TUNSTALL APO PM 14 OCT 2007 CHILDREN Making Excuses
PLACE: TUNSTALL APO. DATE: PM 14TH OCTOBER 2007.
TITLE: Making Excuses.
THEME: Jesus said, “Follow me.” What's your excuse?
OBJECT: Write the excuses listed in the lesson on note paper and fold them as if they were actual notes from parents. (This also allows you to read the notes rather than trying to remember the excuses.)
SCRIPTURE: Luke 9:57-62
“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
I am sure that all of you have been absent from school. As you know, when a child is absent from school, their parents must write an excuse so that the school will know why the child was absent. Sometimes the excuses are pretty hard to believe and sometimes they can be very funny. I have some notes this morning that are good examples of excuses that parents have written for their children.
1. “Please excuse Joshua for being absent. I forgot to wake him up and I did not find him until I started making the beds -- by then it was too late for him to go to school.” Signed Mr Madeitup.
2. “John did not come to school yesterday because he was feeling like he was going to be sick. Thankfully, he was not!” Signed Mr Madeitup.
3. “Please excuse Janet's absence from school. It was Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Since I do not have a job, I made her stay home and do housework.” Signed Mrs Madeitup.
4. “Please excuse Rachel from school yesterday. She spilled petrol on her clothes and I was afraid she might explode.” Signed Mrs Madeitup.
This one is my all-time favourite!
5. “Please excuse Mary for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the door step and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.” Signed Mrs Madeitup.
Making excuses is not new. People even made excuses in Jesus' day. One day, Jesus was walking along the road with a group of people. Jesus turned to one of the men and said to him, “Follow me.”
The man answered, “First let me go and bury my father.”
That sounds like a good excuse, but we do not even know that the man's father was dead. He may have wanted to wait until his father died before he began to follow Jesus.
Jesus answered him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Jesus then turned to another man in the crowd and said, “Follow me.”
The man answered, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back home and say goodbye to my family.”
Jesus did not like this man's excuse either. He said to him, “No man who starts to plough and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus was calling those who would love Him and receive Him as their Saviour. Will you accept Jesus as YOUR Saviour today? Or will you give excuses also?
Jesus is still calling today, “Follow me!” Will you follow, or will you make excuses?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, when you call us, may we never offer excuses. Instead, may we be willing to give up everything and follow you. Amen.
1. “Please excuse Joshua for being absent. I forgot to wake him up and I did not find him until I started making the beds -- by then it was too late for him to go to school.” Signed Mr Madeitup.
2. “John did not come to school yesterday because he was feeling like he was going to be sick. Thankfully, he was not!” Signed Mr Madeitup.
3. “Please excuse Janet's absence from school. It was Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Since I do not have a job, I made her stay home and do housework.” Signed Mrs Madeitup.
4. “Please excuse Rachel from school yesterday. She spilled petrol on her clothes and I was afraid she might explode.” Signed Mrs Madeitup.
5. “Please excuse Mary for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the door step and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.” Signed Mrs Madeitup.
