Open hands and open hearts
Children's sermon
Object:
hands
Good morning, boys and girls. Isn't today a wonderful day? We are here together, Jesus is resurrected, and the world is a wonderful place. I love the Easter season and the talk about the love of Jesus.
Today, I want to share with you something that we all have and how it can bring us joy or sadness. Everyone here has two of them. Today they are all clean, but sometimes they get sort of messy. There are two of them, they are part of our body, and sometimes they get kind of messy, but today they are clean. What are they? (let them answer) Very good, our hands!
Today, I want to show you a couple of things that help us understand God a little better. The first thing I want you to do is make a fist. What do you do when you make a fist? (let them answer) We fight with fists. Is that good? (let them answer) Do you think God likes us to fight? (let them answer) What else do you do with your hands when they are like this? (let them answer) You can hide something in your hand if it is kind of small, can't you? (let them answer) You can use them like a hammer and beat on tables or walls and make loud, angry noises with your fist. Do you think God likes for you to hide things from him or beat on tables in anger? (let them answer)
Let's open our hands. What can you do with open hands? (let them answer) You can give things to others, can't you? Do you think God likes for you to share? (let them answer) You can shake someone's hand and welcome him or her into your house or tell him or her thank you for being a friend, can't you? (let them answer) You can hug someone and tell him or her that you love him or her, can't you?
Open hands are so much better than fists. But when we have open hands we have open hearts. We share, we welcome, we love, and we trust one another. People like other people whose hands are open. Open hands are like living in the light. God lives in the light and not in the darkness. God loves open hands, not closed fists.
So the next time you see someone with a fist or you make a fist, I want you to think about how God dislikes anger, fighting, and selfishness. But when God sees our open hands he knows that we are part of his family, sharing, loving, and trusting one another. Keep open hands and walk in the light of God's truth.
Today, I want to share with you something that we all have and how it can bring us joy or sadness. Everyone here has two of them. Today they are all clean, but sometimes they get sort of messy. There are two of them, they are part of our body, and sometimes they get kind of messy, but today they are clean. What are they? (let them answer) Very good, our hands!
Today, I want to show you a couple of things that help us understand God a little better. The first thing I want you to do is make a fist. What do you do when you make a fist? (let them answer) We fight with fists. Is that good? (let them answer) Do you think God likes us to fight? (let them answer) What else do you do with your hands when they are like this? (let them answer) You can hide something in your hand if it is kind of small, can't you? (let them answer) You can use them like a hammer and beat on tables or walls and make loud, angry noises with your fist. Do you think God likes for you to hide things from him or beat on tables in anger? (let them answer)
Let's open our hands. What can you do with open hands? (let them answer) You can give things to others, can't you? Do you think God likes for you to share? (let them answer) You can shake someone's hand and welcome him or her into your house or tell him or her thank you for being a friend, can't you? (let them answer) You can hug someone and tell him or her that you love him or her, can't you?
Open hands are so much better than fists. But when we have open hands we have open hearts. We share, we welcome, we love, and we trust one another. People like other people whose hands are open. Open hands are like living in the light. God lives in the light and not in the darkness. God loves open hands, not closed fists.
So the next time you see someone with a fist or you make a fist, I want you to think about how God dislikes anger, fighting, and selfishness. But when God sees our open hands he knows that we are part of his family, sharing, loving, and trusting one another. Keep open hands and walk in the light of God's truth.
