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Luke 24:44-53

The Church’s Job

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Luke 24:44-53

The Church’s Job

By Dr. Carol J Miller

Prop: Bring a wall mirror

When Jesus came to live on earth, he told people about God. Many people who heard what Jesus said began to follow him. They wanted to know more about God. Jesus put all these people into a big group. Nobody was left just by themselves. He called the people in that group “disciples.” A disciple is someone who learns important things from one teacher. Jesus was the teacher; the people who followed Jesus were what? Disciples!

Today there are thousands and thousands and thousands of these groups of people who love and follow Jesus. These groups are all over the world. Can anyone tell me what these groups are called [respect all answers]. You are in one of these groups right now. That’s right. They are called churches.

Now when God made Jesus to be alive again at Easter, Jesus had something very important to tell the disciples. There was one thing that they had to do. It was their new job. The job is this: to make sure that everyone in the world knows that God wants to be their greatest friend. God forgives the bad things people have done. Even though we don’t do everything the way God wants us to, God still loves us and wants to be our greatest friend. That message is called the Gospel. It is for everyone. That was the disciples’ job, said Jesus—make sure everyone knows that God loves and forgives them.

Who do you think Jesus’ disciples are today? [Accept all answers]. I’ll show you some. Look right out there [point to the congregation]. There is a bunch of disciples right there. I’ll show you some more. Look into this mirror. Yes, you are disciples. The church is full of disciples—people who learn from and follow our great teacher, Jesus. The whole job of all the disciples in the church (you, too) is to let people know that God forgives them and loves them.

Every disciples can show people that God loves them. When we are kind to everyone—every single person—we are showing them that God loves them. When we don’t let someone hurt or make fun of another person, we are showing God’s love to them. When we help people who don’t have enough food, or clothes or a safe place to sleep, we show them God’s love. What are some other ways to show people that God loves them? [Accept all answers. If there is time, ask the congregation for a couple of ideas].

You and I and everyone here is a disciple, a part of the church. We have one job: tell and show people the love of God. It’s a big job. It’s your job. It’s my job; it’s their job [point to congregation]. What a wonderful job! Showing people that they are loved. Be thinking this week of ways to show people that God loves them. Then do some of those things. Thank you for listening. I’ll see you next week. In the mean time, don’t forget to do your job!