Trusting God’s Promises
Maya Little-Saña
Sunday, August 23, 2021, 10:30 am Service
Good morning, friends.
Can I come chat with you for a few minutes?
I am starting my first day of school tomorrow. It’ll be my first time going to class in-person at my new school. I feel excited and a little nervous. I hope I know where everything is. But I think I’ll get used to it.
So let me ask, How are you feeling about starting a new year at school? Or perhaps,for the adults, as we experience all these transitions lately, how are you feeling? You can give me a thumbs up, a thumbs down, or s0-so?
(Allow time for their responses.)
Thank you for being brave and sharing how you feel. Going back to school always invites big feelings to come along with us, and those feelings can be different for everyone! It looks like we have been feeling lots of big feelings lately.
Did you know God is always with us? No matter where we go and what we feel?
Someone who understood this well was Paul. I wonder if that name sounds familiar? … hm… Paul… St. Paul… oh yeah, St. Paul’s Cathedral! If you look all around, you will see pictures of Paul’s life. He wrote a letter while he was in prison that explained that God is with us AND that God gives us tools to protect us. I wonder if we can find the picture of Paul writing in prison? Let’s look together.
Ah, there he is! I wonder who is standing there next to him?
He was surrounded by Roman guards and probably noticed the armor they wore. Paul thought that the ways God protects us are a lot like armor.
Paul said that God gives us truth, goodness, the story of Jesus, faith, salvation, and lots of promises over and over again throughout scripture that we are loved and we can trust God.
Jesus once said, “I will not leave you without comfort.” and guess what? God gives us comfort and protection. As we move through another year where we feel unsure I want us to remember that, friends.
God promises us protection and steadfast love and mercy. Let’s trust God’s promises.
Will you pray with me? Since God is always with us, God hears all our prayers. When i pause, let’s say “Loving God, hold us”
God our protector, we have lots of big feelings. We pray for our hearts and all they hold—excitement and nervousness, disappointment and hope. We give you all our loves and fears. We pray for steady trust in your promises of hope.
Loving God, hold us.
Thank you for giving us armor to keep us safe and brave. Remind us that we are never alone. Help us stand firm like Paul and all your saints.
Loving God, hold us. We trust you God. We love you God. Thank you for all your gifts, especially Jesus.
Amen.
Sermon for 8:00 Service
As the Family Minister, I thought it was about time I wrote a children’s sermon. And I did. For you all here today, I invite you to enter into this experience as a child with me. With curiosity, and wonder.
Good morning, friends.
Can I come chat with you for a few minutes?
I am starting my first day of school tomorrow. It’ll be my first time going to class in-person at my new school. I feel excited and a little nervous. I hope I know where everything is. But I think I’ll get used to it.
So let me ask, How are you feeling about starting a new year at school? Or perhaps,for the adults, as we experience all these transitions lately, how are you feeling? You can give me a thumbs up, a thumbs down, or s0-so?
(Allow time for their responses.)
Thank you for being brave and sharing how you feel.
Going back to school always invites big feelings to come along with us, and those feelings can be different for everyone! It looks like we have been feeling lots of big feelings lately.
Did you know God is always with us? No matter where we go and what we feel?
Someone who understood this well was Paul. I wonder if that name sounds familiar? … hm… Paul… St. Paul… oh yeah, St. Paul’s Cathedral! If you look all around, you will see pictures of Paul’s life. He wrote a letter while he was in prison that explained that God is with us AND that God gives us tools to protect us. I wonder if we can find the picture of Paul writing in prison? Let’s look together.
Ah, there he is! I wonder who is standing there next to him?
He was surrounded by Roman guards and probably noticed the armor they wore. Paul thought that the ways God protects us are a lot like armor.
Paul said that God gives us truth, goodness, the story of Jesus, faith, salvation, and lots of promises over and over again throughout scripture that we are loved and we can trust God.
Jesus once said, “I will not leave you without comfort.” and guess what? God gives us comfort and protection.
As we move through another year where we feel unsure I want us to remember that, friends. God promises protection, steadfast love, and eternal life.
Will you pray with me? Since God is always with us, God hears all our prayers. When i pause, let’s say “Loving God, hold us”
God our protector, we have lots of big feelings. We pray for our hearts and all they hold—excitement and nervousness, disappointment and hope. We give you all our loves and fears. We pray for steady trust in your promises of hope.
Loving God, hold us.
Thank you for giving us armor to keep us safe and brave. Remind us that we are never alone. Help us stand firm like Paul and all your saints.
Loving God, hold us.
We trust you God. We love you God. Thank you for all your gifts, especially Jesus. Amen.
