Children's Conversations at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu

A children's conversation by Pastor Jeff Lilley -------------------------------------------------------- Today is Reformation Sunday, and we remember how Martin Luther read God's word and got very excited about what God was doing. He started to ask important questions about how God relates with people, and he talked about God's love and forgiveness, which we call grace. Grace sets us free to care for others, and that's what we celebrate today.

A children's conversation by Pastor Angela Freeman -------------------------------------------------------- Today I brought my favorite things to show you. If I give them all to one of you, you won't be able to hold them all. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the man to give away all his stuff because it can get in the way. When you go home, I want you to think about whether your stuff gets in the way and crowds out God.

A children's conversation by Pastor Angela Freeman -------------------------------------------------------- When I put my glasses on wrong and opened the book wrong, I couldn't read it, but you helped me do it right. In today's Gospel, Jesus talks about divorce--a very difficult subject. Sometimes we have these difficult situations, and we need help from others. As we continue through our lives, let's be ready to help one another on our journeys.

A children's conversation by Pastor Jeff Lilley -------------------------------------------------------- You all know the song "Jesus Loves Me," but when I sang it just now with a different tune, you couldn't sing along with me. The different tune was a stumbling block for you. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples not to be a stumbling block to anyone trying to follow God. Jesus calls us to be helpers for others and not stumbling blocks.

A children's conversation by Pastor Jeff Lilley -------------------------------------------------------- In today's Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that he will be killed and rise again, but they didn't even ask a question. Instead they argued about who would be first among them. So Jesus told them that the last will be first, and the first will be last. When we run a race, it's important who is first. But now that Jesus has been raised, that doesn't matter.

A children's conversation by Pastor Angela Freeman -------------------------------------------------------- Today I brought a basket full of crosses, and there are many other crosses around the Nave and in our homes. The cross is not just a decoration. It symbolizes the love of God in Jesus Christ. So, every time you see a cross, you should remember that God loves you.

A children's conversation by Pastor Angela Freeman -------------------------------------------------------- Here we have a rainbow banner. If I ask which color is most important, you might have your preferences, but we need all the colors to have a rainbow. In today's Gospel there is a question about who is part of the family of God. The rainbow reminds us that all are equally important to God.

A children's conversation by Pastor Angela Freeman -------------------------------------------------------- In today's Gospel Jesus is talking about washing hands. People had said he was breaking religious law because he didn't follow the custom of washing his hands before eating. But Jesus said that what is in your heart is more important than what you do. It's like our liturgy here at church. It's good to follow tradition not because it's required but because it brings us closer to God.

A children's conversation by Pastor Jeff Lilley -------------------------------------------------------- In today's Gospel, Jesus continues to say that he is the bread of life. Some of the disciples found this hard to understand because they didn't see who Jesus really was. If we go to look for Jesus here at church, we find this statue of Jesus carrying the cross. We know the statue isn't really Jesus, but it helps us see who Jesus is. And the bread and wine of communion help us understand that when we eat the bread and drink the wine, Jesus is always with us. It is hard to understand, but through faith we can feel Jesus with us.

A children's conversation by Pastor Angela Freeman -------------------------------------------------------- In today's Gospel Jesus says that if we eat his bread, we will live forever. If we go over here, we see bread and wine on a table. You know that later in worship, the ushers will bring it up with the offerings to use in communion. This bread and the wine are simple, everyday things, but we believe that in communion they become the presence of Jesus with us forever.