Jesus grew up and when it was time to start his work, he went out to the desert where he found his cousin John. John baptized him in the river and God smiled down saying, "This is my son with whom I am pleased. "
Jesus came up out of the river and headed further out into the desert where he didn't eat or do anything for 40 days. He just listened for God in a long boring, hungry time. Them, he left the desert and began the work that God gave him to do.
He found people - men and women- to follow him and help him in his work. Then he traveled around and taught people about God and how to live by telling stories.
As he traveled he came across a blind man. He spit on the ground, rubbed mud in his eyes and told the man to wash his face. The man was healed. He found a group of guys with a terrible disease. He healed them all. He held the children and blessed them. A woman who was bleeding snuck up close to him and touched his clothes. She was healed too.
People followed Jesus everywhere. To take a rest, Jesus and his followers got in a boat and traveled across a large lake. Jesus was sleeping when a huge storm came and shook the boat. Jesus woke up and calmed the storm.
On the other side of the lake, Jesus met the crowds and they followed him out into the hills where he taught them many things about God. It was getting late and the people didn't have any food. Instead of sending them away, Jesus sat them down and asked if anyone had any food. A little boy had a small lunch. Jesus blessed it and shared it with the whole crowd.
Jesus taught and told stories about God. Jesus healed people and fed people. Jesus looked at each person and saw them as they were and had compassion for them.
We are Jesus disciples. We help do Jesus work now.
And so my Sunday school class made cards with Bible verses and little pink hearts drawn with markers and colored pencils. They broke bread and shared it with each other. And then, we went back into the church and passed out our cards to the grown ups.
As I left church I thought, even simple Sunday school Jesus isn't easy to follow.
I think I would have liked to leave Jesus in the Sunday school room after I vacuumed the bread crumbs off our navy blue carpet and put the last of the caps on the markers and stored them in the bin. Jesus could go on the shelf between the clorox wipes and the band aids.
But no. Jesus came with me.
Inviting me to be patient and kind and compassionate with my kids and husband and my adopted daughter who dropped by unannounced.
But Jesus didn't stop there. He invited me to really see miles therapist when she showed up to work with him. He invited me to notice people walking by and the clerk at the grocery store. There are so many strangers passing through our lives. So many tiny micro moments to shine light, give compassion, see someone for who they are and reflect Christ to them.
But Jesus doesn't stop with my daily life. He invites me to get in the boat and sail out of my way to places where there are people who need the good news. To people who need healing and food. He invites me to see each human I meet a a child of God and have compassion on them.
Sunday school Jesus is much simpler than actual Jesus but even Sunday school Jesus would be easier to follow if he just stayed at church.
My prayer this week is simply to do what I taught children to do. To follow Jesus and to help his work. May the Spirit help me.
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