Childrens Sermon Service

First Thoughts: We're going to examine this passage from John through the lens of the other lectionary passages assigned this Sunday, which focus on wisdom. How do we increase in wisdom? We might argue that we grow wise as we age, and there is some truth to that. But our passage today from 1 Kings 3 offers another perspective. Young Solomon is about to become king. God visits him in the night and tells him that he can have anything he wants, he need only ask. Solomon declares that since he is young and will soon be taking on the great responsibility of leading his people, what he needs most is wisdom. Even though Solomon is young and inexperienced, God grants him the perspective and vision to handle complicated problems and to astound the world with his cleverness. Here then wisdom is not something we acquire per se, nor something we work for. It's something that is granted to those of us who are willing to be taught through God's word. In our passage from John, we see Jesus using an extended metaphor about eating his flesh and drinking his blood in order to achieve eternal life. We can understand that, since Jesus is the word from God, he is actually telling his disciples they must feast on the word -- as it is given them in scriptures, as they see it lived in Jesus' life, and as it is coming alive in their own lives. The promise of eternal life can also be understood as the promise of the deepest wisdom, since wisdom is depicted as the spiritual glue that undergirds and creates all life. Again, wisdom does not come from experience alone but from adopting the posture of a student. We are willing to be taught, challenged, and changed. In truth, when Solomon makes his request for wisdom, he is exhibiting a great deal of it already! I invite you to reflect a bit on your own walk with God. How often do you ask God for help? When have you actually changed the course of a decision because you discerned God was leading you differently? When was your mind and heart last transformed? Bring these reflections with you in your time with the children.

Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has medicine bottle)
Leader 1: Hey (name), what do you have there?
Leader 2: Oh, it's my new vitamin. Brain-I-O's.
Leader 1: Brain-I-O's?
Leader 2: Yep. With school starting up I decided I needed to get my brain in good shape to learn something. So I take one of these every day. Before long I'm going to be so smart I'll probably have to tour the world, solving problems, answering questions, and just generally making the world better with my brilliance.
Leader 1: That's an interesting idea. But let me ask you something: When you take those vitamins, do you also study a lot? Or practice math? Or listen extra hard when your teacher is speaking?
Leader 2: Well, no. I figured if I took these vitamins, I wouldn't need to do all that.
Leader 1: I think you might have the wrong idea. See, wisdom doesn't come from taking a pill; it comes from filling your mind and heart up with wise things.
Leader 2: But how do you do that?
Leader 1: The best way to start is to find a teacher and ask lots of questions. In today's lesson, Jesus was trying to help his friends understand that if they wanted to be wise and make good decisions, they would need to feed their hearts and minds with things of God. They would need to pray regularly, study the scriptures, and be kind to others. And especially, they would need to listen to folks who were wiser and could teach them.
Leader 2: It seems easier just to take the pill.
Leader 1: I'm sure it is. It's hard to be a student. It means we admit to others that we don't know something and that we need help. It seems like it would be more fun to be a know-it-all and show people how smart you are. But that's not the way to find true wisdom.
Leader 2: Why is wisdom so important anyway?
Leader 1: That's a good question. The Bible tells us that wisdom is the foundation of all life. Wisdom helps us make decisions that help us and to avoid things that hurt us. Wisdom helps us to understand that God loves us and encourages us to grow in our love of others. Wisdom helps us to have healthy and happy lives.
Leader 2: So even though it's more work, it sounds like it's probably worth it.
Leader 1: I couldn't agree more.
Teaching On Your Own: (holds up bottle for kids to see) Look what I have here. It's my new vitamins. It's called Brain-I-O's. Can anyone guess what it's supposed to do? It's supposed to grow my brain! With school starting up I decided I needed to get my brain in good shape to learn something. So I take one of these every day. Before long I'm going to be so smart I'll probably have to tour the world, solving problems, answering questions, and just generally making the world better with my brilliance. And all I have to do is take this little pill. Do you think that's true? Do you think I can become super-smart just by taking a vitamin each day? What else do I need to do? In school you need to study and practice your math and listen to the teacher, right? A pill can't do that for you, can it? Being wise doesn't come from taking a pill; it comes from filling your mind and heart up with wise things. How do you think we do that? The best way to start is to find a teacher and ask lots of questions. In today's lesson, Jesus was trying to help his friends understand that if they wanted to be wise and make good decisions, they would need to feed their hearts and minds with things of God. They would need to pray regularly, study the scriptures, and be kind to others. And especially, they would need to listen to folks who were wiser and could teach them. It seems like it might just be easier to take a pill, doesn't it? You're right. It's hard to be a student. It means we admit to others that we don't know something and that we need help. It seems like it would be more fun to be a know-it-all and show people how smart you are. But that's not the way to find true wisdom. Does anybody know why wisdom is so important? The Bible tells us that wisdom is the foundation of all life. Wisdom helps us make decisions that help us and to avoid things that hurt us. Wisdom helps us to understand that God loves us and encourages us to grow in our love of others. Wisdom helps us to have healthy and happy lives. So even though it's more work, it's worth it, don't you think?

Closing Prayer: God, who grants us wisdom, help us to be good students and faithful to our own growth. Help us to make wise decisions that support our own life on earth, and the lives of our brothers and sisters. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a classroom or home environment, spend some time further discussing what wisdom is. In its essence, wisdom is the ability to discern what makes for life and what doesn't. Ask the children if they can remember a time when they had to make a hard decision. How did they make it? Have a few scenarios ready to get the ball rolling. (Maybe they had to pick between hanging with their friends or being kind to someone who was "outside" the group; or between playing outside or offering to help their parents clean the house.) Introduce the idea of discernment -- trying to figure out what God wants us to do. There are three tools we can use to discern God's will for us: We can pray on our own and see what our heart tells us, we can seek the advice of other people, and we can read scripture. If all three of these tools point in the same direction, we can feel confident God is leading us. As a craft project, give each child a paper plate and invite them to divide the plate into three sections with a marker. In the sections have the children write, "What Does My Heart Say?", "What Does My Mom/Dad/Teacher/Pastor Say?" (invite the kids to think of someone they could consult), and "What Does the Bible Say?" Then invite them to draw pictures to demonstrate each activity of discernment. If you want, you can also provide each child with an arrow and attach it in the middle of the plate with a brad, so they can use the plate like a spinner in a board game. Finally walk them through a scenario you've prepared in advance, so they can see the discernment in action. (For example, there's a new kid at school and nobody plays with him/her. Should I become her friend, even though it might mean I have less fun? First I pray. I like hanging out with my old friends, but my heart feels heavy when I think about how lonely she must be. Next I talk with my teacher, who tells me that the girl is shy and could probably use some help getting to know people. Finally I read the Bible and find the parable about the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus tells us that we're to love our neighbor. All three leadings line up to tell me that God is leading me to befriend the girl.) Allow the children to come up with other scenarios and think them through. Invite them to think about what happens if their leadings don't match up. What do we do then? Close your lesson with a time of prayer.