Elizabeth and Barabas knocked on Mrs. Potato Head’s door.  “Trick or Treat,” they called out.  There was no answer.  So they knocked again. “Trick or Treat!” they called through the door.  And then they heard it . . . a strange, breathy voice saying “COME IN”.  They looked at each other and went in.

It appeared that no one was there.  But then, suddenly, there stood Mrs. Potato Head in a Darth Tater costume!  At first Barabas and Elizabeth were startled, but then they all started to laugh.  And it was Mrs. Potato Head who was laughing the most. 

“Let me get some candy out of the dresser drawer,” said Mrs. Potato Head.  The children noticed the old photo of Mrs. Potato Head with her husband and their son.  “That photo was taken about 55 years ago.”  

“It must be sad that Mr. Potato Head died,” said Elizabeth.  “Who is that other potato?” asked Barabas.

“Oh, that’s my brother Elmer.  He lives out in Los Angeles, CA.” 

Barabas and Elizabeth noticed that Mrs. Potato Head was looking fondly at the photo of her husband.

“I bet you’d would like to see him again, wouldn’t you?” said Elizabeth.

“I will, Sweetie, I will, when I get to heaven.”

“But what if you are not good enough to go to heaven?” asked Barabas.

Mrs. Potato Head explained; “Actually, if getting to heaven depended on being good, none of us would get there, because all of us have done some bad things.  There are times when each of us has behaved poorly.  Thank goodness it does not all depend on us!  In church we learn that, because WE can’t be good enough Jesus comes and HE will take us to heaven.  HE is the GOOD ONE.”

Just then they heard a loud knock and “Trick or Treat” at the door.  Mrs. Potato Head said, in her best Darth Tater voice “COME IN”.

And in came . . . . . Uncle Floyd!  What a fun time they all had, eating candy and laughing with each other.

You know, what Mrs. Potato Head said (about us not being good enough to get to heaven without God’s help) is what Martin Luther taught 500 years ago.  It’s good to remember that today, because today is Reformation Sunday.  And Martin Luther learned it from the 2000 year old Bible lesson that Stacey Martin read to us from the Bible this morning.   Romans 3: 28:  “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.”

That means that when we are not good enough, Jesus is the GOOD ONE and he brings us to Him in Heaven when we die.”

THE END

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