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Luke 7:1-10

We Amaze Jesus By Asking For Help – DIDN’T edit in 2019

May 29, 2016

Second Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Year C

ASK (a.k.a The On-Ramp)

Good morning.
Can you tell me something you are really good at?
Those are all fantastic things and I hope you keep practicing and doing those things!
Sometimes, we do things because we like to do those things. Other times, though, we do things really well only because we want people to like us because of what we can do.
We sometimes call this “showing off.”
One reason we “show off” is because we want to prove to someone that we are important.
Sometimes, we even think we need to show off for God – that we need to do something really amazing so that God will like us and pay attention to us.

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

In today's scripture passage, there is a person who can do some amazing things. He is a Roman centurion, which means he’s in charge of lots of Roman soldiers.
This means he is an important person and has a lot of power.
But in the story, he has a problem that he can’t fix by himself. He has a servant who is sick and dying.
So the Centurion asks Jesus for help.
And, one way the Centurion could’ve asked for help was by showing off to prove to Jesus that he, the Centurion, should be amazing enough that Jesus would want to help him.
Or, he might have sent Jesus lots of money.
But instead, the centurion simply asked Jesus for help. At one point, he even tells Jesus, “If you just say the word, I know it’ll happen.”
And did you hear what Jesus’ response was to the Centurion? The story says, “..and Jesus was amazed.”

SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination)

It was not how important the Centurion was or what clothes the Centurion wore, or how much money the Centurion had that amazed Jesus.
Instead, it was that the centurion didn’t try to impress Jesus at all but simply asked for help that amazed Jesus.
And guess what? We can do the same thing that the centurion did.
We don’t need to try and impress God for God to listen to us.
Instead, when we need help, all we need to do is ask God for help.
We don’t need to do something special, or act in a certain way for God to hear us.
We just need to ask. And then, just like the Centurion listened to Jesus, we need to listen to God’s response.
When we do this – when we ask for God’s help and listen to God’s response, then we will better know how to receive and share the amazing things God has to offer us and those who are around us.
And that’s the good news for today!

CLOSING Prayer

Let’s pray. This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God,

Please help us to trust...

...that we do not need to show-off...

...to ask for your help...

...and listen to your responses...

...and then share your amazing ways...

...with those who are around us.

Thank you and Amen

Originally posted May 3, 2013.
Updated on May 6, 2016
Written and edited by Nathanael Vissia

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