Many steps
Children's sermon
Object:
a letter, an envelope, a pen, and a stamp
And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (vv. 3-5)
Good morning, boys and girls. Today, we are going to learn about the way things happen. There is a way that certain things happen and without that way, things do not happen. Let me show you what I mean.
I wrote a letter last night to a special friend. The friend is here today and I want him to have the letter. I am going to ask you to help me get the letter to him. First, I had to write the letter. (show them the letter) Is there anyone here who can fold the letter to fit in the envelope? (choose someone) Of course, I have to write the name of my friend and his address on the envelope after you fold the letter and put it into the envelope. (write a name and address on the envelope) Now, we need to lick the sticky part so the envelope will be sealed. Is there anyone that wants to lick the envelope? (select another child to do this task) Now, what do I do with the letter after it is folded, put in the addressed envelope, and sealed shut? (let them answer) That's right, we have to put a stamp on the envelope. Who wants to put on the stamp? (select someone else) What is next? (let them answer) Very good, we have to deliver the envelope that has a letter in it, that has been folded, addressed, sealed, and stamped. The person whom this letter goes to is sitting in the congregation. If he will stand up, is there someone who would like to deliver it? (choose one more person) You do not need to wait for a reply, just deliver it.
It takes a lot of work to send one letter, doesn't it? (let them answer) Sometimes it takes a lot of different things for us to receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Sometimes we are ill for a long time and we really suffer. After a few days, we become more patient. In another few days, we learn to be more kind to those helping us and we take our medicine with a smile instead of a frown. We call that our character stage. We are better people when we have good character. When we have character, we also have hope. We look forward to the next day being a better day. We have hope that our bodies will be stronger. Like sending a letter, it takes time, and we need to go through all of the steps.
The next time you are ill and have to stay home in bed, I want you to think about all of the steps for sending a letter. You will have confidence that God is living within your heart and making all things better. Amen.
