Epiphany 7 childrens message

Epiphany 7, February 19, 2006

Real Friends

Text: Mark 2:1–12

Visuals: none

Summary statement: Real friends bring their friends to Jesus, the best Friend.

Rev. Thomas G. Norris, pastor

Faith Lutheran Church, Pleasant Hill, California

Good morning! How do you know when someone is really your friend? Accept answers. This morning I want to tell you about some very good friends.

One day there was a man who couldn’t walk, but his friends heard that Jesus was in town, and they believed Jesus could heal him. So they picked their friend up on his mat and carried him to Jesus. Or at least they tried. When they got to the house where Jesus was, there were so many people there they couldn’t get in. Do you think they just gave up and went home? No, because they were real friends.

They decided to climb up on the roof of the house and lower their friend down where Jesus would see him. That was a lot of work. They had to carry him all the way up top. Then they had to make a hole in the roof and, finally, lower him all the way down to the floor. It was a lot of work, but they did it because they were determined to get their friend to Jesus.

Jesus, you know, was the very best Friend that man ever had. When Jesus saw him, the first thing he did was tell him his sins were forgiven. That was the best thing Jesus could do as a Friend, because it meant that this man could be with Jesus forever in heaven. See, it’s our sins that would keep us out of heaven, but when they’re taken away, we get to live forever with Christ. Then Jesus healed the man’s disease. That was a kind thing for a friend to do too, wasn’t it?

Jesus is the same best Friend for us. He forgives us by dying on the cross, and he takes care of all our needs, just as he did for this man.

We may not have friends who can’t walk, but we do have friends who don’t know Jesus, and Jesus wants us to be real friends to them. He wants them to know the stories about him. He wants them to know what he taught. He wants them to know that he died on the cross for them too.

How can we be like the friends in the story? Invite friends to Sunday school, tell others about Jesus. Being a real friend means bringing our friends to our best Friend!