Good leaders
Children's sermon
Object:
some stuffed animals - a cat, a turtle, a sheep, and a dog
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (v. 14)
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought some friends with me today so that we could learn a very important lesson. How many of you are leaders? (let them answer) What is a leader? (let them answer) Lots of people want to be leaders but only a few of them have what it takes for other people to follow them.
For instance, have you ever seen a cat lead a person? Do people trust cats to lead them across the street or to school in the morning? (let them answer) If you were following a cat you would have to climb a tree, jump up on a wall, crouch down in the grass, or hide in the dark. Cats are not good leaders.
What about a turtle? Turtles are not fast, sometimes they just stop, pull their head inside the shell, and pretend that no one can see them. If you were following a turtle, it would take you a long time to get there and maybe it would lead you it to the muddy part of a pond. Turtles are not good leaders.
Has anyone followed a sheep? (let them answer) If you ever followed a sheep, you had lots of company, because sheep don't go anywhere on their own. They always stick with other sheep unless they are lost. Sheep go only to places where there is a lot of grass. A sheep would never lead you to school or take you to McDonald's.
But what about a dog? Do people follow dogs? (let them answer) They do, don't they? Blind people trust their dogs to take them everywhere. They take them shopping, for long walks, back to their homes, and they keep the blind people safe. Dogs are very dependable. Many people have dogs because dogs are good leaders, and because they are lovable.
God teaches us to trust the Holy Spirit as our spiritual leader. We can trust the Spirit of God. If we trust the Spirit of God and follow his teachings, we will be God's children. Every day we know how much our mothers and fathers love us and do the right things for us. So does the Spirit. The Spirit leads us to be Christians and to love our God and trust him for everything.
So the next time you are looking around at your pets I want you to remember this. You will always love your cat, your turtle, and your lamb, but you will love your dog and trust him to lead you.
In the church we learn to love the Spirit, follow the Spirit, and share our faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought some friends with me today so that we could learn a very important lesson. How many of you are leaders? (let them answer) What is a leader? (let them answer) Lots of people want to be leaders but only a few of them have what it takes for other people to follow them.
For instance, have you ever seen a cat lead a person? Do people trust cats to lead them across the street or to school in the morning? (let them answer) If you were following a cat you would have to climb a tree, jump up on a wall, crouch down in the grass, or hide in the dark. Cats are not good leaders.
What about a turtle? Turtles are not fast, sometimes they just stop, pull their head inside the shell, and pretend that no one can see them. If you were following a turtle, it would take you a long time to get there and maybe it would lead you it to the muddy part of a pond. Turtles are not good leaders.
Has anyone followed a sheep? (let them answer) If you ever followed a sheep, you had lots of company, because sheep don't go anywhere on their own. They always stick with other sheep unless they are lost. Sheep go only to places where there is a lot of grass. A sheep would never lead you to school or take you to McDonald's.
But what about a dog? Do people follow dogs? (let them answer) They do, don't they? Blind people trust their dogs to take them everywhere. They take them shopping, for long walks, back to their homes, and they keep the blind people safe. Dogs are very dependable. Many people have dogs because dogs are good leaders, and because they are lovable.
God teaches us to trust the Holy Spirit as our spiritual leader. We can trust the Spirit of God. If we trust the Spirit of God and follow his teachings, we will be God's children. Every day we know how much our mothers and fathers love us and do the right things for us. So does the Spirit. The Spirit leads us to be Christians and to love our God and trust him for everything.
So the next time you are looking around at your pets I want you to remember this. You will always love your cat, your turtle, and your lamb, but you will love your dog and trust him to lead you.
In the church we learn to love the Spirit, follow the Spirit, and share our faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
