Understanding
Children's sermon
Object: A packet of mustard seeds, or a packet of the smallest seeds you can find.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!
One day Jesus was talking with his friends and he wanted to tell them something really, really important. So, this is what he told them. He said:
“Working with God is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. But when the little seed is planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all plants in the garden. It gets so big that the birds can sit in the shade on its branches.”
He told them kind of a little story, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) Now, can anyone figure out what Jesus was telling them in that story that was so important? (Let them respond.) He was telling them that no matter how unimportant they might think they are, if they work with God they can do some really great things! But, wouldn’t it have been easier if he had just said, “Don’t worry if you feel small, God will help you do big things!” Why do you think Jesus didn’t just tell them that instead of telling them that story about seeds and plants and birds? (Let them respond.) Jesus did that a lot, too. Lots of times when he wanted to tell people something important, he told them a story instead of just telling them what he wanted them to do. Why do you think he did that? (Let them respond.)
I think it was because he wanted them to really understand what he was telling them. He knew they all had gardens at home and many of them had great big mustard plants growing in them. They knew all about mustard seeds. (Open the pack and show how tiny the mustard seeds are.) They are really tiny, aren’t they? (Let them respond.) And when he mentioned how the little bitty mustard seed would grow into a great big, huge plant they all nodded their heads and said, “That’s right!” So, instead of just telling them, “Hey, even if you think you are small and unimportant, you can still do big things.”, what did he do? He told them in a way they would really understand what he meant, didn’t he? (Let them respond.)
Jesus wanted them to really understand what he was saying. He didn’t want them to follow God just because he told them to. He wanted them to follow God because they knew they could really do some great things if they did. He wanted them to understand what he wanted them to do, and not just do it because somebody told them to do it.
Jesus doesn’t want us to follow God just because someone tells us to do it. He wants us to understand what can happen when we follow God, and then choose to follow God because we really want to do it. Jesus wanted them to think, and he wants us to think, too.
Sometimes people tell us to do things that we probably shouldn’t really do, don’t they? (Let them respond.) And if we don’t stop and think about it and understand what they are telling us to do, we might do something we really shouldn’t do, right? (Let them respond.) But if we really understand what they are saying, then we can decide if we want to do it, can’t we? (Let them respond.) We need to really understand what they are telling us to do, don’t we? (Let them respond.)
Jesus wanted his friends to really understand what they should do, and he wants us to understand what he asks us to do, too. So, he wants us to think before we do things, and ask ourselves, “If I do this, am I really showing God and the people around me how much I love them?” And if we know it doesn’t show them that, then we can choose to not do it.
(Show the seeds again.) I hope this story about the little seed can help us remember that God wants us to do things that help people and not hurt them. Let’s pray and ask God to remind us 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 for forgiving us when we forget that. 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!
One day Jesus was talking with his friends and he wanted to tell them something really, really important. So, this is what he told them. He said:
“Working with God is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. But when the little seed is planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all plants in the garden. It gets so big that the birds can sit in the shade on its branches.”
He told them kind of a little story, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) Now, can anyone figure out what Jesus was telling them in that story that was so important? (Let them respond.) He was telling them that no matter how unimportant they might think they are, if they work with God they can do some really great things! But, wouldn’t it have been easier if he had just said, “Don’t worry if you feel small, God will help you do big things!” Why do you think Jesus didn’t just tell them that instead of telling them that story about seeds and plants and birds? (Let them respond.) Jesus did that a lot, too. Lots of times when he wanted to tell people something important, he told them a story instead of just telling them what he wanted them to do. Why do you think he did that? (Let them respond.)
I think it was because he wanted them to really understand what he was telling them. He knew they all had gardens at home and many of them had great big mustard plants growing in them. They knew all about mustard seeds. (Open the pack and show how tiny the mustard seeds are.) They are really tiny, aren’t they? (Let them respond.) And when he mentioned how the little bitty mustard seed would grow into a great big, huge plant they all nodded their heads and said, “That’s right!” So, instead of just telling them, “Hey, even if you think you are small and unimportant, you can still do big things.”, what did he do? He told them in a way they would really understand what he meant, didn’t he? (Let them respond.)
Jesus wanted them to really understand what he was saying. He didn’t want them to follow God just because he told them to. He wanted them to follow God because they knew they could really do some great things if they did. He wanted them to understand what he wanted them to do, and not just do it because somebody told them to do it.
Jesus doesn’t want us to follow God just because someone tells us to do it. He wants us to understand what can happen when we follow God, and then choose to follow God because we really want to do it. Jesus wanted them to think, and he wants us to think, too.
Sometimes people tell us to do things that we probably shouldn’t really do, don’t they? (Let them respond.) And if we don’t stop and think about it and understand what they are telling us to do, we might do something we really shouldn’t do, right? (Let them respond.) But if we really understand what they are saying, then we can decide if we want to do it, can’t we? (Let them respond.) We need to really understand what they are telling us to do, don’t we? (Let them respond.)
Jesus wanted his friends to really understand what they should do, and he wants us to understand what he asks us to do, too. So, he wants us to think before we do things, and ask ourselves, “If I do this, am I really showing God and the people around me how much I love them?” And if we know it doesn’t show them that, then we can choose to not do it.
(Show the seeds again.) I hope this story about the little seed can help us remember that God wants us to do things that help people and not hurt them. Let’s pray and ask God to remind us 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 for forgiving us when we forget that. 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.
