Children’s Sermon
Luke 4:21-30
All Spoke Well of Him
Object suggested: Memento or picture of a well-known person specific to your area.
Do you know of a famous person who grew up in your town? Perhaps there is a street named after that person or a museum that contains information about a well-known person from your area.
In my small town the famous person is a sea captain who sailed from the east coast of the United States, around the tip of South America, to the west coast of the United States. He settled on an island in Puget Sound and our small town is named after him.
Stories have been told about the famous sea captain because he was brave and adventurous. He helped early settlers form a community where they could live together, build a church, start a school, and set up businesses. (Tell the story of a well-known person who is unique to your location.)
People become famous for many reasons. We know of those who are famous because they invent things; others are great artists, musicians, writers, or actors; still others may excel at sports or have discovered a cure for a troublesome illness.
Jesus became famous because he brought God’s love to the world. He traveled to many towns, teaching and preaching the good news of God’s love. He healed people of their illnesses, brought sight to the blind, and set people free.
As an adult he traveled back to his hometown where people had known him as a boy. For hundreds of years prophets (people who talked about what would happen in the future) had spoken about the Son of God who would come to bring God’s love to all people.
The people of his hometown could hardly believe that Jesus was this famous person of whom the prophets had spoken, but he told them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”(4:21). This meant that what the prophets had foretold was happening for all to see – Jesus offering God’s love to all people.
The Bible tells us that “All testified (spoke well) about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth…” (4:22). You can learn more about Jesus in the Bible.
Scripture quotations from the World English Bible
Copyright 2010, Richard Niell Donovan