Children’s Sermon

Mark 13:24-37

Be Ready

Lois Parker Edstrom

Objects suggested:  Camera, tripod, camera batteries, lens, or other miscellaneous camera equipment. Interesting photographs.

It is fun to take pictures and have them to look at later. Do you like to look at your baby pictures and see what you looked like then? Do you have a picture of a special birthday party or a Christmas celebration with your family? A picture helps us remember those good times. Maybe you have a picture of a flower, a sunset, or snow on a mountain that makes you feel peaceful. I know of a little boy who kept a picture of his mommy in his pocket on his first day of school as a way of keeping her close.

Professional photographers make their living taking pictures. Some photograph weddings and others take portraits – close up pictures of people’s faces. Still others photograph sports events, animals, or things in nature such as trees, rivers, and clouds.

Photographers must always be ready to take a picture at just the right moment and often those moments come unexpectedly. It may be a baby’s smile, or a picture of a soccer player scoring a goal, or a butterfly that appears without warning.

To capture those rare moments and snap a very special picture, the photographer must have a camera that is in good condition and ready to be used at all times.

Jesus speaks to us in the Bible about being ready. He talks about his return to earth and says, “But of that day or that hour no one knows” (13:32). He goes on to say, “Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is” (13:33).

We are to live in a way that makes us ready, at all times, to meet God. We do not know when that very special moment will occur, but we do know that by loving God and caring about others, our lives will be in good condition – ready to be used to honor God.

(Take a picture of the kids, if appropriate to the situation, and give them a copy when available.)

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan