By Any Other Name



Children’s Sermon: Luther’s Rose
27 October 2024

Good morning! How are we all doing? Y’all set for Halloween? I am too.

Today we are celebrating part of our tradition. Do you guys have traditions at home that you enjoy? Bedtime stories, maybe, or Christmas stuff you do as a family?

Well, there are many branches on the Christian family tree. And do you know what our branch is called? We are called Lutherans, because we follow the teachings of Jesus in the tradition of Martin Luther.

Luther was quite the character. Did you know that he was a monk, a pastor, and a professor? Lutherans learn from Luther in the same way that Franciscans, for example, learn from St Francis.

We aren’t the only Christians in the family, but we have our role to play.

Anyway, I have a picture here that I wanted to show you. What does that look like to you? Right, it’s a rose. This is Luther’s Rose. It’s the seal that he chose to summarize his teaching. If you know the rose, you’re on your way to being a pretty good Lutheran.

See, it all starts with the Cross here in the middle. The Cross reminds us that God so loved the world that He became one of us, to teach us and to heal us and to save us. He even loved us when we did terrible things. He even loved us when we put Him on a Cross.

And that’s the heart of our faith, God’s love for us in Jesus. See the red heart? The love of God in our heart gives us courage and strength and red-blooded life. And living in God’s love brings us peace; that’s why the rose is white, for peace.

And peace brings us joy, like the joyful blue sky here around the rose. And then beyond all this—beyond life and peace and joy—there’s the golden ring of Heaven’s glory, where we will know the love of God forever.

And that’s our tradition. That’s our teaching. That’s what makes us Lutherans, among all of our brother and sister Christians. You like it? I do too. Let’s pray.

Comments