JESUS AND HIS FAMILY - a 10-14 age group Service.
It’s Mothers Day – but we are going to think not just about mothers but about families. How do you feel about your family? Mortified
Taylor Fry is an imaginative, over-the-top 11 year old girl with crazy ideas of how to live through her normal daily life. Constantly embarrassed by her family, particularly because of her parents' ownership of an underwear shop,
We have all played the card game – Happy Families. That’s what families are supposed to be but it doesn’t always work out that way. Colleen McCloughlin and Wayne Rooney have a problem over his family attending their wedding.
Dad, mum and the kids is what we imagine but it isn’t always like that either.
Barney the dinosaur sings – O a family is people and a family is love – that’s a family
They come in all different sizes and different kinds but mine’s just right for me, yes, mine’s just right for me.
Our family has the biggest influence on our lives. Growing up in a family can be tricky. Can Jesus help us? What did he know about family life? Quite a lot as we shall now discover – and he also has a surprising message for us.
What family did Jesus have?
Jesus loved his family.
He respected them eg
He taught that we should obey the 5th commandment –
He obeyed his parents –
He cared for his parents and family eg
He worked at home as a carpenter until he was 30 - accepted family responsibilities
He asked John to look after his mother even as he hung dying on the cross
In this he is our example - learn to ask – what can I do for my family? How could I love my family better?
Jesus suffered pain in his family
It is clear that his father Joseph died – so Jesus knew the grief of someone close to him dying
Jesus was born without a human father – God’s Spirit caused him to be conceived before his mother was married – Jesus would have had nasty things said about him and his family as a child.
He was misunderstood and criticised by his family – even his mum thought he was mad. She wanted to stop him. At the wedding in
Do you feel at times that no-one eat home understands you, you get a lot of flack – well Jesus did too. He understands tensions, losses, and when parents don’t get it right
Jesus came to earth to start a new family we can all be part of.
Look at
Those who are his closest relations are his spiritual brothers and sisters who love, trust and obey God as their Father, just as he does, and do his will
God’s family is more important than our earthly family – it is eternal and spiritual not biological and temporal.
God’s wishes and will must come before what our family wants for us.
Jesus said - Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Jesus followed a path that caused embarrassment and pain to his family but it was God’s will – you may have to make such a choice someday. Some people get great opposition from parents or brothers or sisters when they really want to follow Jesus. It can be to do with the career they choose. Family wishes may have to be sacrificed for the sake of God’s family.
How do we enter God’s family? By birth – a spiritual birth. How do we know we are born again into God’s family through God’s life and Spirit coming into us? We know it when in our hearts we ask Jesus to save us and to really be in charge of our lives – when we want to learn and live by the word of God in the Bible. That’s the sign.
God wants his family to grow - To be more loving
For more people to come to know him and become members of his family
when we are a truly loving family people will want to come and it will get bigger
Summary.
Ask God to help you respect your parents and to love all the members of your family better – like Jesus did.
Realise that no earthly family is perfect – it will bring you joy and sorrow – and when there is pain Jesus is a friend who understands.
The gospel says there is only one family that is going to last forever – God’s family getting ready to live in the new creation – everybody who loves and obeys God – the most important thing is to join that family.
Ask him to help you to love the other members of God’s family in church.
Contact
16 East Bridge Street
ENNISKILLEN BT74 7BT
Tel: (028) 6632 5759
www.spce.org.uk
email: church.office1@btinternet.com