Foolishness!
Children's sermon
Object:
a prescription for heart medication with the medical
term on it -- the longer the term, the better
Good morning! Today I want to show you a medication. It
has a really silly name. It is (Here pronounce the name of the
medication). Now that name doesn't make any sense to me. But if
I showed that name to my doctor, she would know. If I showed
that name to my pharmacist, he would know. To me it is a silly
name, but medical professionals know exactly what it means. This
medicine can keep people from becoming seriously ill and dying.
The doctor and pharmacist must know about it so they can give it
to people who suffer from heart problems.
For a person with a heart condition, that medication is very important. They must know what this medication does, when to take it and how much to take. It is a matter of extreme importance to that person. But to me and to you, it makes no sense.
In a similar way, the cross makes sense to those of us who are believers in Jesus. What does the cross mean? (Let them answer.) The cross is God's sign in our lives of Jesus' dying on it to save us from our sins. The cross means so much to us that we often wear it as jewelry. It means so much to us that we put it in our churches so that everyone entering can see it. We put it on the very top of our church steeples. We know the meaning of the cross. It means so very much to us -- just like the person with a heart problem knows the meaning of his medication.
Those who don't know the meaning of the cross think the cross is silly. The apostle Paul says they consider it "foolishness." What does "foolishness" mean? (Let them answer.) "Foolishness" means silliness. If someone is acting foolishly, they are being very silly. Do we admire a person who is acting foolish? (Let them answer.) Of course not!
Some people who don't know the meaning of the cross think it is very silly -- "foolish." But to us, it is the most important sign of God's love for us. We think the cross is extremely important. (If you gave out crosses at the beginning of Lent [see Vol. 27, No. 1], this would be a time to reflect on its significance to the children.)
Dearest God: Thank you for giving us the cross as an important sign of your love. Amen.
For a person with a heart condition, that medication is very important. They must know what this medication does, when to take it and how much to take. It is a matter of extreme importance to that person. But to me and to you, it makes no sense.
In a similar way, the cross makes sense to those of us who are believers in Jesus. What does the cross mean? (Let them answer.) The cross is God's sign in our lives of Jesus' dying on it to save us from our sins. The cross means so much to us that we often wear it as jewelry. It means so much to us that we put it in our churches so that everyone entering can see it. We put it on the very top of our church steeples. We know the meaning of the cross. It means so very much to us -- just like the person with a heart problem knows the meaning of his medication.
Those who don't know the meaning of the cross think the cross is silly. The apostle Paul says they consider it "foolishness." What does "foolishness" mean? (Let them answer.) "Foolishness" means silliness. If someone is acting foolishly, they are being very silly. Do we admire a person who is acting foolish? (Let them answer.) Of course not!
Some people who don't know the meaning of the cross think it is very silly -- "foolish." But to us, it is the most important sign of God's love for us. We think the cross is extremely important. (If you gave out crosses at the beginning of Lent [see Vol. 27, No. 1], this would be a time to reflect on its significance to the children.)
Dearest God: Thank you for giving us the cross as an important sign of your love. Amen.
