Pure in heart
Children's sermon
Object:
a white rose
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (v. 8)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you doing this morning? (allow answers) We're going to start our children's sermon today by talking about something that might seem kind of strange. We're going to talk about flowers!
Throughout history, people have given certain meanings to certain flowers. The kinds and colors of flowers in a bouquet could send different messages. In the 1800s, knowing the meanings of flowers was popular in England and Europe. Some of these meanings still hang around today. For example, who do you give roses to? (allow answers) You give roses to people you love! You give red roses to someone you are in love with -- red roses mean love; you give yellow roses, which mean friendship, to your friends and family. And then there are white roses. A white rose means something called "purity." Do any of you know what "purity" means? (allow answers)
When someone is pure, it means that they have good intentions. Being pure is like being innocent -- you haven't done anything wrong, and you don't plan to do anything wrong. We want our friends and family to have pure intentions. That means that they do things out of the goodness of their heart -- not because they think it will get them ahead, not because they want to get something in return, but simply because they want to do good for others.
Today our gospel reading is a passage called the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are a sermon that Jesus gave. The Beatitudes remind us that even if our life on earth is difficult or hard, God has a place ready for us in heaven -- and in heaven we will find our reward for a life well lived. One verse in the Beatitudes says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Do you know what it means to be "pure in heart"? (allow answers) Being pure in heart means that you do things for the right reasons. It means that you do good things for others not so they will pay you back but because you genuinely want others to be happy. You want to share what you have with others, whether it is possessions, friendship, or just a listening ear.
We should all strive to be pure of heart. But sometimes the world gets in the way. We are told to be kind to others because then they will be kind to us. But if we are pure in heart, we will be kind to others even when they are cruel to us. We will show God's love to others even if they hate us and talk about us behind our backs. We will not gossip about others; we will say kind things about others even if we don't like them very much. If we need to stand up to someone, we do so respectfully. Instead of talking about someone behind their back, we talk directly to them if we have a problem. It may be difficult, but it is worth it to show the purity of God's love in our everyday lives. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you doing this morning? (allow answers) We're going to start our children's sermon today by talking about something that might seem kind of strange. We're going to talk about flowers!
Throughout history, people have given certain meanings to certain flowers. The kinds and colors of flowers in a bouquet could send different messages. In the 1800s, knowing the meanings of flowers was popular in England and Europe. Some of these meanings still hang around today. For example, who do you give roses to? (allow answers) You give roses to people you love! You give red roses to someone you are in love with -- red roses mean love; you give yellow roses, which mean friendship, to your friends and family. And then there are white roses. A white rose means something called "purity." Do any of you know what "purity" means? (allow answers)
When someone is pure, it means that they have good intentions. Being pure is like being innocent -- you haven't done anything wrong, and you don't plan to do anything wrong. We want our friends and family to have pure intentions. That means that they do things out of the goodness of their heart -- not because they think it will get them ahead, not because they want to get something in return, but simply because they want to do good for others.
Today our gospel reading is a passage called the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are a sermon that Jesus gave. The Beatitudes remind us that even if our life on earth is difficult or hard, God has a place ready for us in heaven -- and in heaven we will find our reward for a life well lived. One verse in the Beatitudes says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Do you know what it means to be "pure in heart"? (allow answers) Being pure in heart means that you do things for the right reasons. It means that you do good things for others not so they will pay you back but because you genuinely want others to be happy. You want to share what you have with others, whether it is possessions, friendship, or just a listening ear.
We should all strive to be pure of heart. But sometimes the world gets in the way. We are told to be kind to others because then they will be kind to us. But if we are pure in heart, we will be kind to others even when they are cruel to us. We will show God's love to others even if they hate us and talk about us behind our backs. We will not gossip about others; we will say kind things about others even if we don't like them very much. If we need to stand up to someone, we do so respectfully. Instead of talking about someone behind their back, we talk directly to them if we have a problem. It may be difficult, but it is worth it to show the purity of God's love in our everyday lives. Amen.
