Children’s Sermon

Luke 13:31-35

Under His Wings

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Luke 13:31-35
Under His Wings

By Lois Parker Edstrom

Today let’s talk about chickens – especially mother hens. A mother hen will sit on a nest of eggs for three weeks, keeping the eggs warm until they hatch. She might leave the nest once or twice a day to eat, drink water, and do the “chicken bathroom thing.”

After the chicks hatch the mother hen keeps her babies close, under her wings, for another six weeks. Why do you suppose she does that? Yes, she keeps the chicks warm until they have fluffed out and are protected from the cold. During that time she teaches the chicks how to scratch for food and others things they need to learn to get along on their own.

The mother hen also keeps her chicks close to her to protect them from animals such as coyotes, or raccoons that might want to harm them. She gives a lot of herself to care for the chicks. We call this sacrifice.

Do you have a picture in your mind of a mother hen with her chicks all gathered close under her wings? What a cozy place to be.

Jesus uses this picture of a mother hen to teach us about his love. Some people came to Jesus and warned him that King Herod planned to harm him and that he should leave and go to another place.

Jesus was healing people and wanted to continue his work so he did not leave. In fact he had such love for people that he said, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings…” (13:34).

Think about what a comforting picture this is – that Jesus cares for you and offers the warmth of his love. As you stay close to Jesus and his teachings you also receive protection that comes from making good choices.

Jesus gave his life; he sacrificed to care for us, his children.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible