Before a fall
Children's sermon
Object:
gossip magazines
"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets." (v. 26)
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have seen magazines like this before? (allow answers) Where have you seen them? (allow answers) A lot of times you'll find magazines like these in the check-out aisles of grocery stores or drug stores. These are called "gossip magazines." They're called gossip magazines because they are full of rumors about celebrities or rich and famous people. Some of the rumors are true… but some of them aren't.
A lot of times, the rumors about these people aren't very nice at all! It seems like all these magazines want to do is tear people down. But every now and then, gossip magazines will have something good to say about someone. If you were the celebrity that gossip magazines said good things about, how would you feel? (allow answers) You might be glad that they were saying good things about you, true. But it also might make you nervous. All that good gossip might start to give you a big ego!
How many of you know what an ego is? (allow answers) When we say that someone has a big ego, it means that they think they are much better than other people. That's a dangerous way to think! If you think you're better than others, you might miss an opportunity to enjoy the talents and abilities of others. For example, if you think you're better than other kids in your class, you might turn down an invitation to a party that could have been a lot of fun! Or maybe you think that you can build sandcastles better than all your friends, but when you build a castle alone, you don't have anyone to help you fill the buckets or move the sand. It's lonely to be "the best"! It might feel good to know that you are better at something than another person, but that doesn't mean you are better at everything. Each of us has our own talents that we can share with others. No one can be the best at everything!
We must be careful of getting a big ego. We want people to speak well of us -- but when they do, we have to be careful to remind ourselves that we are not perfect. It is important to stay humble in our lives and our service to God. Do you know what it means to be humble? (allow answers) Being humble means remembering that we are not the very best. It means remembering that God is the one we should thank for our talents and accomplishments. Being humble and thanking God helps us stay away from a big ego -- and helps us show God's love through our actions in our lives. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have seen magazines like this before? (allow answers) Where have you seen them? (allow answers) A lot of times you'll find magazines like these in the check-out aisles of grocery stores or drug stores. These are called "gossip magazines." They're called gossip magazines because they are full of rumors about celebrities or rich and famous people. Some of the rumors are true… but some of them aren't.
A lot of times, the rumors about these people aren't very nice at all! It seems like all these magazines want to do is tear people down. But every now and then, gossip magazines will have something good to say about someone. If you were the celebrity that gossip magazines said good things about, how would you feel? (allow answers) You might be glad that they were saying good things about you, true. But it also might make you nervous. All that good gossip might start to give you a big ego!
How many of you know what an ego is? (allow answers) When we say that someone has a big ego, it means that they think they are much better than other people. That's a dangerous way to think! If you think you're better than others, you might miss an opportunity to enjoy the talents and abilities of others. For example, if you think you're better than other kids in your class, you might turn down an invitation to a party that could have been a lot of fun! Or maybe you think that you can build sandcastles better than all your friends, but when you build a castle alone, you don't have anyone to help you fill the buckets or move the sand. It's lonely to be "the best"! It might feel good to know that you are better at something than another person, but that doesn't mean you are better at everything. Each of us has our own talents that we can share with others. No one can be the best at everything!
We must be careful of getting a big ego. We want people to speak well of us -- but when they do, we have to be careful to remind ourselves that we are not perfect. It is important to stay humble in our lives and our service to God. Do you know what it means to be humble? (allow answers) Being humble means remembering that we are not the very best. It means remembering that God is the one we should thank for our talents and accomplishments. Being humble and thanking God helps us stay away from a big ego -- and helps us show God's love through our actions in our lives. Amen.
