I’ve got a question for you: What’s small, cute, furry, and has a long, fluffy tail that you can see as it jumps from tree to tree? (A squirrel!) That’s right, a squirrel. Well, I’ve got a story for you about squirrels. Many, many years ago there were two groups of squirrels: the nerdy squirrels and the cool squirrels. The nerdy squirrels had glasses and funny ties. They liked to read books, play chess, and listen to classical music. They were always made fun of by the cool squirrels who played on the football team and went on dates by the river. One fall when the leaves began to change colors the cool squirrels kept making fun of the nerdy squirrels because they were collecting acorns and storing them away. The cool squirrels thought that was the dumbest hobby they had ever heard of. Collecting acorns was even more nerdy than collecting pine cones. But the nerdy squirrels didn’t care. They kept on collecting acorns. Eventually, winter came. It got cold outside, and all of the leaves fell to the ground.
The nerdy squirrels were ready for winter because they had prepared themselves for it by collecting acorns. Since they had food to eat, they threw a big party. They roasted nuts, drank eggnog, and kissed under the mistletoe. The cool squirrels, however, didn’t have any nuts to eat. They were in a panic. They searched all over the place for acorns, but couldn’t find any. Eventually, they went to the tree where all the nerdy squirrels were having a big fiesta and they knocked on the door. The cool squirrels asked the nerdy squirrels if they would share some of their acorns with them and let them join the party. Well, what do you think happened next? Did the nerdy squirrels share their acorns? Or, did they keep them all to themselves? (They shared! They kept it to themselves!) I like to think that the nerdy squirrels shared their acorns.
As Christians, we are kind of like religious squirrels. We come to church so we can get prepared to be disciples who do good things like share and who also take time to celebrate life. Are you happy to be religious squirrels? Yeah!
Let us pray: Dear God, help us to be disciples who are prepared to be of service to the world and make it a better place. Even if we get made fun of sometimes, let us do what is right and be faithful Christians. In the name of your Son we pray, amen.