Story: Grandma’s Love on July 27th, 2025
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
Below is transcript pulled from the video and formatted by artificial intelligence. There may be inconsistencies or errors.
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We just got back from a week up at Luther Ridge. Luther Ridge is a camp just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Both the kids were in cabins, had a good time. Dana and I led the Bible study for middle schoolers. And it was almost as hot up there as it has been down here. But I've been going to Luther Ridge for many, many years, both as a camper, counselor, care leader, family camp, kind of the whole Shebang. And so I've seen a lot of opening worship services and things like that. But there was one program director, Pastor Mary Caniff-Koon, who every Sunday evening would tell a story. And this story is one that she told during one Christmas week. And it stuck with me. And I think it's appropriate for us today and our Christmas in July worship. So I'm going to try to tell that story to you today.
Once upon a time there was a little girl. And she had a grandmother who loved her very, very much. And that grandmother had a special skill that with her needle and thread and enough good material, she could make pretty much anything. And when that little girl was born, the grandmother made this big, beautiful quilt with all the colors of the rainbow in it. And every time that little girl would wrap that quilt around her, she would feel her grandmother's love.
Now that little girl took that quilt everywhere she went. She had picnics on it in the backyard. She would tie it around her neck like a cape she would build forts out of it. She took that quilt everywhere. And if you take a quilt everywhere, if you have picnics on it and make capes out of it and build forts with it, eventually that quilt is going to be all worn out. And so the little girl took her quilt and she climbed up into her grandmother's lap and the grandmother held that quilt up and said, you know, I think there's enough good material here to make a coat. And so the grandmother took out her needle and thread and she turned that quilt into a coat. And every time that little girl would put on that coat, she would feel her grandmother's love.
Now the grandmother was smart. She made that coat a little bit big. So that first winter, the girl had to roll those sleeves up on that coat, but she wore it as often as she could even on some days where it wasn't quite cold enough to wear a coat. And then, good thing the grandmother was so smart. So the next winter, the little girl had to roll the sleeves down and her hands would still stick out so that was good. But she wore that coat as often as she could, again, even on days that it wasn't really cold enough to wear a coat.
Now if you wear a coat all the time, even on days where you shouldn't, eventually that coat is going to be all worn out. So the little girl took her coat and she climbed up into her grandmother's lap and the grandmother held that coat up and said, you know, I think there's enough good material here to make a jacket. And so the grandmother took out her needle and thread and made a jacket. Every time that girl would put on that jacket, she would feel her grandmother's love.
Now a jacket, unlike a coat, you can wear a lot more often. So in the spring and in the fall, this little girl was wearing that jacket. It didn't matter if it was raining or if it was sunny, if it was breezy, if it was calm. That little girl was wearing that jacket as often as she could. And if you wear a jacket as often as you can, eventually that jacket is going to be all worn out. So the little girl took her jacket and she climbed up into her grandmother's lap and her grandmother held that jacket up and said, you know, I think there's enough good material here to make a vest. And so the grandmother took out her needle and thread and she made a vest. And every time that girl would put on that vest, she would feel her grandmother's love.
Now that vest came from a jacket which came from a coat which came from a quilt. And that quilt had every color of the rainbow in it. So if the vest has every color of the rainbow in it, it goes with every outfit you have. So that little girl would wear that vest every day with a skirt or pants or shorts, with long sleeves, with short sleeves. Whatever, she wore the vest every day because it went with everything.
Now if you wear a vest every day because it goes with everything, eventually that vest is going to be all worn out. And so she took her vest, that little girl took her vest and she climbed up into her grandmother's lap and her grandmother held that vest up and said, you know, I think there's enough good material here to make a ribbon. So the grandmother took out her needle and thread and she turned that vest into a ribbon. And every time that little girl would tie that ribbon in her hair, she would feel her grandmother's love.
That little girl would tie an untie, tie an untie, tie an untie and sometimes wear it as a belt. Sometimes tie it to the wagon and drag the wagon along. And if you tie an untie, tie an untie, tie an untie a ribbon, eventually that ribbon is going to be all worn out. So the little girl took her ribbon and climbed up into her grandmother's lap and her grandmother looked at that ribbon and said, you know, I think there's enough good material here to cover a button. And so the grandmother took out her needle and thread and she covered a button with the material and put a pin on the back so that little girl could pin that button to her shirt and every time she touched that button, she would feel her grandmother's love.
Even a button, even a button, if you touch it and rub it and touch it and rub it, even a button, eventually that button is going to be all worn out. So that little girl took her button, she climbed up into her grandmother's lap and her grandmother looked at that button and said, you know, I think there's enough good material here to make a story. And every time that little girl tells that story, the story of a button that came from a ribbon, that came from a vest, that came from a jacket, that came from a coat that came from a quilt. Every time that little girl tells that story, she can feel her grandmother's love.
We often think we need the stuff, but the stuff is not the story, which is why today on a really hot day in July, we are celebrating. We don't need the cold weather or the decorations or the long list, we don't need the things that wear out or that wear us out. We just need the story, the story of God being born among us. That's the story we tell, that's the story that we hear, that Christ is born for us, God is with us, love is given to us. Today we get a chance to really tell the story, and we get to remember, for every time we tell the story of Jesus, the wonderful counselor, mighty God, the principal piece, every time we tell the story, we tell of what God has done for us at Christmas. We tell the story of something new out of what was once all worn out. Every time we tell the story, we feel our God's love all around us.