Child of God with The Rev. Elizabeth Link

Hello, child of God! I wonder if you have ever witnessed a miracle before. A miracle is something wonderful that shows us the presence of God at work. Bartimaeus was a man who couldn’t see, but when he meets Jesus, he knows God is at work through him. Listen to hear about how Jesus transforms Bartimaeus’ life forever. Miracles happen.

Hello, child of God! I want to tell you about a disciple named Thomas. He was not with his friends on Easter night when the risen Jesus appeared to them. He wanted to see and feel Jesus for himself before he could believe the good news was true. We don’t get to see and feel Jesus in the same way his disciples did all those years ago, but we can still see and feel his presence with us if we look through the lens of faith. Jesus is with you each and every day – I believe it! I hope you believe it, too.

Hello, child of God! This week, we remember a sad day when Jesus died, and a happy day that followed when God made Jesus alive again! The story of Easter is told in all four Gospels. I chose to focus my episode on the accounts that you can find in Matthew 28:1-10 and Mark 16:1-10. May you and your family celebrate this Easter Sunday with joy. May Christ’s resurrection remind you of the promise he has for all of us. Happy Easter!

Hello, child of God! There is a story we retell and act out in my church each year. It always comes the Sunday before Easter. It’s the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The people were so excited to see Jesus riding in on a donkey that they laid down their coats and waved palm branches in the air. Since we can’t be together in person to celebrate this day, I have a great idea of a new way we can celebrate this story at home. Listen to find out my new plan! Let’s work together, even while we are apart, to celebrate Jesus!

Hello, child of God! I want to share a story that has special meaning to me this week. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we read about how God’s people were on a long journey from one land to the next. It was a frightening and uncertain time for God’s people. But God gave them a gift that reminded them that God would care for them no matter what. That reminder is for us, too. God watches over us, cares for us, and takes care of us – not just in good times, but especially in uncertain or frightening times. May God give you little glimpses of that promise today and every day.

Hello, child of God! Today, we learn another story that Jesus told. This story is about a sower who sowed his seeds out in the field. Some seeds fell on good ground, while other seeds fell on the hard path, the rocky soil, or among the weeds. We will learn about how these four types of ground can be like our hearts – open, too hard, too shallow or too crowded to let God’s Word in. May our hearts be like the good ground, where God’s Word and love can grow.

Hello, child of God! Today, we learn about a story that Jesus told. The story is about a good shepherd and his sheep. This shepherd loves his sheep, and he goes to great lengths to take good care of each and every one of them. We learn that God is like that good shepherd. God knows each and every one of us, God loves us, and God takes good care of us.

Hello, child of God! Today’s story is about Jesus’ friends, the disciples. When Simon and his friends met Jesus, everything changed for them. They left all that they had – their boats, their nets, and even their amazing catch of fish – and followed Jesus. What does it look like to follow Jesus today? We can learn something from the ways they listened to Jesus and tried to follow the ways that he lived. With God’s help, we can be faithful disciples, too.

Hello, child of God! Today's story is about ten men who were very sick. In Bible times, people didn't have medicine or hospitals and doctors quiet like we do today. But one day, these ten men meet Jesus, and that's where our story begins. If you were to see Jesus, what would you say? I hope you have so much to say thank you for! God is good, and it is right to give our thanks and praise to God.

Hello, child of God! Today, I want to tell you the story about a man named John. People called him "John the Baptist" because he baptized people. He told others about what good things God was doing in his life, and how God could do good things in their lives, too. We baptize people today because John baptized Jesus, and Jesus told us to go and do the same. Through the waters of baptism, God claims us as his own. It is an amazing reminder that we are a part of God's family.

Welcome to Child of God, a podcast for children and the adults who love them. I'm Rev. Elizabeth Link, Associate Pastor for Christian Education at Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, VA. Through this podcast, I hope to bring God's story to meet you and your family right where you are. And, at its heart, is the message I want each and every child on earth to know: that each and every one of them – including you, grown-up – is a child of God!