February 25 – “You’ll get burned”

We were up to 58 people in church yesterday.  If the one family with five kids had been there we would have topped 60.  That’s some progress, I guess.  I am excited about the Beth Moore Bible study starting Tuesday morning at the church and the Family Fun Friday event on … well, Friday.  One of the ladies is cooking up a big pot of spaghetti.  We’ll set up a volleyball net and some tables for playing 42.  I never did play that much.  Maybe once or twice, but I don’t even remember how to begin any more.  Maybe I can relearn Friday night.

I got a big kick out of the children’s sermon.  I had an oven mitt and asked what it was for.  “To keep you from getting burned” was the consensus best answer.  Then I asked a series of “what if” questions.  “What if I decided I was in a hurry and I can get the pot out of the oven a lot quicker if I don’t have to stop and get one of these.  What will happen to me?”  Of course the obvious answer was “You’ll get burned.”  I continued with “What if I said I don’t need one of these.  If I used one people would think I was a wimp.  What will happen to me?  Same answer.  “You’ll get burned.”  I went on: What if I say, “I don’t believe it will help me.  You can’t prove it will.  What will happen to me?”  “You’ll get burned.”  Then: “what if I say “I’ll make up my own potholder.  How hard could it be?  All I need is an old rag.  What will happen to me?”  “You’ll still get burned.  Probably worse.”   Ouch.  That one hurt.  The last one was “What if I say I saw one at the store the other day.  I’ll save up my money and when I have enough, then I’ll get a potholder.  What will happen to me then?”  Alas, the answer was still, “You’ll get burned.”  I finally got around to making the connection.  I asked, “What would be the easiest, best thing for me to do?”  And the resounding answer was, “Just trust the potholder.”  That’s when I explained that it’s kind of like learning to trust Jesus.  You can make all sorts of excuses not to trust him, but every one of the excuses leads to one thing.  At that point a chorus of adults spontaneously cried out, “You get burned.”  Yep.  Somebody got it.

Psalms 68:4 says, “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds  — his name is the Lord — and rejoice before him.”

Father, thank you for the growth and excitement beginning to abound again at Seaside.  Keep it coming.  Amen.