{"id":97,"date":"2018-11-06T16:34:48","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T00:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/migrate.bettersermons.org\/?p=97"},"modified":"2020-06-01T11:41:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T18:41:03","slug":"the-little-engine-that-could","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/the-little-engine-that-could\/","title":{"rendered":"The Little Engine That Could"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Little Engine That Could<\/span><\/div>\n

\".\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Key Passage<\/strong>:\u00a0Luke 10:33:\u00a0But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.<\/i>Key Thought:\u00a0<\/strong>The talented and beautiful may seem the most likely to be used by God, but if we allow him, God can use even the weakest and least of us for his work.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Scripture:<\/b>\u00a0 Luke 10:25-37: \u201cThe Parable of the Good Samaritan\u201d<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s Story and Characters:<\/b><\/p>\n

The Little Engine That Could<\/i>\u00a0by Watty Piper (a pseudonym)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Little Engine loves her job and has carried it out to the best of her ability for years.\u00a0But suddenly is unable to go on.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Shiny New Engine is a passenger engine that is fancy and sleek and clearly too pristine to carry children\u2019s toys and food.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Big Engine is a freight engine carrying important machines that do big important jobs and so obviously can\u2019t stoop to carry that sort of freight.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Rusty Old Engine is just too tired and says \u201cI cannot, I cannot, I cannot.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Little Blue Engine is not very big and she\u2019s never been over the mountain.\u00a0She\u2019s only ever done small jobs like switching engines in the yard.\u00a0But she\u2019s willing to try and says, \u201cI think I can, I think I can.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Parallels to Christians:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Little Engine is like those who live their lives seeking God\u2019s will and his purposes for their life.\u00a0Sometimes called the \u201cPillars\u201d of a local church.\u00a0When one of these members passes away, the loss to the church can be huge.\u00a0This is who we all want to be someday.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Shiny New Engine is any Christian unwilling to break a nail or get their hands dirty.\u00a0They spend their time focused on improving themselves, but don\u2019t leave time to care for others or be the hands and feet of Jesus.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Big Engine is a Christian who does work hard for the Lord, but only on the BIG things \u2013 church board, Sabbath school teaching or Ministry Leader.\u00a0They won\u2019t stoop to fill the sometimes obscure needs of the church \u2013 cleaning, working with children, visiting the sick.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Rusty Old Engine might have been a \u201cLittle Engine\u201d but both his attitude and choosing what he wanted to do rather than what God called him to actually created an exhausted Christian. The Rusty Old Engine can also be any Christian who repeatedly says yes to things they aren\u2019t actually being called by God to do.\u00a0A yes-man can become exhausted doing the good that might actually have been the calling of another in the body.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Little Blue Engine is who we should all try to emulate. Maybe we don\u2019t feel we\u2019ve ever done anything important for God. But all God asks is that we answer when he calls and do to the best of our ability.\u00a0Helen Keller said, \u201cWhen we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bible Story & Characters:
\n<\/b>
\nThe Good Samaritan<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Priest, a spiritual leader, left his mind of service at the temple \u2013 the wounded man was \u201coutside\u201d of his sphere of responsibility.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Levite, inferior to priests, but responsible for the liturgical service, had bigger, more important jobs to do for the Temple than worry about this wounded man.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nThe Samaritan, mortal enemy of the Jews and considered a half-breed, saw the wounded man as a human worthy of being cared for and loved.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Possible Questions to Address:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u2022<\/td>\nHow can we be more like the Little Blue Engine\/Good Samaritan?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nWhat are the \u201cchildren\u2019s toys & food\u201d that need help in your world?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nWhat stops us from agreeing to carry the train over the mountain?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nWho do you hesitate to stop and help?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nHow can we keep from becoming the Rusty Old Engine, tired of the work?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nDoes God provide us with skills to do his will or does he only ask us to do things we have skills for? Does he equip the called or call the equipped?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2022<\/td>\nHow are each of us like the wounded man, thrilled when, through our friends or enemies, God comes to rescue us?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Closing:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The Little Blue Engine repeats, \u201cI think I can, I think I can, I think I can.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus teaches, \u201cGo and do likewise.\u201d\u00a0 The Little Samaritan That Could might say, \u201cWith Jesus, I know I can, I know I can, I know I can.\u201d
\n______________________________
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\nSubmitted by Joelle Yamada. Better Sermons \u00a9 2005-2008. Click here for\u00a0<\/span>usage guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Little Engine That Could Key Passage:\u00a0Luke 10:33:\u00a0But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.Key Thought:\u00a0The talented …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions\/98"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}