Delighting Jesus' Heart

Short Talk (SHT073) Delighting Jesus’ Heart © Jane Hulme 2017 © Jane Hulme 2017 SHORT TALK: “DELIGHTING JESUS’ HEART” Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: Props: ............................................................................................................... Some of you may have heard the news story a few years ago about a 16-year-old girl called India who missed her train home to Bristol after visiting friends in Stockport. • This was India’s first big train journey travelling on her own, and although she arrived at the station half an hour before the train was due to leave, somehow she managed to miss it. When India went to the ticket office to see if she could use her ticket on the next train, she was told that she couldn’t use her ticket. • So this 16 year old girl was stranded nearly 200 miles from home, needing £85 to buy another train ticket when she only had £15 of money on her. • What could she do? I expect that India must have felt very worried and possibly quite frightened. But there was someone who saw India’s need. • A lady who was travelling with her children saw what had happened and paid the £85 needed to get India a train ticket home. • What an act of generous love. This lady didn’t even leave her name with India so that India could send her back the money when she got back home..... • The ticket was a gift of love. Now if you were India’s mum or dad how do you think you would feel about the lady who helped India? (Receive answers) • I think you would feel very grateful to her wouldn’t you? To encourage people to delight Jesus’ heart by willingly responding to the simple needs of those who come across their path. 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. Loving others, Loving Jesus, Serving Matthew 25:31-46 Year A – Proper 29, CW Christ the King, The Sunday next before Advent Table facing the congregation. On top of the table is a lunch box with a wrapped sandwich, a wrapped cheese slice of some kind, an apple, a banana and 2 wrapped chocolate biscuits. 2 Not only that but I think that you would also have felt really delighted that someone had been so kind to your child. God is no different. • One of the ways that we can delight Jesus’ heart is by helping His children when they are in need, • and the sorts of things that Jesus asks us to do are often really simple things. For example, imagine that you are at school or college or work one day and you have sat down to eat your packed lunch (Sit down at the table, pull out lunch box and open) • Imagine now that a person comes and sits at the next table from you and tells you that they have forgotten their lunch today, and that they are starving hungry. • I wonder what you would do to help. You could share your lunch with that person couldn’t you.....giving the hungry person something to eat. • So, in my box I have a sandwich and a piece of cheese. (Hold them up to show the congregation) I could offer the hungry person one of these couldn’t I? • I also have an apple and a banana, (Hold them up to show the congregation) so I could offer the hungry person one of these couldn’t I? • I also have 2 biscuits (Hold them up to show the congregation) – more than enough to share. That wouldn’t be too difficult to do would it? • If we helped someone who was hungry, it would delight Jesus’ heart because we have shown practical love to one of His children. There are many other simple ways we can offer help to other people, as well as feeding them when they are hungry. • What simple things do you think we can do to help other people? (Receive answers and include things like: giving a drink to someone who is thirsty, giving away an item of clothing to someone who needs it, visiting someone who is in hospital, welcoming someone who is from a different country etc) Jesus said this: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) • Isn’t that amazing? • Jesus says that whenever we help someone in need, we are actually doing it for him. • We are delighting His heart. • Let’s see how many ways we can delight His heart this week. © Jane Hulme 2017 3