Jesus Identifies with us

Short Talk (SHT220) Jesus identifies with us © Jane Hulme 2020 SHORT TALK: “Jesus identifies with us” Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: In our lives, when we go through difficult experiences, we can long for someone to really understand what we have been through can’t we? Imagine for a moment then when you came back from your holiday to Majorca, the aeroplane that you were travelling in hit a thunderstorm. (Project picture 1 – an aeroplane in a storm) • Instead of your plane travelling smoothly through the air, it bounced all over the place as it hit storm clouds. • As this was going on, people were screaming, and you felt very frightened. Who would you most like to talk to about that experience? a) Someonewhohadneverflowninanaeroplanebefore. b) Someonewhohadbeenonmanyflightsbuthadneverexperiencedathunderstorm. or c) Someonewhohadbeenonaflightthathadbeenthroughathunderstormlikeyours. I think that most of us would find it helpful to talk with someone who had been on a flight that had been through a thunderstorm because they would more fully understand our experience, wouldn’t they? Imagine again that you have just had to spend a few days in hospital because you have been really unwell. (Project picture 2 – a hospital stay) Who would you most like to talk to about that experience? To encourage people with the truth that Jesus identifies with us fully. We see this at Jesus’ baptism, when He identified with sinners by being baptised even though He was sinless. 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. Baptism of Jesus, Incarnation, John the Baptist Mark 1:4-11 Year B – The Baptism of Christ You need a way to project pictures 1 and 2 from the Appendix. .................................................................................................................. Props: © Jane Hulme 2020 2 a) Someonewhohadneverstayedinhospital. b) Someonewhohadbeeninhospitalbutwhohadhadadifferentillnessfromtheone you had. c) Someonewhohadbeeninhospitalbutwhohadhadthesameillnessasyouhad. I think that most of us would find it helpful to talk with someone who had been in hospital and had the same illness as us, • because they would more fully understand our experience. Someone who has gone through what we have gone through can really help us through difficult times can’t they? • They can relate to us, • understand us • and help us. Now although many people can help us, the person who is most able to understand everything that we go through in life and identify with us is Jesus. • When Jesus came to earth, He was both fully God and fully human. • As a human being He experienced what it is like for us living here on earth. Jesus, like us, had times when He was happy and sad. • Jesus, like us had times when he was hungry and tired. • Jesus, like us experienced friends turning against Him, and people lying about Him. But there was one way where Jesus wasn’t like us. • Jesus never ever did, said or thought anything wrong. • He was completely without sin. When John the Baptist started to prepare people to meet Jesus over 2000 years ago, he called them to turn away from their sins, and to be baptised as a sign that they were going to live differently. • You can imagine John the Baptists’ surprise when Jesus asked to be baptised, because John knew that Jesus had never ever done nothing wrong. • But Jesus insisted that John baptise Him. One of the reasons why Jesus insisted was because He was willing to stand alongside ordinary people like you and me, as we face up to the fact that we are sinners and need to be made clean. So, whatever you go through in life, let me encourage you this day, that Jesus, who was willing to stand alongside sinners and be baptised, is the same Jesus who stands alongside us and understands when we go through tough times. • Jesus is the One we can turn to who will always understand us and be willing to help us. • He is willing because He loves us and He knows what it is like to be a human being. © Jane Hulme 2020 3 Picture 1: An aeroplane in a storm Picture 2: A hospital stay Appendix – Pictures 4 © Jane Hulme 2020