Children’s Sermon

Matthew 24:36-44

Be Ready

Lois Parker Edstrom

Objects suggested: Stethoscope, bandages, blood pressure cuff. Any object found in an emergency kit or an ambulance.

Have you ever been riding in a car when you heard a loud siren and then saw an ambulance speeding by? That usually means someone is in trouble and needs help. The people in the ambulance, who are paramedics or emergency medical technicians, have been trained so they know how to drive fast, but safely, to the scene of an accident or to someone’s home where medical help is needed. They have also been trained to give first aid and to care for the person who is ill or injured until they can get that person to a hospital.

If you could look inside an ambulance you would see that it has many storage compartments. Inside the various compartments are medications, syringes, bandages, surgical gloves, stethoscopes, thermometers, a supply of oxygen and more. It also has a bed on wheels, blankets and pillows. In fact, the inside of an ambulance is like a miniature emergency room.

The emergency workers check their supplies often. They also keep the ambulance clean at all times, so whenever they get a call they are ready to go. They never know when an emergency might happen so they are always equipped and ready to respond.

The Bible tells us that one day Jesus will return to earth and “you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes” (24:42).

In the meantime, we can make good choices and keep our lives clean, just as an ambulance is kept clean and well equipped. We can, at all times, live our lives in a way that honors God so we will be prepared to meet Him.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan