The Gospel
Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”
He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?”
Luke 9:18–25 (LectionaryPage.net)
The Offering
From Naomi Rengers
Jesus is saying, “I know y’all think I’m great but what do the other people think I am? Do they think I’m good, bad, or crazy?”
It probably makes Jesus sad that they aren’t calling him who he is. He asks his friends, “do you also think I’m crazy?” Peter says no, “you are the Messiah.” This made Jesus very happy!
I was happy when my friends Alyse, India, and Naomi came over to play. I was also happy when they came out with the coronavirus vaccine. My friends treat me with respect. They don’t call me nicknames. Some people call other people nicknames. It makes me very sad when they call someone a mean nickname. Don’t make up nicknames for people, because they might not like it.
Treat other people with respect by calling them their real name. Or maybe you just need to ask them what their name is!