Howdy Neighbor!
Children's sermon
Object: A printed permit of some type, a small bowl, a coin, and an ID card or driver’s license. I have attached a simple permit that you can download and use.
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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great! But first, let me ask you a question. Have you ever had a bad day? (Let them respond.) Maybe you had a lot of work to do, or maybe you had a lot of hard decisions to make. Have you ever had a day like that? (Let them respond.) Well, this is a story about a day when Jesus was having a hard time. But it didn’t start out that way. When the day started, everything was really exciting. Jesus and his friends went to visit Jerusalem, and when they got there, someone found a donkey for Jesus to ride on, and they had a big parade celebrating Jesus coming to the city. There was a big crowd walking with them, and everyone was really excited. But when they got to town, things changed.
When Jesus and his friends got to the gate of the city, some people from the temple stopped them. They stopped Jesus and his friends and said, “Do you have a permit to be here?” (Show the permit.) “Who gave you permission to have a parade and say the things you are saying about God?” These people were called the Scribes, and they were kind of like the temple’s lawyers. Their job was to make sure everyone obeyed all of the laws the temple said everyone should obey. They argued with Jesus for a little while to try and make him leave, but finally gave up and let Jesus and his friends come in.
A few minutes later, some more people came to Jesus and said, “You need to stop right there! You need to wash your hands five times when you enter the temple, and some of your people only washed theirs two times.” (Show the bowl.) These were the temple priests, and their job was to make sure that everyone did all of the right things when they came to the temple. Everyone had to wash the right way, wear the right clothes, say the right words, and give the right gifts to the priests. They argued with Jesus for a little while, and then they went away, too.
But just a few minutes later, two more groups of people stopped Jesus and his friends. They told Jesus they thought he was a really smart man, and they wanted to know if he thought everyone should pay the taxes to Caesar like the Romans said they should. But Jesus knew they were just being nice so they could try and trick him. Some of these people were called the Pharisees and some were called the Herodians, and both groups were good friends with the Romans and were hoping Jesus would say something that would make the Romans mad so they would make him stop talking to people. (Show the coin.) Jesus told them to look at a coin and asked them whose picture was on it. They said it was a picture of Caesar. So Jesus said, “If it has Caesar’s picture on it, then go ahead and give it to Caesar, and give everything else to God.” Their trick didn’t work, so the Pharisees and Herodians just walked away.
Then another group of people stopped Jesus and his friends. The Sadducees were all from really old and rich families and believed that God only really cared about people who were from families like theirs. So, it was really important to the Sadducees to be able to prove where they came from and what family they belonged to. (Show the permit.) Since the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection like Jesus did, they tried to trick him with a question about it. They said that if a woman was married seven times in her life, who would she be married to when they were all resurrected? If all seven of her husbands were alive again, which one would be her husband and her real family? Jesus shook his head and said, “You people don’t understand things at all, do you? God isn’t worried about the dead. God is concerned about the living!” So, the Sadducees finally gave up and walked away, too.
The Scribes, the Priests, the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees did not agree about a lot of things, but the one thing they did all agree on is that if anyone did not believe the things their group believed and do the things their groups did, those people were wrong. They believed that anyone who was different than them was dangerous. They believed that God did not care about anyone who was different than them, and they should stay away from them so God could punish them all.
After all of those groups had left, another man came to Jesus and said, “Those people have so many laws it is really hard to know what God wants us to do. What really is the most important thing God wants us to do?” Jesus smiled at the man and said, “First, you should love God with all of your heart. And instead of worrying about things like permits, and washing your hands, and being from the right family, spend your time taking care of your neighbor as well as you take care of yourself.”
We still have people telling us what rules we are supposed to follow if we want God to love us, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And some people really argue about those rules, don’t they? (Let them respond.) Well, I hope our story will help us remember that we just don’t need to worry about all of those rules and all of that arguing. Jesus said that all we really need to do is to love God and love our neighbor.
And just who is our neighbor? (Let them respond.) Well, we don’t get to pick our neighbors. They aren’t just the people who live close to us, or look like us, or act like us, are they? Every one of God’s children is our neighbor. Every last one of them.
I hope our story will help us remember that God created us to take care of each other. Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great! But first, let me ask you a question. Have you ever had a bad day? (Let them respond.) Maybe you had a lot of work to do, or maybe you had a lot of hard decisions to make. Have you ever had a day like that? (Let them respond.) Well, this is a story about a day when Jesus was having a hard time. But it didn’t start out that way. When the day started, everything was really exciting. Jesus and his friends went to visit Jerusalem, and when they got there, someone found a donkey for Jesus to ride on, and they had a big parade celebrating Jesus coming to the city. There was a big crowd walking with them, and everyone was really excited. But when they got to town, things changed.
When Jesus and his friends got to the gate of the city, some people from the temple stopped them. They stopped Jesus and his friends and said, “Do you have a permit to be here?” (Show the permit.) “Who gave you permission to have a parade and say the things you are saying about God?” These people were called the Scribes, and they were kind of like the temple’s lawyers. Their job was to make sure everyone obeyed all of the laws the temple said everyone should obey. They argued with Jesus for a little while to try and make him leave, but finally gave up and let Jesus and his friends come in.
A few minutes later, some more people came to Jesus and said, “You need to stop right there! You need to wash your hands five times when you enter the temple, and some of your people only washed theirs two times.” (Show the bowl.) These were the temple priests, and their job was to make sure that everyone did all of the right things when they came to the temple. Everyone had to wash the right way, wear the right clothes, say the right words, and give the right gifts to the priests. They argued with Jesus for a little while, and then they went away, too.
But just a few minutes later, two more groups of people stopped Jesus and his friends. They told Jesus they thought he was a really smart man, and they wanted to know if he thought everyone should pay the taxes to Caesar like the Romans said they should. But Jesus knew they were just being nice so they could try and trick him. Some of these people were called the Pharisees and some were called the Herodians, and both groups were good friends with the Romans and were hoping Jesus would say something that would make the Romans mad so they would make him stop talking to people. (Show the coin.) Jesus told them to look at a coin and asked them whose picture was on it. They said it was a picture of Caesar. So Jesus said, “If it has Caesar’s picture on it, then go ahead and give it to Caesar, and give everything else to God.” Their trick didn’t work, so the Pharisees and Herodians just walked away.
Then another group of people stopped Jesus and his friends. The Sadducees were all from really old and rich families and believed that God only really cared about people who were from families like theirs. So, it was really important to the Sadducees to be able to prove where they came from and what family they belonged to. (Show the permit.) Since the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection like Jesus did, they tried to trick him with a question about it. They said that if a woman was married seven times in her life, who would she be married to when they were all resurrected? If all seven of her husbands were alive again, which one would be her husband and her real family? Jesus shook his head and said, “You people don’t understand things at all, do you? God isn’t worried about the dead. God is concerned about the living!” So, the Sadducees finally gave up and walked away, too.
The Scribes, the Priests, the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees did not agree about a lot of things, but the one thing they did all agree on is that if anyone did not believe the things their group believed and do the things their groups did, those people were wrong. They believed that anyone who was different than them was dangerous. They believed that God did not care about anyone who was different than them, and they should stay away from them so God could punish them all.
After all of those groups had left, another man came to Jesus and said, “Those people have so many laws it is really hard to know what God wants us to do. What really is the most important thing God wants us to do?” Jesus smiled at the man and said, “First, you should love God with all of your heart. And instead of worrying about things like permits, and washing your hands, and being from the right family, spend your time taking care of your neighbor as well as you take care of yourself.”
We still have people telling us what rules we are supposed to follow if we want God to love us, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And some people really argue about those rules, don’t they? (Let them respond.) Well, I hope our story will help us remember that we just don’t need to worry about all of those rules and all of that arguing. Jesus said that all we really need to do is to love God and love our neighbor.
And just who is our neighbor? (Let them respond.) Well, we don’t get to pick our neighbors. They aren’t just the people who live close to us, or look like us, or act like us, are they? Every one of God’s children is our neighbor. Every last one of them.
I hope our story will help us remember that God created us to take care of each other. Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
