Growing up, we lived in the country and my family had quite a collection of animals. We had turkeys, geese, ducks, chickens, and rabbits. I was given the daily responsibility of feeding them and collecting the eggs which the birds unselfishly contributed to our family.
We had chickens which laid brown eggs, green eggs, blue eggs and white eggs. Turkey eggs were a bit larger and were white with brown speckles. Duck eggs were even larger. The largest eggs were by far the goose eggs.
Every morning we would check their nests and while we were doing so there were always a few that would sing out. On some days we would have lots of eggs and on others all the birds seemed to go on strike.
Some of the eggs were VERY small. There were times when I felt like getting a goose egg and showing it to the chickens and saying, “Now take a good look at this and try harder.” But even if I had, it wouldn’t have made much difference.
Each type of bird laid a characteristic egg and no amount of encouragement would make them lay a different egg.
As Christians, you might also say we each have our own eggs. We also have our own characteristic contributions to the family of God:
Some people are easily eggcitable. Others tend toward eggsaggeration. Some are eggstroverted. Some are gifted in eggsplanations of God’s word while others have a gift of eggsaltation. Some set great eggsamples. Some seem eggsellent at almost everything they do. Some are gifted with eggcitement, or eggsortation, or eggsperience in many different areas. Some cover the eggspenses of ministry. And like at home, there are a few who sing out as well… most often to the music of “Lord I Eggstol you.”
Of course there are always a few rotten eggs. Those who have unrealistic eggspectations, eggsclude others, and eggsploit people. There are those who are always making eggcuses and always focusing on eggsternal things.
Jesus said you can tell a tree by its fruit. But you can also tell a bird by its eggs.
Just remember you don’t have to be an eggspert to eggsercise your gifts in the church.
© Ken Sapp
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Look ahead to the next lesson.
Materials
A wealthy man had a friend who was a builder. The builder was down on his luck and hadn’t done much work lately. The wealthy man felt sorry for him and decided he would help him out. He offered him a set of plans and a check for $300,000. The philanthropic gentleman said, “I want you to build me a new home. I’m turning the entire project over to you. You make all the decisions. If you do a good job, I promise to pay you well.”
An Illinois man left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife an Email. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, he did his best to type it from memory. Unfortunately,he missed one letter and his note was directed instead to the elderly widow of a preacher who had passed away the day before.
Parents become very supportive when they know what you are doing.
If each note of music were to say,
Materials
A story is told about a man who was on a luxury liner and suddenly he falls overboard. He can’t swim and in desperation he begins calling for help. Now it just so happens that there were several would be rescuers on deck who witnessed the incident.