Producing good fruit
Children's sermon
Object:
an apple
Good morning! What do I have here in my hand? (Show the
apple and let them answer.) That's right. This is an apple. Where
do apples come from? (Let them answer.) Again you're right.
Apples come from apple trees. Do any of you have an apple tree or
any other fruit trees at home? (Let them answer.)
Let me ask you a question. If you had an apple tree and it
never gave you any apples, what would you do with it to help it
produce some apples? (Let them answer.) We could water it and
fertilize it and give it some kind of plant food to help it, but
what if, after we did all that, it still didn't give us any
apples? What would you do then? (Let them answer.) If it were my
tree, I'd cut it down and make firewood out of it. Apple trees
that don't produce any apples are not much good.
In our Gospel reading today, John the Baptist said just
that. He said that fruit trees that don't produce anything
aren't good for anything but firewood. Of course, John was not
really concerned about fruit trees. He was talking about people
who don't do what God wants them to do. We are God's fruit trees
and He expects us to produce fruit! The fruit He expects us to
produce is "good works." Do you know what I mean by good works?
(Let them answer and give them examples of the good works that
God expects them to do.)
Okay, all of you little fruit trees, are you producing
fruit? Are you doing the things God wants you to do? (Let them
answer.) I hope you are and that you will continue to be good
fruit trees.
Dear God: We thank You so much for making us Your fruit trees.
Please help us to be good ones that produce fruit. Amen.
apple and let them answer.) That's right. This is an apple. Where
do apples come from? (Let them answer.) Again you're right.
Apples come from apple trees. Do any of you have an apple tree or
any other fruit trees at home? (Let them answer.)
Let me ask you a question. If you had an apple tree and it
never gave you any apples, what would you do with it to help it
produce some apples? (Let them answer.) We could water it and
fertilize it and give it some kind of plant food to help it, but
what if, after we did all that, it still didn't give us any
apples? What would you do then? (Let them answer.) If it were my
tree, I'd cut it down and make firewood out of it. Apple trees
that don't produce any apples are not much good.
In our Gospel reading today, John the Baptist said just
that. He said that fruit trees that don't produce anything
aren't good for anything but firewood. Of course, John was not
really concerned about fruit trees. He was talking about people
who don't do what God wants them to do. We are God's fruit trees
and He expects us to produce fruit! The fruit He expects us to
produce is "good works." Do you know what I mean by good works?
(Let them answer and give them examples of the good works that
God expects them to do.)
Okay, all of you little fruit trees, are you producing
fruit? Are you doing the things God wants you to do? (Let them
answer.) I hope you are and that you will continue to be good
fruit trees.
Dear God: We thank You so much for making us Your fruit trees.
Please help us to be good ones that produce fruit. Amen.
