Children’s Sermon

Mark 10:46-52

Can You Hear Me?

By Lois Parker Edstrom

OBJECTS SUGGESTED:
Megaphone, if available, or fashion one out of cardboard.

Have you ever had trouble getting someone’s attention? Even when you are in the same room with another person they may not hear you. Your dad may be talking on the phone, your mom may be reading a book, your brother or sister may be arguing or playing a noisy game. Sometimes is seems as if others are not interested in what you are saying; they may be thinking of other things.

Then, there are times when you are too far away from the person you want to talk with and your voice is not loud enough to carry the words. There are other times when you are in a crowd and there is so much commotion around you that it is difficult to get someone’s attention.

There are many reasons why we have trouble being heard. Have you ever felt like you needed a megaphone? A megaphone makes your voice much louder. Would you like to try it? It works quite well. Perhaps we could say something from the Bible. There is a story in the Bible about a man who called to Jesus and he said, “Jesus … have mercy on me” (10:47). Let’s try that. (Let the children speak into the megaphone if appropriate to the setting and situation.)

The man was blind, sitting by the roadside when he heard a large crowd of people coming along the road and he was told that Jesus was in the crowd. He began to shout and he said, “Jesus… have mercy on me!” (10:47). (He didn’t use a megaphone.)

Others tried to quiet the blind man, but he called again “… have mercy on me!” (10:48).

“Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him'” (10:49). Then Jesus asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?” (10:51).

The blind man asked, “that I may see again” (10:51).

Jesus said, “…Your faith has made you well” (10:51).

The man who had been blind regained his sight and could see!

This is the story of a wonderful miracle, but perhaps the lesson for us is that in the midst of all the noise of the crowd, Jesus heard the blind man call out to him. It is a lesson that is good for us to remember as we go about our daily and sometimes noisy lives. Jesus hears us when we call to him – anytime, anywhere!

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan