School Bells Ring!

School Bells Ring!

And Children Sing...

Beall Ave. School - 1955  Wooster, OH

     It is again that time of year, when children and young adults return to their schools to continue their education. This summer I have prepared five children's sermons called "Kids Parables" based loosely on the Parables of Jesus and inspired by the book, "The Power of Parable" by John Dominic Crossan. Each of the five (5) presented here is short, less than 3 minutes in reading time. The fifth was written today, for worship on August 23rd.  I found the young people who have heard them were able to connect with each, and the adults responded favorably to the message. Oh, the title of this entry is taken from a retail clothing store (Robert Hall) ad that ran locally in northern Ohio (at about the same time the picture of Beall Ave Grade School was taken); "School bells ring, and children sing, it's back to Robert Hall again!"

Note: Since the time I originally published these short Kid's Parables in August, I have completed the Summer Series by publishing #6 & #7 (9-6-2015), and now #8 (9-13-2015) and sharing them during my Kid's Sermon, up and through this past Sunday. DJ

Kid’s Parables

1. The Story of the Lost Farm Pet and the Gift of Caring

Janie lived on a farm and she helped care for 2 dogs, 4 cats and 4 kittens. One day a kitten named “Cutie” wandered off. Janie liked all her animals, so when Cutie became lost, she went to look for her. She looked for Cutie everywhere, and she was so excited when she found Cutie, and Cutie was happy to see Janie too. Now when her sisters, who were older, asked her why she wasted her time looking for one little kitten (knowing there would probably be another litter), Janie said, “this one little kitten is just as special as each of you. I would look for you if you were lost, so why not look for little Cutie. Little Cutie is part of our family and is as special as any of us. So, come on be happy, Cutie is back with us!"

2. The Story of the Lost Money and the Gift of Appreciation

It was a beautiful day and Bobby was riding on his bike. It was really beautiful because he had an envelope with $100 on the back of his bike, and he was heading for the store to buy an I Pod. He had performed chores and helped out whenever and wherever he could to earn enough money to buy his very own I Pod. When he arrived at the store he turned to get his money, and he saw it was gone! Brokenhearted, feeling kinda dumb for what happened, he returned home the same way he came, hoping he would find his money on the road. When he got home, he saw his mom and the neighbor lady, Mrs. Smith in the front yard. Red faced and embarrassed he told his mom what happened and how he looked and looked for the lost money. That’s when Mrs. Smith opened her hand and showed Bobby she had found his money on the side of the road. He was so appreciative of Mrs. Smith, that he gave a portion of his hard-earned money, for he was so happy someone had found it and not kept it. (You know, “finder’s keepers, loser's weepers”). Two weeks later, Bobby went to the store with more money, secure in his pocket. Now he is listening to his favorite songs on his I Pod and thanking Mrs. Smith for being such a thoughtful person.

3. The Girl Who Cared Only About Herself

There was a young girl named Rachel, and she thought only about herself. She was always asking her Mom for advances on the work she did around the house, and even for the work she did for others. One day, she asked her Mom if she could have her share of the insurance policy her Mom had for herself. Now, that’s pretty selfish; her Mom was still alive! And yet, her Mom agreed. So Rachel, with her insurance share in hand, took off on a trip (by jet) to the Bahamas. She promptly wasted her money, eating junk food, buying jewelry and, tee-shirts for herself (which she didn’t need), giving money away to new found so-called friends who took advantage of her, and all other sorts of wasteful things; too many to mention. Needless to say, she quickly ran out of money, her so-called friends left her and she had to fend for herself. She had to get a job to support herself. She got a job cleaning out the cages at a chicken processing plant and then clean the floors after they had been processed. It was dirty, ugly work. With no place to stay, she saved what little money she could, and then hired on a boat back home. And who was waiting for her, when she got off the boat; her mom was waiting. Rachel thought her Mother would be angry, but she was smiling and hugged her when she saw her (even as smelly as she was)! Rachel learned a lot about love and understanding that day, and that to love oneself means to love others first. That’s what her mother did, putting others first, with no strings attached (loving unconditionally). “I love you mom,” said Rachel, who has now learned to love as her mother does.

4. The Mixed up Little Boy

There once was a young boy named Charlie who wanted so badly to find God. He thought, if he would put a penny in his piggy bank each day, he was sure to find God. He was told, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” So, he thought if he was saving up for God, God would be very pleased with him. For years he placed money in his piggy bank until the day his grandpa died. He was so upset he took his piggy bank to grandpa’s funeral at church. He thought if he would put the money in grandpa’s casket grandpa would come back to him and things would be the same as before he died. The Pastor saw what he was doing and asked Charlie why he was placing the piggy bank in Grandpa’s casket. Charlie told him about the money and seeing God and helping Grandpa come alive again. The Pastor said, “Charlie, did you know your Grandpa volunteered to help feed the hungry? I bet if you give what you saved to help feed the hungry, your Grandpa would be very happy and you would see the face of God on all the hungry people you feed.” Charlie did just that and now he see’s the face of his Grandpa on all the faces of the people he helps feed.

5. The Little Girl Who Grew In Beauty

Susie, was a little girl who had few friends; matter of fact, no one really liked her. First of all, she lived with her dad who was unemployed. They lived on food stamps and aid. They would go to the food pantry every other week. She didn’t have any new clothes, like the other kids, most of her clothes were second hand (used). She had one good dress she wore to Sunday School and church. And whenever she came home her dad would remind her to hang up her “one good dress” so it would be ready to wear next Sunday.

One day, on her way home from school, she saw a school friend who had a bloody nose and a bruise on his face. She stopped to help him. He said, a schoolmate hurt him and took his science fair homework. Susie gave him a Kleenex to wipe his nose and she took him home where her dad put some ice on his bruise. Susie’s friend said that she was the only one who stopped to help him; He said, “I guess it’s because people don’t like me.” Everyone else just passed by, and “one classmate crossed the street to avoid me.” Nobody even wanted to look at me.

Susie gained a friend on the day she helped a classmate. Her new friend asked her why she stopped to help him. She said, “I learned in Sunday School that Jesus teaches, ‘when you help those in need, you help me.” “What a friend we have in Jesus, and what a friend I have in you, Susie”, he said.

6. The Little Boy Who Stood Up

Johnny loved going to church and attending Sunday School. Sunday School was a different kind of school where he learned things he didn’t learn in regular school. His mom said that’s the way it should be. School is for one thing, church school is for another. Anyway, he got to see his friends he didn’t see every day at regular school. His teachers were really cool; he understood the stories they taught and he really liked singing songs at the start of each Sunday School class.

He liked going to grown up church also. He liked saying the things that his mom and dad said during church service and singing the songs. One day, while he was sitting with mom and dad (they usually sat at the same place every Sunday, near the middle of the church), an older lady came in and walked up to the place where they were sitting; she looked kinda crumpled and wore an old dress. She was looking for a place to sit, when Johnny got up and offered her his seat.

Johnny stood up for someone he didn’t know and for someone who was very different from him. He stayed right by the old lady during the entire worship service (he was surprised she knew all the songs they sang, and all the other stuff they did) and when it was over, the crumpled old lady came up to him and said, “thank you, young man, I came back today because this is where I was baptized and you welcomed me, like God welcomed me when I was baptized. And this is where my family would sit. I will never forget you.” Because of Johnny’s example, many people who remembered the old lady came up and greeted her after church service. Johnny’s dad said, “you did the right thing by giving up your seat and helping to make her feel at home, because she is no different than you.”

7. The Little Boy & A Great Harvest

Little Jimmy lived on a farm at the edge of a big town. Jimmy attended Sunday School and church and he liked it, but he had friends who did not attend Sunday School every Sunday, and they seemed OK; so he didn’t understand why his Mom and Dad wanted him to attend. He didn’t see any difference between himself and his friends who didn’t go to church.

One Sunday he asked the minister why he had to come to church and Sunday School every Sunday. His pastor said, “you have been taught the parable of the seeds, do you remember that?” Jimmy said, “yes, but what does that have to do with me?”

“Do you have a brain,” asked his pastor. “Yes...”, said Jimmy. “Well your brain is like the 200 acres your father and mother have planted in corn this year. Because the seed corn was planted in good soil, rather than on rocks on or the road next to your farm; it will produce a good crop when it is harvested.” He continued, “when you come to Sunday School every Sunday, your teacher plants a seed in your brain; like helping others, being polite, making good decisions that don’t hurt people, and being fair. Remember when you bought presents for kids at the local orphanage, and when you helped serve meals to the hungry, or carried the books of a classmate you didn’t know, but who had a broken leg. That was because of the seeds that were planted in your mind and your brain.” Church and Sunday School helps your brain become good soil.

“That’s right,” said Jimmy, “those were things I did with my friends in Sunday School, helping others, and things I did. Thanks, Pastor; now I know why mom and dad make sure the seeds go on the good soil and not on rocks or on the road. They want a great harvest like you do and like Jesus does.”

8. The Rescue

Samuel was running home from school as fast as he could. He did not want to miss his favorite cartoon show, which started at 4 pm. He was determined to make it home in time, and nothing was going to stop him.

As he turned the corner from Main Street, onto his street, he heard a high pitched yelp. Not one yelp, but two and then three and four and five yelps; all in a row. Something was wrong, he thought. It sounded like an animal in trouble. But he couldn’t stop to see what was wrong. He had to get home to watch his favorite cartoon show. He couldn’t and he wouldn’t...but then he thought, “That’s not what I was taught last Sunday at church. Help one another, even if it means sacrifice.” “Gosh, I hate that word ‘sacrifice’ thought Samuel out loud.

So he slowed down and he could still hear the yelp, yelp, yelp coming from down the alley. So he turned from his street into the alley and as he got closer to Mrs. Garvin’s house (the widow lady), he saw what the yelping was all about. Her little puppy ‘Bobo’ had its paw caught in the fence and every time he tried to pull it out, he yelped.

Samuel saw what the problem was right away. Every time Bobo pulled his paw, it became stuck on a jagged piece of metal. So Samuel got hold of Bobo’s paw and gently held it still while he pulled the fence to the side. He rubbed Bobo’s paw where it was scratched, and Samuel could tell Bobo was happy; the little puppy started running around the yard and then looked at Samuel, as if to say thanks.

While this was all going on, Samuel forgot about his favorite cartoon show, and when he got home he remembered school let out early, so he wasn’t going to miss his show after all. And he helped a friend along the way, because he put Bobo ahead of himself. What a great day for Samuel!