of all.
The Son we find in Jesus,
Today we celebrate -
The Lord of Hope and Laughter
Who opens God's eternal gate.
The Spirit sanctifies us
And makes us holy be.
The Spirit guides and helps us
To be one in unity.
And so we lift our praises
To God the three in one.
We tip our hats to Jesus
Uniting our hearts as one.
"Hats Off To Jesus"
(Tune: "Living For Jesus")
(Words by Clara Thykeson, used with permission)
Hats off to Jesus, He died just for me.
My sins were pardoned that day at Calv'ry.
I want to please him in all that I do.
I choose to follow and share him with you.
Refrain:
I raise my hat to Jesus; He is God's only Son.
He died just to unbind me from sin and set me free.
I raise my hat to Jesus, God, Holy Spirit, Son.
Jesus, my God, my triune God, I raise my hat to thee.
Hats off to Jesus, would you like to be
Led by the Spirit each day in and out?
Come in the kingdom, you're welcome to be
God's little child, a reason to shout.
Refrain
Hats off to Jesus, my Savior and King.
He is the greatest, he's my everything.
God sent me Jesus to help me to cope.
He is the reason to celebrate hope.
Refrain
"We Tip Our Hats"
(Tune: "Three Blind Mice")
(Words by Clara Thykeson, used with permission)
We tip our hats,
We tip our hats,
To Jesus, our King,
To Jesus, our King.
We're celebrating hope today
And never been as excited to say
We've decided to follow him all the way
And celebrate our hope,
In Jesus, our King.
"I Take My Hat Off To Jesus"
(Tune: "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee")
(Words by Clara Thykeson, used with permission)
I take my hat off to Jesus;
He's my Savior and my King.
I take my hat off to Jesus;
He's my life, my everything.
When I need him he is near me,
Driving gloom and doubt away.
I take my hat off to Jesus;
He walks with me every day.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
Praise him, oh, my God above.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
He's the one I really love.
When I'm feeling oh so happy,
He is there to share my glee.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
He shares each moment with me.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
Father, Spirit, Son in one.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
Giving life, he is God's Son.
He lived on the earth to show me
Loving others is his way.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
I'll be with him eternally.
Program
Hats Off To Jesus!
Leader: Hats - items of style. Hats - used on bad hair days. Hats - symbols of vocations. Hats, hats, hats. Hats have a history. Hats have stories. For our program tonight, we will look at hats and what they might mean to us as Christians. Let's hear from our first reader who sports a rather funny hat which seems to have an animal in it.
Reader 1 - The Cat In The Hat
When we hear the title of The Cat in the Hat, most of us identify the character from the children's books by Dr. Seuss. When we read Old Hat, New Hat to our youngsters, we bring alive the Berenstain bears created by children's authors Stan and Jan Berenstain. Adults and children make connection and can identify with these characters and their hat stories. Today's youth and adults make "hat" identifications also. Hats bearing the logos of various football, basketball, baseball, or hockey names identify those teams we connect with. A man purchased a Detroit Lions hat when he attended a football game while on business in Detroit. He proudly wore it home the next day because the Lions had won that night. But when that team lost, he tended to leave the hat on the shelf. Most of us can relate for we all like to identify with winners.
As Christians we are called to wear a hat that identifies us from others and was won at a great price. It is called in Ephesians 6:17 "the helmet of salvation." Wearing this hat states that we who were once losers are now winners in the knowledge of what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross. Christ identified with us in all ways. He became like us and was tempted like us, yet he did not give in to that temptation. He proudly identified with God, his Father, and calls us not to be ashamed of him nor the team we play on, the community of the faithful. There may be times in our faith walk when we tire of our Christian helmet. Like our little bear brother in Old Hat, New Hat, we shop around for another hat to wear through life with which to identify. These hats identify what we deem important: the hat of ambition, the hat of knowledge, the hat of pleasure, the hat of pride, and many others. But like brother bear in Old Hat, New Hat, we find them "too big, too small, too flat, too tall ... too holey, too patchy, too feathery, too scratchy." And that is good news! For it is then we cry out, "Wait!" There is one hat that fits just right for a Christian, the Good News of salvation. And like the little bear who returned to his old hat, we turn once more to God's love and forgiveness. We then place our Hat of Salvation firmly upon our head and go forth into the world identifying with a God who made a hat that is just right for everyone - faith in Jesus Christ.
Leader: So we place on our hat tree the Lord's Hat of Salvation, purchased for us at the expense of God's Son (put a helmet of salvation on a tree before the group). But let's continue on our journey with hats as we see a winter bonnet coming our way.
Reader 2 - A Hat For Shelter And Protection
Winter is a time for hats. We wear hats to keep the snow off. We wear hats to keep our ears warm. I have this great chook that affords me protection that I wear when I shovel my sidewalk during the winter elements. In the summer we wear hats to keep the sun out of our eyes. We wear lighter hats so that our heads don't get too warm and yet are sheltered from the sun's beating rays. I have a wonderful straw golf hat that affords me protection, allows my head to breathe, and has a visor through which I can watch my balls fly over the green. Of course, there are hats that can be worn at any season to give one's head shelter, especially for those who are losing their hair and would like to hide their baldness. Hats are great for offering us shelter and protection in all seasons.
God provides a hat that never goes out of season. His hat can be worn year--round and offers us shelter and protection from the elements that would seek to harm us. It is the shelter of his love. The Psalmist writes about that place: "I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm" (Psalm 55:8) and "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). How do we find this hat which will shelter us from the blasts of life? The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes gives us the answer: "Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor" (Ecclesiastes 7:12).
We obtain wisdom from God, and if you think you have none, then pray for it. James 1:5--6 tells us that "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." The hat God offers us today is the knowledge of Christ's sacrificial death for all who believe. We cannot be truly wise until we recognize what God did for us on the Cross in the death of his only Son. For God so loved the world and each of us that he asked Jesus to die for our sins so that we could be given shelter and protection from the wrath we so justly deserve. It is through Christ that we are reconciled to God and embraced with God's love. The Hat of Wisdom is for all who desire the Savior.
Leader: And so we place next to our Hat of Salvation the Hat of Wisdom, so that we as wise people will be properly attired. Ahhchooh! Excuse me, I seem to have caught a cold. But that leads me to our third presenter, and here she comes.
Reader 3 - Hats Are For Our Own Good
"You better wear a hat, young lady! You'll catch a darn good cold if you don't!" More than once I recall my mother shouting that warning out to me as I raced off to school without my hat. The cold blast of winter's winds froze my ears, but it wasn't "in" to wear a hat then. Hats messed up your hair. Besides, braving the elements without a hat to protect you was "cool."
So far we've talked about two hats tonight: the Hat of Salvation and the Hat of Wisdom. Now we will look at the Hat of Righteousness. What is "righteousness"? One could get into a very deep theological debate over that one word, but basically it means being made right with God. We knew Mother was right when she asked that we wear a hat to protect us. The nation of Israel knew God wanted to protect and provide for them when the Lord gave them the Ten Commandments. They knew they should follow them for their own good, yet it wasn't always "cool" to follow the Lord their God with all their heart. And so, the people strayed and did what was right in their own eyes. Judges 17:6 tells us that in the time of moral decline and religious confusion, all the people did whatever they saw fit. "In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes."
When Jesus Christ is Lord and King in our lives, we desire to live in a right relationship to God. We find we "want" to do what is right in God's eyes because we love God. As we put on this Hat of Righteousness, acknowledging God's right to rule over us, we find a new way to relate to God and to one another in love. God made us his children through our baptism into faith. Being made right with God, we daily come forth to love and serve our Lord. God desires that all people come to faith in Christ, but God will not force anyone into a relationship with him. God desires that no one should perish but that all come to know his love found in Jesus. This is truly the "right" hat to wear as we journey through life.
Leader: Being right with God is vitally important to Christians, and so we add the Hat of Righteousness to our tree. But look! Here comes someone who looks like she's ready for bed.
Reader 4 - The Fashionable Hat
In the days of Ebenezer Scrooge, nightcaps were the "in" thing. These hats were worn to keep the body heat in at night. It was fashionable then to wear them, but when heating systems were improved nightcaps became obsolete and out of fashion. Today we find people wearing hats more and more as a statement of fashion as well as to afford protection from elements. The "Blossom" hat is worn by young girls. Boys and girls wear team caps as a fashion item. Hats have become very much a part of today's attire and a must in one's wardrobe. Hats are "fashionable."
The Hat of Faith is also fashionable right now. Politicians wear it proudly as they seek to court their constituents' votes. Community leaders boast about their connection with the church. However, we are called to wear a Hat of Faith proudly as members of the body of Christ not because of what it can do for us, but because of what Jesus has already done. The true Hat of Faith shows others that we know there is a God who loves and cares for each of us. We are all appointed heralds of that Good News, and we raise our hats high to the glory of God wherever we may find ourselves at work. Yet there are times when that true Hat of Faith is hard to wear. The hat becomes constricting to many who want things their own way. There are those who have found that hat difficult to keep on during times of persecution and suffering. 2 Timothy 1:12 reminds us that during those times we are not to be ashamed, "because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." It is during the rough times that we see if the hat we are wearing is just a hat worn for fashion or a hat worn for better or worse, for trust and in hope. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). In a world that is geared toward "seeing is believing," those who wear a true hat of faith versus a fashionable hat of faith seem strange, almost radical in their beliefs. It is not fashionable to embrace one's faith with complete commitment and trust. We tend to look with disapproval on those who don't conform to the world's image, sporting the fashionable. And yet, that is what we are called to do: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2). And what is God's will? John tells us in his Gospel that it is to look to God's Son and believe in Jesus so that we shall have eternal life (John 6:40). When we do, we become radical disciples of Christ. Jesus asked his disciples to leave all they had and to follow him, a call that is not very fashionable to today's people. Yet Christ still asks that his followers let go of anything that might tie them to the things of this world and to walk in complete devotion and commitment to him - to walk by faith. Which hat are we wearing today as we go forth into our daily environments witnessing to the fact that we are Christian? The Hat of Fashionable Christianity or the true Hat of Faith in Jesus who is the center and Lord of our lives? The Hat of True Faith is never obsolete, but it may not be in fashion all the time. Wearing it wherever we go shows our real commitment to Jesus.
Leader: And so we place our Hat of Faith upon our tree as we look now to hats that announce a certain authority.
Reader 5 - The Hat Of Authority
When David was in the military, he wore a hat marked MP. No one messed with him then, for challenging the authority of a military policeman carried dire consequences. When David saw his commanding officer, however, he recognized that hat with its gold braid immediately. The general's hat spoke of a higher authority than even he had.
Today's people wear many hats of authority: the policeman or woman, the firefighter, the factory guard. These people are entrusted with authority to enforce laws and to see that these laws are obeyed by others. Yet they recognize a higher authority over them.
When Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God and the consequences of not following God's ways, he had a powerful effect on those who listened. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that "the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he (Jesus) taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matthew 7:29). The people recognized that there was one in their midst who had a higher authority than even their own scribes and teachers. When Jesus preached, his message was filled with authority, for he spoke of one who had the highest authority over all, his Father. The people were amazed but also upset, as in the case of the healing of the man who was crippled, found in the Gospel of Mark. In order to demonstrate God's authority over sickness, Jesus asked the crowds, "Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?" (Mark 2:9--10). In order to affirm God's authority over disease, Jesus then commanded the paralyzed man to take his mat up and walk home. The man rose, and the crowds were astonished, for they recognized that this Jesus who healed had the authority on earth to forgive sins as well (Mark 2:10).
Christ wore the Hat of Authority while on earth but left it for us to wear today. As disciples of Christ, we are called to do great things and are given a commission: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:18b--20a). As we wear this Hat of Authority in our Christian life, we are acknowledging that we recognize a higher authority: Jesus' lordship over all. The consequences of not recognizing God's authority in our lives are very costly. So don't mess around with God. Jesus is much more powerful and has much more authority: the power to condemn and the power to save those who are perishing. And yet our Lord entrusts that power to bring life to us, his faithful followers. Jesus calls us to go out and make disciples - to become like those twelve who followed him and obeyed his authority. "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Luke 9:1--2). As we put on the Hat of Authority, disease, demons, and the unbelieving will recognize the authority of the one we represent, our most high, Jesus our Lord. Great things will be done by those who recognize that they are saved by the "resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand - with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him" (1 Peter 3:21b--22). Then may the entire world recognize the one who stands behind our words as the authority over all.
Leader: As we place our fifth hat, the Hat of Authority, on our tree we await the final hat, which our last reader will tell us about.
Reader 6 - The Hat Of Compassion
So far in our Christian closet we have hung up several hats tonight: the Hat of Salvation, placed on our heads identifying our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord; the Hat of Wisdom, which recognizes that it is God who provides shelter and protection for us; the Hat of Righteousness, being reconciled to God through faith in Christ; the true Hat of Faith, which stands in opposition to a Hat of Fashionable Christianity; and the Hat of Authority, which acknowledges the Lordship of Christ over all. The final hat we will don is a Hat of Compassion.
We see hats of compassion worn in many areas today. Waking up from surgery, we find one who seeks to bring us comfort wearing a white nursing cap. This hat tells us that we have a ministering angel with us to take care of us during our recovery. The habit of a nun denotes a woman devoted to caring for others through prayer, teaching, and service to her Lord - another of God's ministering angels.
Jesus had compassion on those who were hungry, ill, hurting, and lost. In that compassion our Lord reached out and fed them, healed their diseases, brought them comfort, and saved their souls. We are called to be compassionate as well - to act as God's ministering angels here on earth. From the book of Colossians we find that "as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved," we are to clothe ourselves "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Colossians 3:12--14). This admonition is one we cannot ignore. As Jesus had compassion on others, so our Lord calls us to do likewise.
When we wear the Hat of Compassion we become God's ministering angels to those around us. We reach out in Christ's love to those who are hungry by responding to the needs of our community food pantries or taking a hot dish to a funeral luncheon or giving to a world hunger fund through a local church. We reach out in compassion as we seek to help those who are ill in our midst by arranging to clean their house or to do their grocery shopping or just to sit by their bedside. We reach out in compassion by listening to a friend who is struggling in a marriage or by sending a note of comfort to one who has lost a loved one. We reach out in compassion to the lost by inviting them to worship or a support group and by praying for hearts to be open to hear the Good News of salvation in Jesus. As we become Christ to our neighbor, we put on the Hat of Compassion (places hat on the tree).
Leader: Over all the hats we wear in our daily lives, we are called to place on one big hat - the Hat of Love (places large hat marked Love on top of tree). This hat binds all things together in perfect unity. Let us proudly wear each of the hats God has designed so that all people will know we are Christians by the love we display toward Christ and the love we freely give to others. Amen.
Preparation
Invite your people to wear a hat for this program. Decorate with hats, hat trees, hatboxes. Ideal program for a dinner meal. Programs can be done as hats. Hat magnets for momentoes or prayer favors can be made.
Participants
Leader
Six readers
Props
Place a hat tree on which are hung the following hats which each of the readers describes: Hat of Salvation, Hat of Wisdom, Hat of Righteousness, Hat of Faith, Hat of Authority, Hat of Compassion, Hat of Love.
Readers enter wearing appropriate hats.
Reader 1 (hat with a cat in it)
Reader 2 (winter chook)
Reader 3 (winter hat)
Reader 4 (nightcap or stocking cap)
Reader 5 (police hat, military hat, firefighter's hat)
Reader 6 (nurse's cap)
Song Sheets
The following songs may be sung to tunes listed.
"The Lord God Is Three Persons"
(Tune: "My Hat, It Has Three Corners")
(Words by Cynthia E. Cowen)
The Lord God is three persons,
Three persons is our God.
The Lord in these three persons,
Truly is an awesome God.
The Father in first person,
Who loves and cares for all,
The God, who is our Father,
Is Creator, Lord of all.
The Son we find in Jesus,
Today we celebrate -
The Lord of Hope and Laughter
Who opens God's eternal gate.
The Spirit sanctifies us
And makes us holy be.
The Spirit guides and helps us
To be one in unity.
And so we lift our praises
To God the three in one.
We tip our hats to Jesus
Uniting our hearts as one.
"Hats Off To Jesus"
(Tune: "Living For Jesus")
(Words by Clara Thykeson, used with permission)
Hats off to Jesus, He died just for me.
My sins were pardoned that day at Calv'ry.
I want to please him in all that I do.
I choose to follow and share him with you.
Refrain:
I raise my hat to Jesus; He is God's only Son.
He died just to unbind me from sin and set me free.
I raise my hat to Jesus, God, Holy Spirit, Son.
Jesus, my God, my triune God, I raise my hat to thee.
Hats off to Jesus, would you like to be
Led by the Spirit each day in and out?
Come in the kingdom, you're welcome to be
God's little child, a reason to shout.
Refrain
Hats off to Jesus, my Savior and King.
He is the greatest, he's my everything.
God sent me Jesus to help me to cope.
He is the reason to celebrate hope.
Refrain
"We Tip Our Hats"
(Tune: "Three Blind Mice")
(Words by Clara Thykeson, used with permission)
We tip our hats,
We tip our hats,
To Jesus, our King,
To Jesus, our King.
We're celebrating hope today
And never been as excited to say
We've decided to follow him all the way
And celebrate our hope,
In Jesus, our King.
"I Take My Hat Off To Jesus"
(Tune: "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee")
(Words by Clara Thykeson, used with permission)
I take my hat off to Jesus;
He's my Savior and my King.
I take my hat off to Jesus;
He's my life, my everything.
When I need him he is near me,
Driving gloom and doubt away.
I take my hat off to Jesus;
He walks with me every day.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
Praise him, oh, my God above.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
He's the one I really love.
When I'm feeling oh so happy,
He is there to share my glee.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
He shares each moment with me.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
Father, Spirit, Son in one.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
Giving life, he is God's Son.
He lived on the earth to show me
Loving others is his way.
I take my hat off to Jesus,
I'll be with him eternally.
Program
Hats Off To Jesus!
Leader: Hats - items of style. Hats - used on bad hair days. Hats - symbols of vocations. Hats, hats, hats. Hats have a history. Hats have stories. For our program tonight, we will look at hats and what they might mean to us as Christians. Let's hear from our first reader who sports a rather funny hat which seems to have an animal in it.
Reader 1 - The Cat In The Hat
When we hear the title of The Cat in the Hat, most of us identify the character from the children's books by Dr. Seuss. When we read Old Hat, New Hat to our youngsters, we bring alive the Berenstain bears created by children's authors Stan and Jan Berenstain. Adults and children make connection and can identify with these characters and their hat stories. Today's youth and adults make "hat" identifications also. Hats bearing the logos of various football, basketball, baseball, or hockey names identify those teams we connect with. A man purchased a Detroit Lions hat when he attended a football game while on business in Detroit. He proudly wore it home the next day because the Lions had won that night. But when that team lost, he tended to leave the hat on the shelf. Most of us can relate for we all like to identify with winners.
As Christians we are called to wear a hat that identifies us from others and was won at a great price. It is called in Ephesians 6:17 "the helmet of salvation." Wearing this hat states that we who were once losers are now winners in the knowledge of what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross. Christ identified with us in all ways. He became like us and was tempted like us, yet he did not give in to that temptation. He proudly identified with God, his Father, and calls us not to be ashamed of him nor the team we play on, the community of the faithful. There may be times in our faith walk when we tire of our Christian helmet. Like our little bear brother in Old Hat, New Hat, we shop around for another hat to wear through life with which to identify. These hats identify what we deem important: the hat of ambition, the hat of knowledge, the hat of pleasure, the hat of pride, and many others. But like brother bear in Old Hat, New Hat, we find them "too big, too small, too flat, too tall ... too holey, too patchy, too feathery, too scratchy." And that is good news! For it is then we cry out, "Wait!" There is one hat that fits just right for a Christian, the Good News of salvation. And like the little bear who returned to his old hat, we turn once more to God's love and forgiveness. We then place our Hat of Salvation firmly upon our head and go forth into the world identifying with a God who made a hat that is just right for everyone - faith in Jesus Christ.
Leader: So we place on our hat tree the Lord's Hat of Salvation, purchased for us at the expense of God's Son (put a helmet of salvation on a tree before the group). But let's continue on our journey with hats as we see a winter bonnet coming our way.
Reader 2 - A Hat For Shelter And Protection
Winter is a time for hats. We wear hats to keep the snow off. We wear hats to keep our ears warm. I have this great chook that affords me protection that I wear when I shovel my sidewalk during the winter elements. In the summer we wear hats to keep the sun out of our eyes. We wear lighter hats so that our heads don't get too warm and yet are sheltered from the sun's beating rays. I have a wonderful straw golf hat that affords me protection, allows my head to breathe, and has a visor through which I can watch my balls fly over the green. Of course, there are hats that can be worn at any season to give one's head shelter, especially for those who are losing their hair and would like to hide their baldness. Hats are great for offering us shelter and protection in all seasons.
God provides a hat that never goes out of season. His hat can be worn year--round and offers us shelter and protection from the elements that would seek to harm us. It is the shelter of his love. The Psalmist writes about that place: "I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm" (Psalm 55:8) and "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). How do we find this hat which will shelter us from the blasts of life? The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes gives us the answer: "Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor" (Ecclesiastes 7:12).
We obtain wisdom from God, and if you think you have none, then pray for it. James 1:5--6 tells us that "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." The hat God offers us today is the knowledge of Christ's sacrificial death for all who believe. We cannot be truly wise until we recognize what God did for us on the Cross in the death of his only Son. For God so loved the world and each of us that he asked Jesus to die for our sins so that we could be given shelter and protection from the wrath we so justly deserve. It is through Christ that we are reconciled to God and embraced with God's love. The Hat of Wisdom is for all who desire the Savior.
Leader: And so we place next to our Hat of Salvation the Hat of Wisdom, so that we as wise people will be properly attired. Ahhchooh! Excuse me, I seem to have caught a cold. But that leads me to our third presenter, and here she comes.
Reader 3 - Hats Are For Our Own Good
"You better wear a hat, young lady! You'll catch a darn good cold if you don't!" More than once I recall my mother shouting that warning out to me as I raced off to school without my hat. The cold blast of winter's winds froze my ears, but it wasn't "in" to wear a hat then. Hats messed up your hair. Besides, braving the elements without a hat to protect you was "cool."
So far we've talked about two hats tonight: the Hat of Salvation and the Hat of Wisdom. Now we will look at the Hat of Righteousness. What is "righteousness"? One could get into a very deep theological debate over that one word, but basically it means being made right with God. We knew Mother was right when she asked that we wear a hat to protect us. The nation of Israel knew God wanted to protect and provide for them when the Lord gave them the Ten Commandments. They knew they should follow them for their own good, yet it wasn't always "cool" to follow the Lord their God with all their heart. And so, the people strayed and did what was right in their own eyes. Judges 17:6 tells us that in the time of moral decline and religious confusion, all the people did whatever they saw fit. "In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes."
When Jesus Christ is Lord and King in our lives, we desire to live in a right relationship to God. We find we "want" to do what is right in God's eyes because we love God. As we put on this Hat of Righteousness, acknowledging God's right to rule over us, we find a new way to relate to God and to one another in love. God made us his children through our baptism into faith. Being made right with God, we daily come forth to love and serve our Lord. God desires that all people come to faith in Christ, but God will not force anyone into a relationship with him. God desires that no one should perish but that all come to know his love found in Jesus. This is truly the "right" hat to wear as we journey through life.
Leader: Being right with God is vitally important to Christians, and so we add the Hat of Righteousness to our tree. But look! Here comes someone who looks like she's ready for bed.
Reader 4 - The Fashionable Hat
In the days of Ebenezer Scrooge, nightcaps were the "in" thing. These hats were worn to keep the body heat in at night. It was fashionable then to wear them, but when heating systems were improved nightcaps became obsolete and out of fashion. Today we find people wearing hats more and more as a statement of fashion as well as to afford protection from elements. The "Blossom" hat is worn by young girls. Boys and girls wear team caps as a fashion item. Hats have become very much a part of today's attire and a must in one's wardrobe. Hats are "fashionable."
The Hat of Faith is also fashionable right now. Politicians wear it proudly as they seek to court their constituents' votes. Community leaders boast about their connection with the church. However, we are called to wear a Hat of Faith proudly as members of the body of Christ not because of what it can do for us, but because of what Jesus has already done. The true Hat of Faith shows others that we know there is a God who loves and cares for each of us. We are all appointed heralds of that Good News, and we raise our hats high to the glory of God wherever we may find ourselves at work. Yet there are times when that true Hat of Faith is hard to wear. The hat becomes constricting to many who want things their own way. There are those who have found that hat difficult to keep on during times of persecution and suffering. 2 Timothy 1:12 reminds us that during those times we are not to be ashamed, "because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." It is during the rough times that we see if the hat we are wearing is just a hat worn for fashion or a hat worn for better or worse, for trust and in hope. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). In a world that is geared toward "seeing is believing," those who wear a true hat of faith versus a fashionable hat of faith seem strange, almost radical in their beliefs. It is not fashionable to embrace one's faith with complete commitment and trust. We tend to look with disapproval on those who don't conform to the world's image, sporting the fashionable. And yet, that is what we are called to do: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2). And what is God's will? John tells us in his Gospel that it is to look to God's Son and believe in Jesus so that we shall have eternal life (John 6:40). When we do, we become radical disciples of Christ. Jesus asked his disciples to leave all they had and to follow him, a call that is not very fashionable to today's people. Yet Christ still asks that his followers let go of anything that might tie them to the things of this world and to walk in complete devotion and commitment to him - to walk by faith. Which hat are we wearing today as we go forth into our daily environments witnessing to the fact that we are Christian? The Hat of Fashionable Christianity or the true Hat of Faith in Jesus who is the center and Lord of our lives? The Hat of True Faith is never obsolete, but it may not be in fashion all the time. Wearing it wherever we go shows our real commitment to Jesus.
Leader: And so we place our Hat of Faith upon our tree as we look now to hats that announce a certain authority.
Reader 5 - The Hat Of Authority
When David was in the military, he wore a hat marked MP. No one messed with him then, for challenging the authority of a military policeman carried dire consequences. When David saw his commanding officer, however, he recognized that hat with its gold braid immediately. The general's hat spoke of a higher authority than even he had.
Today's people wear many hats of authority: the policeman or woman, the firefighter, the factory guard. These people are entrusted with authority to enforce laws and to see that these laws are obeyed by others. Yet they recognize a higher authority over them.
When Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God and the consequences of not following God's ways, he had a powerful effect on those who listened. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that "the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he (Jesus) taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matthew 7:29). The people recognized that there was one in their midst who had a higher authority than even their own scribes and teachers. When Jesus preached, his message was filled with authority, for he spoke of one who had the highest authority over all, his Father. The people were amazed but also upset, as in the case of the healing of the man who was crippled, found in the Gospel of Mark. In order to demonstrate God's authority over sickness, Jesus asked the crowds, "Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?" (Mark 2:9--10). In order to affirm God's authority over disease, Jesus then commanded the paralyzed man to take his mat up and walk home. The man rose, and the crowds were astonished, for they recognized that this Jesus who healed had the authority on earth to forgive sins as well (Mark 2:10).
Christ wore the Hat of Authority while on earth but left it for us to wear today. As disciples of Christ, we are called to do great things and are given a commission: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:18b--20a). As we wear this Hat of Authority in our Christian life, we are acknowledging that we recognize a higher authority: Jesus' lordship over all. The consequences of not recognizing God's authority in our lives are very costly. So don't mess around with God. Jesus is much more powerful and has much more authority: the power to condemn and the power to save those who are perishing. And yet our Lord entrusts that power to bring life to us, his faithful followers. Jesus calls us to go out and make disciples - to become like those twelve who followed him and obeyed his authority. "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Luke 9:1--2). As we put on the Hat of Authority, disease, demons, and the unbelieving will recognize the authority of the one we represent, our most high, Jesus our Lord. Great things will be done by those who recognize that they are saved by the "resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand - with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him" (1 Peter 3:21b--22). Then may the entire world recognize the one who stands behind our words as the authority over all.
Leader: As we place our fifth hat, the Hat of Authority, on our tree we await the final hat, which our last reader will tell us about.
Reader 6 - The Hat Of Compassion
So far in our Christian closet we have hung up several hats tonight: the Hat of Salvation, placed on our heads identifying our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord; the Hat of Wisdom, which recognizes that it is God who provides shelter and protection for us; the Hat of Righteousness, being reconciled to God through faith in Christ; the true Hat of Faith, which stands in opposition to a Hat of Fashionable Christianity; and the Hat of Authority, which acknowledges the Lordship of Christ over all. The final hat we will don is a Hat of Compassion.
We see hats of compassion worn in many areas today. Waking up from surgery, we find one who seeks to bring us comfort wearing a white nursing cap. This hat tells us that we have a ministering angel with us to take care of us during our recovery. The habit of a nun denotes a woman devoted to caring for others through prayer, teaching, and service to her Lord - another of God's ministering angels.
Jesus had compassion on those who were hungry, ill, hurting, and lost. In that compassion our Lord reached out and fed them, healed their diseases, brought them comfort, and saved their souls. We are called to be compassionate as well - to act as God's ministering angels here on earth. From the book of Colossians we find that "as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved," we are to clothe ourselves "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Colossians 3:12--14). This admonition is one we cannot ignore. As Jesus had compassion on others, so our Lord calls us to do likewise.
When we wear the Hat of Compassion we become God's ministering angels to those around us. We reach out in Christ's love to those who are hungry by responding to the needs of our community food pantries or taking a hot dish to a funeral luncheon or giving to a world hunger fund through a local church. We reach out in compassion as we seek to help those who are ill in our midst by arranging to clean their house or to do their grocery shopping or just to sit by their bedside. We reach out in compassion by listening to a friend who is struggling in a marriage or by sending a note of comfort to one who has lost a loved one. We reach out in compassion to the lost by inviting them to worship or a support group and by praying for hearts to be open to hear the Good News of salvation in Jesus. As we become Christ to our neighbor, we put on the Hat of Compassion (places hat on the tree).
Leader: Over all the hats we wear in our daily lives, we are called to place on one big hat - the Hat of Love (places large hat marked Love on top of tree). This hat binds all things together in perfect unity. Let us proudly wear each of the hats God has designed so that all people will know we are Christians by the love we display toward Christ and the love we freely give to others. Amen.
