CHILDREN – 5th Sunday of Year B

OBJECTS: None

Have you ever noticed that someone needs help – but maybe been too shy to go over and lend them a hand?

This week as I was driving I noticed a car up ahead in the distance that had broken down on the side of the road. As I got a little closer I watched as another car pulled off to help the man standing there next to it – and it made me think.

I started to wonder whether they knew this man – maybe he’d even called them for help – or whether they just saw that he needed a hand and decided to act?

It made me wonder whether I would have done the same. He was a stranger, after all, and it was getting kind of dark. It was a choice I didn’t even have to make – but it sure made me think.

In this week’s Gospel story, Jesus visits the home of Simon and Andrew. When he got there he learned that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever – and guess what he does? Jesus goes right to her – this woman he’s never even met – and helps to make her well.

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SOURCE: Sermon Writer

OBJECT:  Party hats and/or party decorations

Parties are fun. There is usually a lot of talking and laughing. There may be good food and games. Perhaps the house is decorated with balloons and special lights. When you go to a party it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of all that is going on around you.

There are other times when you must find a quiet place to be by yourself. Working on something that requires your attention, such as reading a book or working on homework, is best done where it is quiet. It is difficult to concentrate on other work while someone is trying to talk to you.

Jesus needed quiet times too. During his ministry he went to the house of two of his disciples, Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in the house and she was sick with a fever. Jesus “took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them” (1:31).

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OBJECT: None

Kelly and Kyle’s mom was sick so that day their dad stayed home from work to take care of her. When the twins got home from school, they helped prepare dinner. They even set the table and poured fruit juice to help Dad.

As they ate their sandwiches, their dad reminded Kelly and Kyle about the day they visited a pond on their grandparent’s farm. Kelly said, “I remember that day, the pond was so still. It looked like a mirror instead of a pond of water.”

“Remember when I tossed a small pebble into the water?” Their dad continued.

The twins remembered how one stone made circles all across the pond. Dad called the circles “ripples.” Those ripples grew larger and larger as they moved out from the spot where the small pebble had entered the water.

Dad went on to tell a story from the Holy Bible about how Jesus, and his friends, James and John, went to visit their friend, Simon. When they arrived, they found out that Simon’s wife’s mother was very sick with a fever. Jesus took her by the hand and the fever left her. She was well! She felt so good that she even served their supper that day.

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SOURCE: Sermon Writer