As Jesus prays to the Creator God for us, let us join our hearts and minds and souls and voices with his today, praying for others who need our prayers.
Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we fail to notice those who are going astray.
Lord, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes we condemn those who have gone astray.
Christ, have mercy.Jesus, sometimes we are afraid to love those who have gone astray.
Lord, have mercy.
Reading:
John 17:6-19
"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. [7] Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; [8] for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. [9] I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. [10] All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. [11] And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. [12] While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. [13] But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. [14] I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. [15] I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. [16] They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. [17] Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. [19] And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Story:
Nobody except Jesus spotted the signs that Judas was going astray. Who knows what might have happened to the course of history if someone had noticed that Judas was disenchanted with the Jesus movement.
In this story nobody seems to care, but eventually Uncle Richard returns to the right path.
Uncle Richard
When Jacob was very small, he was baptised in church. Since he had been only a few months old at the time he didn't remember any of it, but he had recently come across his baptism certificate. He was amazed to see that Auntie Jill and Uncle Donald were his godparents. He didn't know he had any. Jacob had another godparent too, Richard Chadwick. He asked his mother about Richard Chadwick because he had no idea who that was. His mother's face clouded and she said shortly that he had "long gone".
It didn't take Jacob long to work out that Richard Chadwick must have been related to Jacob's mother, since her name had been Chadwick before she married Jacob's dad. Jacob pestered his mother until she told him that Richard Chadwick was her brother, but that he had disappeared years before and had never been seen again. She described him as the "black sheep" of the family, which meant that he had been wild in his youth and had brought shame to the family. She refused to give Jacob any more details.
Jacob found himself constantly thinking about his long-lost Uncle Richard. He wondered what Uncle Richard had done that was so awful, and decided Uncle Richard must have been just like James Bond. Jacob longed to meet Uncle Richard.
One day a sad old man appeared on the doorstep. Although he was thin and gaunt and ragged, he looked very much like Jacob's mother. Jacob knew instantly that this was Uncle Richard. He was so disappointed that for a moment he didn't know what to say. Then he remembered his manners and invited the old man in. He was curious to see how his mother would react.
His mother took one look at the old man and flung herself into his arms. "Oh Richard, Richard!" she kept saying over and over again. "I knew you'd come back one day!"
Uncle Richard stayed for two weeks. He wasn't a bit like James Bond, but Jacob discovered that he had some interesting stories to tell and he grew to love his Uncle Richard.
"You know," said Uncle Richard one day, "nobody really noticed. When I was a teenager I started to go wrong in small ways, but nobody really noticed. I stole from shops, but nobody noticed so I went on and began to break into houses. Still nobody noticed and I felt so proud of myself that I went on and on and on. By the time I was twenty one, I was the leader of a notorious gang. I'd left home long before, just walked out one day. I didn't think anyone would notice that I'd gone. And nobody came to find me. Of course your Mum was too young at the time, but I never heard from my parents again. I think they were so ashamed of what I'd become that they were glad to see the back of me."
Jacob's Mum had come quietly into the room during this speech, and she gasped. She said, "For four years Mum and Dad searched high and low for you, but they were never able to find you. They always loved you and longed for you to return. Then Dad died and he made Mum promise to go on looking for you, and she did. She never stopped praying for you and she went on looking until she became too frail. You broke her heart."
There was a sudden silence. Then Jacob said, "I wish someone had noticed. Then perhaps Uncle Richard would never have gone away and I'd have known him and loved him for a lot longer."
His Mum and Uncle Richard both hugged him at the same time, and both had tears in their eyes. Then his Mum said softly looking at Uncle Richard, "You may have strayed for a while, but you're home now. Thank God you came back, for we love you so very much."
And Uncle Richard soon became Jacob's favourite uncle.
Activity:
You need:
A sheet of A3 or larger paper.
Felt tip
pens.
Counters or buttons or small objects (such as the things you find in
Christmas crackers)
A dice and shaker.
Construct a board game. Get the children to draw a long, winding road and divide it into squares. Number the squares. At irregular intervals on either side of the road, get the children to draw the possible dangers they might face if they stray from the road - eg, a swamp, robbers, drugs etc. Also add anything which will help you move along the road, like, prayer, Bible reading, attending church etc. The children can decide how serious each danger is and how good each "help" is. Allot a number to each danger, with the most serious having a higher score than the least serious, and to each help, with the best having a higher score than the least. When the drawing is finished, play the game, shaking the dice to see how many squares to move, and moving a counter or button or small object. When you land on a square which is in the middle of danger, move back the number of squares indicated by the danger, and when you land on a "help" square, move forward the number of squares indicated. The winner is the one to reach the end of the road first.
Diary Time: For details, click here.
Ask the children if they have ever strayed from the right path and talk through their responses. Ask them if they know any older boys or girls who they think have strayed, and try to elicit what are the signs of straying. Talk through the dangers (physical and moral) of straying, and ask whether they think straying might be exciting or fun. Try to get them to look beyond the short term excitement to the long term detrimental effects of things like drugs, teenage pregnancy, petty theft, drunkenness, etc. Draw out of them the importance of prayer and of never letting go of Jesus. Let them write or draw any of this that particularly touches them.
Intercession:
Jesus, you are the way. Help us in the church to focus on you so that our church doesn't stray from the way. Teach us which signs to look out for so that we will know when we're following our own desires rather than your way.
Jesus, you are the way. We pray for the leaders of our nation and other nations, so that the world might follow your way. Help our leaders to spot temptations and to withstand them, so that all human beings might have a good way of life.
Jesus, you are the way. Help families in our community to communicate well with each family member so that children and young people will follow the right path. Protect all young people from the dangers of straying from your way and help all older people to notice when someone is in danger of straying.
Jesus, you are the way. Remind each of us that prayer is the key to remaining on the right path and help us to pray effectively. remind us that you hear us as soon as we turn to you, even before we speak any words. And teach us to look for and discern your answers to prayer. Today we pray especially for any who are sick, asking for your healing touch upon them ...
Blessing:
May God heal you if you are sick,
strengthen you if you are weak,
protect you from any danger
and rescue you if you have strayed.
And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you now,
be in your homes and in your families
and with all those whom you love
and for whom you pray,
now and always.
Amen.
