Jesus did not take away the tradition of the old laws, but added a new law that had fresh meaning for the people. What could be better than focusing your attention on loving God with all your heart, soul and mind? You can't go wrong doing that and each one of us can all add this new law to our own traditions at anytime.
Twice we are told not to be afraid, once by an angel and once by Jesus. This story reminds us to be confident and strong. We can feel less fearful because we believe in a powerful God. "Do not be afraid."
Let's talk about shapes. I'll show you some examples. Here is a shape that is a continuous rounded line. Do you know what it is? Yes, a circle. This shape has three sharp points. What is it? Yes, a triangle. Your life also has a shape. You have a unique gift that is yours alone.
The Easter lily is a symbol. Just as the cross reminds of Jesus' death, the Easter lily is a symbol of a new beginning. It is buried in the earth and then it rises to become a beautiful pure white flower. Its petals look somewhat like the bell of a trumpet. It is as if it announces to the world, "Look at me, I bring new life – a new beginning."
We may not be running a race, but Jesus teaches us to honor God by having a "big heart" - doing our best and loving God with all we have. Everyday we have the opportunity to give our all - love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind.
God gives each person gifts "according to his ability." These gifts, or what we now think of as talents, are entrusted to us. That means we are trusted by God to take care of these talents and put them to good use so others can benefit from our gifts. Find your talent, don't hide it; share it with the world.
So did the people figure it out? Did they ever come to understand who Jesus really was? Today, if you listen carefully, you’ll find out that they did. At the moment Jesus dies, the Bible tells us that the earth shook and even rocks were split! And when the guards who were nearby saw this do you know what they said? They said, “Truly, this man was God’s son!”
Do you wash your hands before you eat? (Allow the children to respond.) Clean hands help us stay healthy. Dirty hands might have germs on them that can make us sick. So, it’s important to wash our hands isn’t it? (Acknowledge the children’s comments. Also, you might show the wash basin and bar of soap here.) Yes, we want our hands to be clean before we eat, don’t we? One time some people noticed that some of Jesus’s followers were eating without first washing their hands.
The Golden Rule - which Jesus teaches in today's Gospel reading - is called this because it could almost take the place of nearly all the others. If you are following this rule, chances are pretty good that you're not breaking any others (whether they're God's rules or rules that we've created). Do you know what it is?
Our Christian symbol, the cross, means many things to many people. Three things for which we can give thanks when we see the cross are love, freedom, and hope.