Children’s Sermon

Matthew 5:21-37

Mending Our Ways

By Lois Parker Edstrom

Object suggested: A sewing basket.

In the days when the early settlers came west in America, a sewing needle was an essential item. The settlers didn’t have stores like we do today, so they patched the clothes they had.

There is a story told about a group of pioneer women who lived in the Oregon Territory. Among them they had only one needle. There was no way for them to buy another needle, so they took turns using that single needle. One woman would sew on buttons and mend her family’s clothes and then she passed the needle on to the next woman who had mending to do.

Do you know what happens when clothes or stockings are not mended? Yes, the tear or hole gets bigger and bigger until it is difficult to repair. Delay in sewing on a button may result in the button being lost and that also becomes a bigger problem.

Think about the idea of mending as you listen to what Jesus said about how to patch up a disagreement with another person. He said, “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

This is a long Bible passage for you to think about. Jesus seems to be saying that when we have done something to upset or hurt another person we should go to them and say, “I’m sorry” as soon as we can. If we wait to repair the damage we have caused, the problem may become bigger and bigger, just like a tear in a shirt, a hole in a sock, or a lost button. Think of your apology as a way to bring you and the person you have harmed together and as a way to mend the hurt.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2011, Richard Niell Donovan