This sermon is a dialogue ... But it is NOT your usual dialogue between two people.
One of the people is a flesh and blood person, the other person is ... well, Joey is a puppet ... For far too long, my puppet voices have been silenced. This week, as part of the Sunda School lead Worship Service, Joey decided it was time to return ...
The following is our conversation ... it was fun ... Joey promises he'll be back !!
Joey: Church is boring.
Shawn: Boring? Why is it boring?
It has music, there are lots of people, we eat a fair bit, we talk about important stuff. How can you say Church is boring?
Joey: Yeah, but it is still booooooorrrrrrrrring!!!
Where’s the good music? The choir is great and nice and everything, but …
Shawn: Joey. The choir works really hard …
Joey: I know they do. But it’s not MY kind of music.
I like Rock’n’Roll baby … Rock’n’Roll !!
Shawn: Speaking of Rock’n’Roll, you wouldn’t know where
my MP3 player might be, would you?
Joey: (too quickly, averting his gaze) Nope. Haven’t seen it.
Shawn: So … you like Rock music and the Choir’s music
isn’t your thing. There’s really nothing wrong with Choir music … Besides that, there are lots of people around you can visit with.
Joey: How many of them, besides you, want to be friends
with a puppet?? When I talk to them they just start laughing, then they look away … I see it … trust me on this one …
Shawn: Okay … what about the food. We eat together once
in awhile. Like today – we’re having a BBQ down at the park …
Joey, what’s boring around here?? If it’s not the people,
or the music, or the food, the only think left is the preach…
Joey: Is it raining outside? Would you look at that, I think it’s
raining outside? Don’t you ??
Shawn: JOEY !!
Joey: I think it’s raining outside …
Shawn: Joey, are you saying my preaching is boring?Joey: (pause) NO. I think you just said that …
Shawn: Thanks. Thanks a lot.
Joey: You’re welcome.
Shawn (pause): Well, you have to admit that today hasn’t
been boring …
Joey: Yea, instead of preaching, you’re sitting in front of
everyone talking to a puppet !!! (laughing)
Shawn: You have to admit that today hasn’t been boring –
the kids – the laughter – it’s been kind of exciting and unpredictable even.
Joey: Yeah, it’s been kind of fun.
Shawn: And I’m not even preaching …
Joey: Yeah, today is a banner day isn’t it ??
Shawn: Is my preaching THAT bad??
Joey: Oh, your preaching is okay for what it is. Don’t be so
hard on yourself …
Shawn: For what it is?? What does that mean ??
Joey: Did you know you’re bald?
Shawn: Joey!!
Joey: What?? … You are …
Shawn: Joey. Stop trying to avoid this. You brought this up.
Joey: I’m not trying to avoid anything, but man you ARE bald
and sometimes there’s a glare …
Shawn: Can you forget about my head …
Joey: Not likely …
Shawn: Joey. Can we talk about why the church is boring
and not talk about my head, or my preaching …
Joey: Hey, you keep bringing this up …
Shawn: (deep breath) SO. Church is boring?
Joey: Not always. But sometimes.
Shawn: What do you mean, ‘not always’?
Joey: Well, it’s kind of like the story that ……… just read.
The woman in the story was crying and washing Jesus’ feet and then, dried them with her hair.
That was just a cool story.
Shawn: It was a cool story. In Jesus’ day a woman touching
your feet like that was forbidden, and anointing or cleaning them like she did was completely unheard of. The authorities of the day including Simon the host, were HORRIFIED.
Joey: Horrified? What does horrified mean??
Shawn: Disgusted. Outraged. Mad. Ticked off … take your
pick …
Joey: They were horrified because a girl touched Jesus’ feet?
It was Jesus who should have been ticked off, not Simon … I mean, a girl touching his feet – YUCK !!!
Shawn: Well, the religious authorities of Jesus time went
way beyond just “YUCK”. They didn’t like much of what Jesus said or what he was about. They didn’t like what he was doing with, or who he was hanging out with, and so they got really mad.
Joey: Mad?
Shawn: Mad. Mad enough to kill him …
Joey: WOW !!! They got mad enough to kill him because he
let some girl touch his feet … that’s harsh.
Shawn: Well, that wasn’t the only reason why. There’s more
to the story than just a girl touching his feet …
Joey: WHAT??? She didn’t try to hug or kiss him did she??
Eeeewwww …
Shawn: No, no. Jesus did OTHER things that made the
Church people of his time mad. He hung out with the wrong kind of people. He tried to change how they worshipped at the temple (their church) He wanted them to talk about God in a different way. He got children and women and others involved in what he was doing … he was radical … and he offended a lot of people by the way he did things …
Joey: Wow … he sounds kind of cool …
Shawn: He was.
Joey: And they killed him for that??
Shawn: Yeah … they did. And we can learn about it at
church … here we can learn about how much Jesus rocked the boat …
Joey: OH !! Is that when he walked on water?
Did he rock the boat so much that he fell out and had to walk home?
Shawn: Not quite. He rocked the boat by trying to do things
in new ways that were just too different for the people, and they got mad.
Joey: OH. Like kids leading worship … what kind of crazy
thing is that??
Shawn: Yes, Joey, kind of like kids leading worship …
Joey: Talking about everyone being included in God’s
love …
Shawn: Maybe …
Joey: Like using Rock’n’Roll in Church …
Shawn: Maybe … Jesus had an idea about HOW things
could be if we really let the Spirit work through us and around us … But too often people get worried and get angry when things change too much, and …
Joey: They killed him.
Shawn: Yup. They killed him.,
Joey: Huh … That woman who washed Jesus’ feet was
smart …
Shawn: Why?
Joey: Because she wanted to honour Jesus, and when she
did he told her that God loved her too …
Shawn: You’re right … That’s the WHOLE point of the
story … the point of Jesus’ ministry … the point of the church … all of it …
Joey: (mouth open) That we should wash each other’s feet?
Shawn: No. That we are ALL loved by God …
unconditionally and with out limits or restrictions …
Joey: Wow !! That’s cool …
Shawn: Very Cool. But too often, we lose sight of that, and
we forget to make that our ONLY priority.
Joey: Our only priority? What does that mean?
Shawn: That we worry about, and get all worked up over silly
things …
Joey: Like boring preaching?
Shawn: (deep breath) Yeah, like boring preaching … The
point is though – that God wants everyone to feel included and welcome …
Joey: But sometimes we’re like Simon and we get all upset
and mad instead.
Shawn: Exactly.
Joey: I bet that makes God sad, because when that happens
in church and school or anywhere, it makes me very sad …
Shawn: You’re pretty smart …
Joey: for a puppet ??
Shawn: No. You’re pretty smart period.
Thanks Joey, this has been kind of fun …
Joey: sure beats you preaching …
Shawn: Thanks ….
Let us pray …
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