Lift it up
Children's sermon
Object:
a toy firetruck with a lifting ladder
Good morning, boys and girls. Once in a while during church we hear a
fire engine racing to a fire. What does it sound like? (Let them show or
tell you.) It's very loud! What do you think when you hear the fire siren?
(Let them respond.) Some of you wonder whose house is burning. Some of
you hope it's not yours. If you have a parent who is a firefighter you hope
they are safe. I brought a toy firetruck today. What can you tell me about
firetrucks? (Let them respond.) They're red. They have a loud siren. They
have long hoses. They have ladders and sometimes the ladders go very high.
Why do the ladders go up so high? (Let them respond.) They go so high
because sometimes people are trapped too far from the ground in second
stories or third stories. So the ladder goes up and up and up to the window
and the firefighter either climbs the ladder or rides up in a bucket hooked
on to the end of the ladder. Then the trapped person can be rescued. Let's
see how that works. (Demonstrate by turning the crank to lift up the
ladder.) Let's lift up the ladder to a window.
Our lesson today is about lifting up also but not with a ladder in a fire. We lift up people in prayer. To lift up a person in prayer is another way of saying that we are praying for a person. What are some reasons we pray for people or lift them up in our prayers? (Let them respond.) Maybe a person is having surgery the next week. Maybe someone is sad because someone in his family died. Maybe another person lost his job. Maybe someone else doesn't have enough to eat. So we lift them up to God in our prayers. Does it have to be something sad that we pray about? (Let them respond.) No, our lesson says we can pray prayers of thanksgiving, too. What might we be thankful for? (Let them respond.) We might be thankful that a new baby was born. We could be thankful that someone graduated from high school or college. We might be thankful for our homes, our food and or clothes. We can lift up those things in prayer, too. So when you hear us say, "Let us lift our hearts in prayer," or "We lift these people up in our prayers," think of this firetruck and how it lifts up the ladder way up high to rescue someone. Our '`lifting up" prayers helps people, too.
Our lesson today is about lifting up also but not with a ladder in a fire. We lift up people in prayer. To lift up a person in prayer is another way of saying that we are praying for a person. What are some reasons we pray for people or lift them up in our prayers? (Let them respond.) Maybe a person is having surgery the next week. Maybe someone is sad because someone in his family died. Maybe another person lost his job. Maybe someone else doesn't have enough to eat. So we lift them up to God in our prayers. Does it have to be something sad that we pray about? (Let them respond.) No, our lesson says we can pray prayers of thanksgiving, too. What might we be thankful for? (Let them respond.) We might be thankful that a new baby was born. We could be thankful that someone graduated from high school or college. We might be thankful for our homes, our food and or clothes. We can lift up those things in prayer, too. So when you hear us say, "Let us lift our hearts in prayer," or "We lift these people up in our prayers," think of this firetruck and how it lifts up the ladder way up high to rescue someone. Our '`lifting up" prayers helps people, too.
