Jesus' friends
Children's sermon
Object:
a friendship ring
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have friends? (let them answer; then ask several children the names of their best friends) Good, everyone has friends. Some of us have best friends. What is the difference between friends and best friends? (let them answer) Friends are people we like to be with when we go to school and church. Friends are people we like to play with after school and on Saturday and Sunday. A best friend is someone you share your life with every day. You tell them happy things in your life; you tell them sad things in your life. You share your most important secrets with your best friends.
Sometimes best friends wear something special to show that they are best friends. I have a friendship ring that was given to me by my best friend. This is not a wedding ring or any other kind of ring. It is a special ring that I wear that was given to me by my best friend so that I will always know we are best friends.
The Bible teaches us that someone else wants to be our best friend. Do you know who the Bible says wants to be our best friend? (let them answer) That's right; it is Jesus. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John that he has shared everything that the Father has told him with you. He talks about calling you his friends. You are not someone who works for Jesus. You are not someone who just met Jesus. You are not a person who Jesus wants to see once in a while. Jesus tells us that he wants us to be his best friend. And because Jesus is so special, because he is God, he can have millions of best friends.
Imagine this: Jesus tells us that God has shared many things with him, and because he loves us so much and wants us to be his best friend, he is going to share it all with us. There are no secrets between God the Father and Jesus that he has not told us. Jesus says that he will be with us wherever we go. Jesus will share our happiness and our unhappiness. If we feel bad, we can sit right down and tell Jesus exactly what happened and he will listen to every word. When we are sad, Jesus is very sad. He is a very good friend, the best friend we can ever have.
So the next time you play with your best friend or stay overnight at his or her house, I want you to include Jesus in your good time. The next time you have a problem and you want to share it with your best friend, include Jesus in it also. You may not have a ring from Jesus or a bracelet or even a birthday card. But you do have the Bible and Jesus' promise to be your best friend. And believe me, this Jesus will be the best friend you ever will have.
Sometimes best friends wear something special to show that they are best friends. I have a friendship ring that was given to me by my best friend. This is not a wedding ring or any other kind of ring. It is a special ring that I wear that was given to me by my best friend so that I will always know we are best friends.
The Bible teaches us that someone else wants to be our best friend. Do you know who the Bible says wants to be our best friend? (let them answer) That's right; it is Jesus. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John that he has shared everything that the Father has told him with you. He talks about calling you his friends. You are not someone who works for Jesus. You are not someone who just met Jesus. You are not a person who Jesus wants to see once in a while. Jesus tells us that he wants us to be his best friend. And because Jesus is so special, because he is God, he can have millions of best friends.
Imagine this: Jesus tells us that God has shared many things with him, and because he loves us so much and wants us to be his best friend, he is going to share it all with us. There are no secrets between God the Father and Jesus that he has not told us. Jesus says that he will be with us wherever we go. Jesus will share our happiness and our unhappiness. If we feel bad, we can sit right down and tell Jesus exactly what happened and he will listen to every word. When we are sad, Jesus is very sad. He is a very good friend, the best friend we can ever have.
So the next time you play with your best friend or stay overnight at his or her house, I want you to include Jesus in your good time. The next time you have a problem and you want to share it with your best friend, include Jesus in it also. You may not have a ring from Jesus or a bracelet or even a birthday card. But you do have the Bible and Jesus' promise to be your best friend. And believe me, this Jesus will be the best friend you ever will have.

