“Batter’s Up!  – Children’s Message for Paul on the Road to Damascus (see Acts 22 etc)

Yum, let’s take a lunch break – yeah maybe we are going out to the park! Maybe let’s pretend to take a journey on a road trip to Damascus… let’s stop to eat! How about some pancakes!!

Yum…. hand out bags of batter…

Wait? Not Done? Oh! 

What do we need? To cook them… how about this Electric Skillet?

Let’s pour some batter on it… yum..  pancakes! Wait, not done? 

How about we add chocolate chips or blueberries or sprinkles? Yum! Pancakes! Wait, not done?

What needs to happen? Oh! Turn up the heat, the Pancakes are not done yet… OK cooked on one side… done. . Oh! Not Done yet???… 

Let me tell you a story about a man who God turned up the heat on… his name was Saul,  he was around when Jesus was crucified, risen, and went up to Heaven. He was not a good man, in fact he was so mean to those people who believed in Jesus, because they were afraid of this new “The Way” that Saul had people killed.

Well, Jesus came TO this man, Saul, He came FROM Heaven already ascended after Easter, and picked out this man specifically. For at least 2 BIG reasons for him (and lots more for us) – both to change him AND to give him a mission. 1st reason: change- and Jesus forgave Him when Saul asked for forgiveness. Jesus spoke to him. God “turned up the heat” on Saul and made him blind for a while and completely dependent upon others. Jesus came and spoke to him directly and made him realize how he had been wrong. But he gave him an opportunity to be better. And even to reflect his change in life, and his new mission, Saul went by his roman name Paul (yes they rhyme) … And the 2nd BIG reason Jesus made sure Saul/Paul had this change of heart, was to start teaching both Jews like himself AND non-Jews, who are called Gentiles (and we fall into that category) – teach them both about the Way of Jesus.   And how did Paul teach? He traveled, he went to see people, he started churches in communities (like we are a community here)…  He wrote letters back to those people and those letters are included in our bibles!

God not only saved him but raised him, like a pancake – done on one side but with more finishing to do. AND God gave him a job, turned his life upside down and put him back on earth – more work to do  God put him back on earth. See it is like God slid the lifter – God’s lifter in Jesus – under Him – under his pancake and now flipped sided up, he can be facing God, looking for God’s reasons, Paul could watch Him work

And guess what – God brings Jesus to us too , God has a plan for us. Even after we are saved by Jesus, we are not done yet – we are maturing – striving to be more like Jesus and help lift others up too.

Let us pray:  Jesus – You are our light and our lift – You can heal us and keep us in Your Hand with Your Lift. Thank You for helping change that bad man Saul and helping him become a good man Paul – who would write stories about you to all his friends and to us too. Thank You Jesus for teaching us that You are our Savior.

Amen