3-Sep-23 (Matthew 16:21-28)

I have a riddle for you today. What gets bigger when you take away from it? [Allow time for guesses]
The answer is a hole. Most riddles are like that. There's a kind of a trick to finding the answer.
Jesus in our story for today tells the disciples some things that sound like riddles, but they're not. He says, "If you want to save your life, you have to lose it." What do you think he meant by that?
[Allow a few answers]
It is kind of like a riddle in that there is something you need to see before you can figure it out. What you need to understand is that when we keep everything to ourselves, we don't live very well. It's only when we give ourselves away by serving others that we can truly be happy and truly be the best us that we can be. So it's like Jesus says, "If you really want to have the best life you can possibly have, you have to give your life away by serving others."
Let's talk to God about that.

God, we thank you that Jesus himself didn't come as someone who ordered us around, but showed us how much you love us by serving us instead. Help us to be the best we can possibly be by serving others and helping them to find happiness in serving others too.
We pray in Jesus' name.
AMEN.