Treasure!
Children's sermon
Object: A painting, a book, and a rock.
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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! This is a story about something that happened when Jesus was still a young boy. We don’t know a lot about him when he was young, but we do know this one story about something that happened when he was twelve years old. Do you know anyone who is twelve years old? (Let them respond and draw them out a bit, especially if any of your children happen to be twelve years old.) Let me tell you what happened in our story.
When Jesus was twelve, he went with his family to Jerusalem to celebrate a big holiday called Passover. We aren’t sure how long they stayed there, but when they started traveling back home, Jesus’ mom and dad looked around and saw that Jesus wasn’t with them. They were from a very small town, and Jerusalem was a really big city, especially with all of the people who had come to celebrate the holiday. And now, Jesus was missing. I’ll be that was scary, don’t you? (Let them respond.)
Now, let me ask you a question. Most of the things going on for the holiday were at the temple. And the temple was really big. Do you know how big a football field is? (Let them respond.) Well, the temple was so big you could put more than twenty-five football fields inside it. That’s pretty big, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) And all around the temple, there were little tents and shops selling things that people could buy. Some sold candy, some sold cookies, some sold fresh bread, and some sold all kinds of animals. It was kind of like a big carnival, wasn’t it? Now I’ll ask you my question. If you were twelve years old at that temple, where do you think you would go? Where would your parents find you? (Let them respond.) Well, our story says that Jesus wasn’t looking at animals, or candy, or the cookies. Does anyone know where Jesus’ mom and dad found him? (Let them respond.) When they found him, he was standing over in a corner with some of the priests, arguing with them about some things in the Bible. I would have probably been looking at the animals, but Jesus was arguing with the priests. Jesus was kind of different even when he was just twelve years old, wasn’t he? (Let them respond.) When his mom and dad found him, they didn’t understand why he was so different than the other kids they knew. But Mary remembered that God had told her Jesus was going to be someone very special when he grew up, so the story says that when she saw him arguing with the priests, she treasured all that happened in her heart. She didn’t understand it, but she knew that, somehow, Jesus was like a treasure from God.
Sometimes we think about how we might be kind of different, too, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Maybe we are interested in things that other people around us aren’t interested in. Maybe we are really interested in painting and think about being an artist. (Show the painting.) Or maybe we are interested in stories and writing and think about being a writer. (Show the book.) Or maybe we are interested in something like rocks. (Show the rock.) So maybe instead of looking at cookies or candy or animals like other people do, we would rather paint, or write, or collect rocks instead. Do you ever think about something like that? (Let them respond.)
Sometimes, people around us are just like Jesus’ mom and dad and don’t understand why we are so different, aren’t they? (Let them respond.) Sometimes it can be pretty hard to be different, can’t it? (Let them respond.) Sometimes we think it might be better if we try to not be different, and just do the same things everyone else does, don’t we? (Let them respond.) I wonder if Jesus felt that way when he was twelve years old? (Let them respond.) His mom didn’t understand what he was doing, but what was the one thing she remembered? (Let them respond.) She remembered that God created Jesus to be a very special treasure, didn’t she? (Let them respond.)
And that’s what I hope we remember whenever we think about this story. God created each one of us to be a treasure like that, too. We are all one of God’s treasures. You. The person sitting next to you. The person you see pushing the shopping cart down the sidewalk. The child from another country whose parents are trying to find a safe place for them to live. Maybe they like art. (Show the painting.) Or maybe they like writing. (Show the book.) Or maybe they like rocks. (Show the rock.) But no matter how different we might be, everyone we see is one of God’s treasures. And that’s why God wants us to take care of each other, and help each other, and show each other that we know each one of us is a treasure that God created, no matter how different we might seem to be.
Let’s pray together and ask God to help us remember that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. And, please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created, and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! This is a story about something that happened when Jesus was still a young boy. We don’t know a lot about him when he was young, but we do know this one story about something that happened when he was twelve years old. Do you know anyone who is twelve years old? (Let them respond and draw them out a bit, especially if any of your children happen to be twelve years old.) Let me tell you what happened in our story.
When Jesus was twelve, he went with his family to Jerusalem to celebrate a big holiday called Passover. We aren’t sure how long they stayed there, but when they started traveling back home, Jesus’ mom and dad looked around and saw that Jesus wasn’t with them. They were from a very small town, and Jerusalem was a really big city, especially with all of the people who had come to celebrate the holiday. And now, Jesus was missing. I’ll be that was scary, don’t you? (Let them respond.)
Now, let me ask you a question. Most of the things going on for the holiday were at the temple. And the temple was really big. Do you know how big a football field is? (Let them respond.) Well, the temple was so big you could put more than twenty-five football fields inside it. That’s pretty big, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) And all around the temple, there were little tents and shops selling things that people could buy. Some sold candy, some sold cookies, some sold fresh bread, and some sold all kinds of animals. It was kind of like a big carnival, wasn’t it? Now I’ll ask you my question. If you were twelve years old at that temple, where do you think you would go? Where would your parents find you? (Let them respond.) Well, our story says that Jesus wasn’t looking at animals, or candy, or the cookies. Does anyone know where Jesus’ mom and dad found him? (Let them respond.) When they found him, he was standing over in a corner with some of the priests, arguing with them about some things in the Bible. I would have probably been looking at the animals, but Jesus was arguing with the priests. Jesus was kind of different even when he was just twelve years old, wasn’t he? (Let them respond.) When his mom and dad found him, they didn’t understand why he was so different than the other kids they knew. But Mary remembered that God had told her Jesus was going to be someone very special when he grew up, so the story says that when she saw him arguing with the priests, she treasured all that happened in her heart. She didn’t understand it, but she knew that, somehow, Jesus was like a treasure from God.
Sometimes we think about how we might be kind of different, too, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Maybe we are interested in things that other people around us aren’t interested in. Maybe we are really interested in painting and think about being an artist. (Show the painting.) Or maybe we are interested in stories and writing and think about being a writer. (Show the book.) Or maybe we are interested in something like rocks. (Show the rock.) So maybe instead of looking at cookies or candy or animals like other people do, we would rather paint, or write, or collect rocks instead. Do you ever think about something like that? (Let them respond.)
Sometimes, people around us are just like Jesus’ mom and dad and don’t understand why we are so different, aren’t they? (Let them respond.) Sometimes it can be pretty hard to be different, can’t it? (Let them respond.) Sometimes we think it might be better if we try to not be different, and just do the same things everyone else does, don’t we? (Let them respond.) I wonder if Jesus felt that way when he was twelve years old? (Let them respond.) His mom didn’t understand what he was doing, but what was the one thing she remembered? (Let them respond.) She remembered that God created Jesus to be a very special treasure, didn’t she? (Let them respond.)
And that’s what I hope we remember whenever we think about this story. God created each one of us to be a treasure like that, too. We are all one of God’s treasures. You. The person sitting next to you. The person you see pushing the shopping cart down the sidewalk. The child from another country whose parents are trying to find a safe place for them to live. Maybe they like art. (Show the painting.) Or maybe they like writing. (Show the book.) Or maybe they like rocks. (Show the rock.) But no matter how different we might be, everyone we see is one of God’s treasures. And that’s why God wants us to take care of each other, and help each other, and show each other that we know each one of us is a treasure that God created, no matter how different we might seem to be.
Let’s pray together and ask God to help us remember that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. And, please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created, and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
