Children's Sermon: Epiphany 3 - Year B

“OH NO!” Molly shrieked, springing out of bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes and flicking on the light, “It’s 8:00! I’m late!”

Molly ran to the bathroom, but the door was locked.

“Amber, are you in there?” Molly shouted through the door.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Amber shouted back.

So Molly went back to her room and pulled out her red dress. “A little smelly,” she said to herself, “but –still- wearable.” Molly ran up the stairs to see if Amber was finished in the bathroom.

The door was still closed.

“Amber! Hurry up in there!” Molly shouted kicking the door.

“Keep your shorts on!” Amber shouted. “I’m almost done!”

“Be done quicker!” Molly demanded, giving the door one last kick.

Molly poured herself a bowl of corn flakes, stood at the counter eating while listening to the weather report on the radio.

After putting her empty dishes in the dishwasher, Molly thought she heard the bathroom door open.

“Finally!” she gasped.

But as she made her way up the stairs, Amber ran past her and back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

“Hey! Get out of there! It’s my turn!” Molly huffed.

“Just hold your horses!” Amber shouted.

“NO! I want you out NOW!” Molly screeched, punching door.

“What’s with all the noise?” Their dad yelled from down the stairs.

“Amber’s taking forever in the bathroom and I have to get going!”

“Going where?” asked dad. “You don’t have school today.”

“I want to be the first one at the mall. There’s a sale on shoes and I want to get those runners that I’ve been saving for.”

“And so you’re ready to break down the bathroom door to buy some shoes?” dad asked.

“But Amber’s hogging the bathroom,” Molly protested.

“Molly, you know that Amber needs the bathroom to change her bandages before she takes her medicine.”

Molly rolled her eyes.

“It’s like what we heard at church where the bible told us that the world as we know it won’t be around forever, and in knowing that, we can think about what’s important in our lives. Are new shoes more important than your sister getting healthy again?”

Molly shuffled her feet on the carpet.

“I’ll tell you what, when we’re all ready, you, your sister, and I, will take a trip to the mall together.”

Molly smiled. Then they said a prayer like this as we do now: Dear God, help us to focus on what’s important, and to put everything else aside. Amen.