Puppets: Waiting on the Lord

Waiting on the Lord

Mooster:  Hi Kids! How are you?  (Kids reply) Great!! I’ve been looking forward to children’s church tonight. In fact I ---

Monkey Moe: (from behind the curtains, shouting, “Wait for me! Wait for me! Gotta hurry” .. pokes head out of curtain) “Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy- Okay, I’m here, let’s get started!”

Mooster: Well good evening, Moe! I was just saying –

Monkey Moe:  That’s great, Mooster! Can you get on with the story?

Mooster: Um, well, Moe, you seem like you’re in a big rush –

Monkey Moe: I AM! Don’t you know there’s only 87 days until Christmas? I have to go to the mall tonight after story time and start my Christmas lists!

Mooster: Wow! You sure do start your Christmas shopping early! How do you know already what everyone in your treehouse wants for Christmas?

Monkey Moe: Huh? Who said anything about SHOPPING? I said I was going to the mall to start MY Christmas lists! You know – the stuff I want everyone else to buy for me!

Mooster:  Ohhh….I see.

Monkey Moe: Yeah, well, time’s a-wastin’! Let’s get on with the story for the night, huh? Stores close at nine!

Mooster: Moe, you said lists…plural…as in .. more than one list. Why is that?

Monkey Moe: Oh brother, Mooster. Of course – everyone has more than one list don’t they? I have it all systematically worked out – no two items are the same on any list, so I don’t have to worry about getting two of something. I have a list for my parents to buy for me, one for my brothers and sisters to buy for me, one for my teachers to buy for me, one for the Pastor to buy for me, one for my grandparents on my dad’s side, one for my grandparent’s on my mom’s side, one for my friends, and one for my aunts, uncles, and neighbors. Neat, huh?

Mooster: My word. I have never done that. I usually have a little list that I give my mom and dad. They tell whoever asks what’s on it.

Monkey Moe: Oh brother. Well, I can teach you how to do it right if you want.

Mooster: No thanks. I’m good.

Monkey Moe: So, time’s ticking away here – what’s the story about?

Mooster: Waiting on the Lord.

Monkey Moe: Waiting for what?  

Mooster: For whatever. For anything. For everything.

Monkey Moe: Oh. Wow. You mean gifts too? Oh wait, wait – I know what you are talking about! Doesn’t the Bible say that every good gift cometh from the Lord?

Mooster: Well, yes, Moe, but it’s not talking about video

Monkey Moe: Blustering banana bugs! I’ve left out a vast resource for gifts! I never thought about making a list to give God for me for Christmas! Ho boy – this is gonna be the best Christmas ever!

Mooster:  That’s not the point! The point here is that we are to wait on God for His perfect timing in every part of our lives. And yes, God does give us gifts – His most precious gift to us is eternal life with Him in heaven, if we accept the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, when He died to pay for our sins. That’s the best gift of all.

Monkey Moe: Oh. Yeah. You are right, Mooster. My salvation is the BEST thing I’ve ever received. Do you think I’m maybe…well…just a little tiny bit…just a teeny weeny bit….too interested in receiving gifts?

Mooster: Yes, I do. How about you wait and not go to the mall, and listen to the story instead?

Monkey Moe: Um. I guess I can do that.

Mooster: Great! Here’s a verse from Isaiah 40: 31. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”

Monkey Moe: What does waiting upon the Lord mean? Is He coming for a visit? Should I clean my room?

Mooster: Well, in the days when there were kings everywhere, there were people who waited on them – that means they served the king. They would bring him things that he needed or asked for, like important papers, or clothing, or carriages, or food, or whatever. It was their job to serve Him.

Moe: Oh. So that verse means we should be serving God?

Mooster: Yes. Sometimes you will hear someone say they don’t know who God wants them to marry, or where they should live or go to school. So they are praying about it and waiting on God. By that, they should mean that they are both waiting for an answer or direction from God, but also that they are waiting on Him, or serving Him, while they are waiting for the answer. Waiting can be used both ways.

Monkey Moe: Are there more verses about waiting?

Mooster: Yep. Psalm 37:9 says, “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”

Monkey Moe: That sounds pretty good – inheriting the earth!

Mooster: God rewards our patience when we trust Him and serve Him.

Monkey Moe: Sometimes it’s hard to wait for things, though.

Mooster: Yes, it is. In Jeremiah, it tells us that God is the giver of rain and showers, and that we should wait on Him because He has made all those things.

Moe: Well, let’s go back to the serving part. How do we serve God?

Mooster: We can serve God in many ways. We can serve Him by obeying our parents. By helping our neighbors. By giving our time to do tasks for people, like…let’s say your neighbor’s yard needs raking, but they can’t do it because they are old or in a wheelchair. You can rake their leaves for them and you can tell them that you are doing it because you love the Lord Jesus Christ. Your service to others is a service to God.

Moe: That’s cool! What about going to church, praying, reading my Bible, and memorizing verses. Are those all ways I can serve God, too?

Mooster: Yep. Sure! Those are all great ways to serve Him.

Moe: Um. Mooster?

Mooster: Yes, Moe?

Moe: Do you think I should maybe…reconsider my Christmas lists? Maybe I should make some lists instead of ways I can serve God. Things that I could do for others to show Christ’s love to them.

Mooster: Moe, that is a very excellent idea! Did you know, I know of a lady who got saved, partly because she saw how people who loved her, served God by taking care of her when she was dying. She saw Jesus through the service of those people. So you see – serving others IS serving Jesus!

Moe: Kids – I guess I had a good idea! Maybe this week you can go home and think of ways that you can wait on God – serve Him by serving others. Mooster – do you have a list of things you can do to serve God?

Mooster: As a matter of fact, I don’t! But I think it’s a great idea. Do you want to work on your list while I work on mine tonight? Instead of going to the mall, that is.

Moe: OH, hahahahah. Yeah. I don’t think I’ll be going to the mall anytime soon. Christmas is a long way away and I have more important things to think about – like waiting on God. Should we go back to my treehouse to make the lists? We can have banana shakes while we work on them!

Mooster: Sounds great! What are we waiting for?

Moe and Mooster: BYE KIDS!