As Was His Custom

Why do we do what we do week after week? There is power in ritual; there is presence in repeated action, in habits that build up.

Luke 4:14-21, New International Reader's Version

Jesus Is Not Accepted in Nazareth

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. News about him spread through the whole countryside. ¹⁵ He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶ Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as he usually did. He stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. Jesus unrolled it and found the right place. There it is written,

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me.
He has anointed me
to announce the good news to poor people.
He has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners.
He has sent me so that the blind will see again.
He wants me to set free those who are mistreated.
¹⁹ And he has sent me to announce the year when he will set his people free.” (Isaiah 61:1,2)

²⁰ Then Jesus rolled up the scroll. He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were staring at him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this passage of Scripture is coming true as you listen.”

New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Objects:

• Small miniature plastic Jesus figures such as these, available at Amazon. Alternatives could be photocopied images of Jesus that are cut out, or even a short strip of purple fabric to represent Jesus’ robe.
• Bible

Message:

Today, I would like to play a game of seek and find. By show of hands, have you ever been on a scavenger hunt? (Allow children to respond.) Would one of you like to explain to everyone how a scavenger hunt is done? (Select one child to explain to the group; allow for reframing the concept if necessary.)

I have hidden something special in our worship area. (Make sure you hide the Jesus figures in areas of the space that you want children to go. Keep the figures in one confined space if your worship area is large. Don’t allow the children to roam too far as you begin the message.) Look around and see if you can find the special things I have “hidden.” If you find one, stop looking, come back, and sit quietly while waiting for the rest of the group to find one. (Encourage children to look throughout the worship area for the Jesus figure you hid. If no one finds one after a few moments, call out a hint such as, “Look on the floor.” As children discover the figures, make sure they stop looking, return, and sit quietly. Be sure every child finds a figure and has one in hand as each child returns for the conclusion of the message.)

In today’s scripture passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told people he was looking for something— just the way you were looking for something. He went into a synagogue. That’s where the people went to worship God. The people had been waiting for God to send someone to show them the way to heaven. They didn’t know that Jesus was the one God had sent.

Jesus knew the people were waiting for the special someone God sent. Do you know who that special someone was? Hold up your figure to show everyone else that his name was Jesus! Jesus read scripture from the Bible that talked about the person they were waiting for. Then Jesus told the people, “I’m the one the scripture is talking about.” Jesus read these words from the Old Testament scroll. Listen to these words. Do they describe Jesus? (Open your Bible and read.)

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me.
He has anointed me
to announce the good news to poor people.
He has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners.
He has sent me so that the blind will see again.
He wants me to set free those who are treated badly.
¹⁹ And he has sent me to announce the year when he will set his people free.” (Isaiah 61:1,2)

Later in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 19:10), Jesus told people why God sent him: “The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them.”

Jesus came to show people the way to heaven. He came to give sight to the blind, good news to the poor, freedom to those who were held captive and treated badly. Who can tell me the way to heaven? (Allow children to respond.) The way to heaven is through trusting in Jesus.

After you found your Jesus figure, you came back here. When Jesus finds people who are lost, he shows them the way. Now that you have heard the words of Jesus, how can you help others in your life who are searching for answers and help. Jesus named a few examples of how he showed certain people the way. He announced the good news so that others could hear. He gave sight to the blind so that others could see. He set people free by his actions through his mouth, ears, eyes, and hands. Let’s try that.

(Using hand motions, recite this poem).

God gave us the choice to use our voice (point to your mouth)

Along with an ear for good news to hear (point to your ear).

God gave us eyes to see the need (point to your eyes)

And actions to do a good deed (open your hands, palm-side up)

As we pray, let’s hold our Jesus figure inside our praying hands.

Prayer:

God of direction, thanks for sending your son Jesus to find us when we are lost and to show us the way. Allow us to offer our actions to help share the good news of Jesus to this world in all we do. Amen.

Between the Sundays: Family Conversation Starters

We have added conversation starters to each children’s message series to help spark conversations within families during the week. We encourage families to use these questions to guide them through conversations and subject matter discussed during the worship service, including the children’s messages on Sundays. These conversations will reinforce learning and nurture faith formation for the entire family.

• As a family, identify one daily action that can be found in Jesus’ words in the synagogue.
• At the dinner table, share ways of how you “heard” Jesus’ call in daily life.
• Find some paper placemats and place one with some crayons or markers at every seat at the dinner table. Each day this week, encourage keeping these “scrolls” to record daily actions that influenced the family and others. Reflect and share conversations around the “scrolls” each day during mealtime.
• Watch the YouTube video of “Praise Your Name” by Go Fish. Discuss as a family what the words in this song mean to you. How did your family “praise the name of Jesus” this week?

Developing a habit for regular gathered worship is an essential part of our growth as disciples and our witness to the world around us and an effective foundation for the work of transformation.