Sermon: "We Live by Grace" (a sermon for children)
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

I want to address this sermon to the young people in the congregation this morning. But, the adults are welcome to listen in, if you wish. We might all learn something together.

First, I want to tell you about a children's sermon that someone told me about a long time ago. A certain priest called "Father Bob" moved to a new church where children's sermons were familiar and expected. Now, Father Bob had never given a children's sermon, and as the time for his first one approached, he was very nervous. The big day came, and in that church, it was customary to call all the children to come up front, which they did at that time.

Father Bob wanted to talk about God's creation, and he came up with an idea about involving the children in his sermon. He asked this question: "Who can tell me what animal is furry, has a long tail, and climbs trees?" Well, nobody said anything. Father Bob started to get worried, but he continued, "This little animal also runs around on the ground and eats nuts." Still, there was no answer. Now, Father Bob was in a panic, as he saw this first children's sermon falling apart before his eyes. He said, "Come on, kids. You know the answer to this. Somebody tell me!"

One little hand finally went up in the back. With much relief, Father Bob said, "Thank you, Suzy. Please tell us what the animal is." And Suzy replied, "I know the answer is 'Jesus Christ,' but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"

Well, today, I want to talk a little bit about the Super Bowl that was played a week ago. But I'm not going to mention who might have prayed the most to win…and I do not intend to wonder about whose side God was on. Rather, I have one simple point to make. In the world of professional football, the Baltimore Ravens proved to be the best team. They had great talent; they worked hard; and they won. They earned their victory. They were rewarded for hard word.

That reminds me of the way I was always told to approach school. "Work hard, and get good grades." My teachers and my parents always said that. And, by the way, that's what older people are told about their jobs. "Work hard, and earn more money." You can earn good grades and more money. You are rewarded for hard work.

But two of our stories from the Bible today give us a different message. And that message from the Bible is that God gives people what God wants to give them. God does not always give people what they earn. God does not always reward people for hard work. God gives gifts to people because God loves us. And we call those gifts from God "grace." We don't earn grace. It's a gift.

In the first story, St. Paul had been a fierce enemy of Christian people just after the time of Jesus Christ on earth. He served as a kind of bad policeman, for he went around arresting Christians and throwing them in jail. In fact, Christian people became very afraid of St. Paul because of everything he had done to them and to their fellow Christians.

However, one day Jesus himself appeared to St. Paul. And he challenged St. Paul to change his life. That is, Jesus wanted St. Paul to become a follower. He called St. Paul to become a Christian himself. And, when St. Paul said, "Yes," that completely turned his life around. He had been someone who arrested Christians and put them in jail. But now, he became a Christian himself - even, an apostle, a special follower of Jesus.

Notice that St. Paul did not earn this position of apostle. He was not given that position because he worked so hard for it. Indeed, he did work hard - but he worked against the apostles and against Jesus Christ…not for them. Nevertheless, God made him an apostle as a gift … a gift of love. And that's what we call "grace."

In the Bible lesson, St. Paul wrote this: "I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am." "By the grace of God…"

In another Bible reading today, we heard the story of fishermen who had been out on a lake all night. But they had not caught anything. They had been working hard. They tried and tried and tried to catch fish, all night long …but they caught nothing at all.

Then Jesus came along and told Simon Peter to put out the fish nets one more time. Now, Simon Peter and his fishermen friends had been fishing all night, and Jesus had not been there. Simon Peter and the other fishermen knew there were not any fish there because they had fished right there for hours and hours. But, since it was Jesus who asked them, they put out their nets one last time. And the Bible says, "When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break."

And that story teaches us the same lesson as the earlier one … the one about St. Paul. You see, the fishermen had worked hard. They had done everything they could do to earn a good catch of fish. They worked and worked to catch fish. But they had not gotten anything.

Then Jesus came along and gave them lots of fish - not because they had earned it, but because Jesus loved them and wanted to give them that gift. And, once again, a gift like that is called "grace."

So, this morning remember that God gives us things because God loves us. We do not earn our gifts from God. We cannot work to get them. God gives us gifts like our families and our friends and the beautiful earth and the love we feel from other people. We cannot earn those things. We did not work hard for them. They are gifts. They are signs of God's love for us … signs of grace.

Now, I understand that this is a special year for the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. This is your tenth anniversary year. And so, this year, you will be celebrating your life together for the last ten years and thinking about what your life in the future will be like … thinking, that is, about God's call to you. What does God want you to become?

During this year - as you think about your past and as you plan for your future - I want you to do something else, too. Remember that it is God's love and God's grace that makes this fine church possible. It is that grace and love from God that gives this church a reason for being here. And it is God's love and grace that you are called to share with other people.

As a wonderful song says, "Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home" (#671).