Who Are you Leaning on?

Short Talk (SHT104a) Who are you leaning on? © Jane Hulme 2018 Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: Props: Before the service: To challenge people to lean totally upon Jesus especially when they go through the trials of life. This is a short All Age talk picking out one issue from the Lectionary Gospel reading of the Sunday main service. The talk stands alone and assumes that the Gospel Bible reading may not yet have been read to the congregation. It could be used for example, for the whole congregation before the children go out to their age specific groups, leaving the adults with a full sermon later. Jesus, Faith Mark 5:21-43 Year B 2021 – The 4th Sunday after Trinity A number of items that are tall enough for a child to lean against and which are light enough to fall over, eg. • a tower of children’s building blocks, or a pile of hassocks, • an uplighter, • a music stand For this short talk you need a child with a parent, who will be willing to take part. You may wish to brief them before the service, encouraging the child to lean against the various items so that they fall over.....but you need to be ready to catch them! You also need to set up the tower of children’s building bricks or SHORT TALK: “Who are you leaning on?” the pile of hassocks etc. ........................................................................................................................ Who likes doing experiments? (Receive responses) Today we are going to do what I am calling the “leaning experiment,” • so if N (name of volunteer child) could come forward now please. (Volunteer child comes forward) I have got a number of things here that I would like you to test out to see if they will hold you when you lean on them. Let’s begin with this tower of children’s building bricks. (or whatever item you are using) • If you lean against this tower, do you think it will hold you? • Try it. (Catch the child if necessary!) So if the pile of bricks won’t hold you, do you think this uplighter will hold you? (or whatever item you are using) • Try it. (Catch the child if necessary!) © Jane Hulme 2018 2 That didn’t hold you either, so let’s try this music stand. (or whatever item you are using) It looks a bit more solid. • Do you think it will hold you? • Try it. (Catch the child if necessary!) So that didn’t hold you either. • Oh dear, none of these things can hold you when you lean on them. As we go through our lives we can be tempted to lean on or put our trust in different things, which won’t actually hold us on the day when we are in need. Some people may be tempted to lean on their money, or on the things that they own, • but they are not much help to us if our best friend turns against us, • or if we are involved in an accident or are seriously ill. (Turn back to the child) Instead of leaning on something, let’s find someone you can lean on and see if that works any better. • Could N’s mum/dad come and join me please. (Child’s parent joins you) Now N if you lean on your mum/dad, do you think that they can hold you? • Try it. (Parent holds the child) • N was right to put their trust in their mum/dad......because they were able to hold her/him As you look at N leaning on their parent and being held, let me tell you about 2 people in the Bible who discovered that Jesus was the best person to trust when they leant upon Him at a very difficult time in both of their lives. The first person was a lady who had been ill for 12 years. • She had leant upon various people who had tried to make her better but had failed, • and now not only had she run out of money but she was getting worse. This lady thought that if she simply touched Jesus..... • leaning all of her hopes on Him, • then she would get better, and she did. • Jesus healed her. The second person was a very important man whose daughter was so ill that she was dying. • Not caring what people thought of him, this man knelt in front of Jesus and begged for help, • leaning all of his hopes on Jesus; • and Jesus healed his little girl. © Jane Hulme 2018 3 When you or I go through the difficult times in our lives, there is one person whom we can totally trust..... • His name is Jesus and we can lean our whole lives upon Him, • because He is good and He not only loves us, but He has promised that He will never leave us. Can I encourage you today to lean totally upon Jesus. • Thank you N and mum/dad......would you like to sit down. © Jane Hulme 2018 4