My children’s message from the 15th Sunday after Pentecost (September 21, 2025)
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So it’s my tradition after the prayer of the day to bring a message to all of God’s children. And – as you can see – I brought a bunch of stuff from our playroom here at church. There’s a room, right through that hallway, that is full of toys, books, and games that have been donated over the years. If we need a little break from sitting still and listening to me – and we don’t want to keep running around the sanctuary even though I’m okay with that – then the room is available. I took the stuff out because I’d like to try something with you.
So let’s stand up. And come over here closer to the rail. I’d like you to take a step down. Great! That was pretty simple. Now come back up here. Hold out your arms and I’m going to start putting stuff onto it. I want you to hold as much as you can – and we’re going to keep piling and piling and piling until you can’t even see what’s in front of you. Here’s another stuff animal. And another. And another. And another! You’re doing a great job.
Now that your hands are full, I’m going to ask you a question. When you had nothing in your hands, was it difficult for you to step down? No. It might be difficult for some – and that’s okay. But, for you, you could do it. Great. But what if you wanted to take a step right now with your arms full? It’s way more scary. You’re holding a bunch of stuff. You can’t see where you’re going. And while you might feel confident you could take a step, it’s much harder than it was before. What do you think would make this easier? If there was someone to help. Maybe someone could guide you and hold your arm. Or maybe someone could take the step first and let you know what to expect. Maybe someone could take the stuff from you – sharing the load so it’s not so hard. We might feel like we should be able to do this on our own. We might feel like we have to take this step, assuming a person as smart, as old, as special, and as amazing as you can do this. We might not want to ask for help because we’ll feel ashamed or embarrassed or we know someone might make fun of us. But you want to know a little secret? Asking for help is a holy thing – and it’s something God wants us to do. Because when we ask for help, we’re able to do more, to experience more, to learn and grow and embrace the freedom God has given us. Asking for help – and offering helping – is a hard but very faithful thing to do.
So I want to invite you when you need help, to ask for help. And if someone asks for help, you help if you can. We don’t make fun. We don’t argue. We don’t joke. We help. And when we ask for help, know that there is no shame in it. You’re a person who deserves help and should receive help since the help we’re given actually helps us do more than we could before. Asking for help is very hard – probably the hardest word to utter in our English language. Yet when we ask – and when we give – we do more than just help those around us. We also make real the love God has for us everyday.