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Children’s Sermon

Matthew 4:12-23

Jesus’ Ordinary Disciples

January 22, 2023

3rd Sunday after Epiphany

Lectionary Year A

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

Good morning
I have a question for you, and it is maybe a little bit difficult to answer: Can you tell me what you think the word “ordinary” means? [Some answers to expect, if any: lots of the same thing, basic, normal, average]
Those are all good answers! Thank you for helping me out!
I’ve been thinking about this word some myself and one of the easiest ways I’ve found to explain what the word “ordinary” means is to say what it is not.
Something that is ordinary is something that is NOT special, NOT amazing and NOT hard to find.
To be ordinary, then, is something we often try NOT to be, right? We try to be special, amazing, and important.
And sometimes, it seems that we think we need to work really hard at being special, amazing, and important so that we are “more than ordinary” (or “extraordinary”) instead of “just ordinary.”

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

In the time and place of Jesus, this is what the religious teachers looked for in their students – they looked for the people who were extraordinary to be their students.
They thought they needed the best students to learn their special teachings and that the learning had to take place in the amazing and not-ordinary Temple, which was located in the fancy, special city of Jerusalem.
But in today’s scripture story, we hear that Jesus did the opposite of all of this.
In today’s story, we hear that Jesus goes to a very ordinary town.
Once Jesus was there, he then asked very ordinary people to be his disciples.
And he tells these ordinary people who are from ordinary places, “I’m going to teach you how to do what I’m doing so that you can then do it, too.”
This is one of the things Jesus means when he tells them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

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

Sometimes, when we hear the stories about Jesus, it is easy to think that he was able to do all those amazing things because he was really important, amazing, and special.
And, it might also be easy to think that we can’t possibly do what Jesus did because we are too ordinary and not amazing enough in comparison to Jesus.
But in today’s story, we are reminded that that is NOT how Jesus thought or acted about us.
He thought anyone – even the most ordinary people – could do what he could do.
And then his ordinary disciples from ordinary places went and proved him right!
Those ordinary disciples from ordinary places went and followed Jesus.
Though it took them some time to learn what Jesus was teaching them, Jesus’ disciples DID learn what Jesus was teaching them about how to live God’s better way – and then they went and did many of the same things that Jesus had done.
So, if Jesus’ disciples, who were ordinary people from ordinary places, can follow and do what Jesus did — then we can too! No matter how ordinary or extraordinary we are – we can do the same thing as Jesus and the disciples did!
And that’s the good news for today. Let’s pray.

CLOSING Prayer

This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God…

Thank you for Jesus…

…who shows ALL of us…

…that we can learn…

…and then live…

…your better way.

Thank you and Amen.

Originally posted January 26, 2014
Updated on December 24, 2022
Written and edited by Nathanael Vissia

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Related message(s): Luke 5:1-11; Mark 1:14-20

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