Session #4- When You Leave Narnia
Romans 12:1; Luke 21:1-4
TLTWATW: Ch. 15- mice chew rope for Aslan
This sermon attempts to address the following questions:
Do you believe God has called you to serve other people? Why or why not?
Do people give you opportunities to serve? Do you take opportunities?
What might it cost you to serve other people and God as God has asked you to do?
What does it look like to serve God and others? How can you serve in the specific place where you are?
Do you know any people that do this? Could you talk to them about helping you be more like that?
I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is ____________. He’s a nice little guy, pretty cute. But I wonder what can he do? Anyone have any ideas on what this little guy could accomplish?
Let me read one more time to you out of LWW: Here’s what has happened. Edmund, one of the children has gotten himself into a lot of trouble. In order to save Edmund, Aslan has had to give up his own life. The villain in this story, the White Witch, has tied Aslan up and has humiliated him, and then killed him. Two of the children, Susan and Lucy have witnessed the whole terrible ordeal and are now hiding in the woods nearby looking at the giant dead Lion.
Read page 157-160.
When I was your age we used to go to camp and to retreats every summer and winter. I loved going because it was a lot of fun, but also because I always felt renewed, like I had learned so much and was closer to God than I had ever been. I was on a spiritual high after each time at camp or at a retreat. But soon after I got home the burden of being back at school and around friends who didn’t really want a relationship with God, and homework and sports, and all that other stuff that takes up such a big chunk of our lives, started to wear away at this new commitment that I had found while at camp. And usually I started to think, what does it matter if I keep the commitments I’ve made…I’m just a kid. I’ll worry about that stuff when I’m older and its easier. Well, guess what I was wrong for two reasons. 1. I’m older now, and its not any easier. I still struggle to keep my commitments and to stay close to God.
And 2, being young had nothing to do with my ability to be effective for God’s kingdom. There are a lot of people that might try to make you feel that because you’re young or small or whatever that you don’t have much to contribute, but you do. Just like the mice in this part of our story, God can use us in spite of our youth, or our smallness, or our feeling like we don’t have any gifts, or our brokenness. In fact, the bible is full of stories about God using a person with tons of flaws. You’ve heard of Moses, he had murdered someone and he had a stuttering problem. But God used him. Jonah? He was the most reluctant servant ever, he even tried to run away from God. And once God did use him he pouted about it. I could go on and on with stories of women and men who God used even though they certainly weren’t likely, or “qualified”. God wants a willing heart.
Check out this story from Luke 21:1-4. If you could have a million dollars or one dollar, which would you take? The million, for sure. But Jesus here, says that the widows tiny gift is worth much more than the loads of money that the rich were giving. And why? Because her gift, though it was small, was all that she had, and she gave it out of love. I have a tendency to think that I have to do big things in order to please God. But maybe what God wants from me is that I’m nicer to people that I don’t usually talk to, or that I pick up a piece of trash in order to take care of His creation.
I was blessed to work at a church in Hudsonville for a few years. And I always told the kids in the youth group that the needed to keep their eyes open for a place to serve. See, lots of times we wait for a retreat or a mission trip to serve God or get close to God, but what God wants faithfulness is in the everyday things. God gives us so many opportunities to share His love with other people, and all it takes is what we have.
Check out Romans 12:1- We talk about going to church to worship, but here it says that God wants us to give Him our lives as Holy and living sacrifices and that is our worship.
When you leave Narnia, go and worship God with your entire lives, no matter how small you think you are.
