Weeding the garden
Children's sermon
Object:
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (v. 10)
Object: some vegetables from the garden, some flowers, and a large weed with a big root
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to help your mom or dad in the garden? (let them answer) Do you like to grow vegetables and flowers? (let them answer) I brought along some vegetables that were grown in (mention a member's name) garden. These are (name the vegetables) I also have some flowers that were grown in (mention another member's name) garden. Aren't they beautiful?
I also brought something from my garden. Do you know what we call this? (let them answer) That's right, it's a weed. It's a big weed and it causes a lot of trouble. Sometimes it has pretty blooms but it can also be ugly. When it's in bloom it causes people to sneeze and have headaches. Have you ever helped your mom or dad weed the garden? (let them answer) What do you do with weeds? (let them answer) That's right, you pull them out. What's the most important part to get rid of? (let them answer) That's right, the root. A root like this grows deep in the ground and to get rid of it, you may have to do more than pull. You may have to dig it out with a shovel. If you don't get rid of the root, the weed will just grow right back and in a few days it will be bigger than when you first tried to get rid of it. If you don't get rid of a weed, there will soon be two weeds and then four weeds and before you know it, the whole garden will be filled with weeds. When the garden is filled with weeds, the vegetables and flowers will die.
Paul said money could be the root of evilness if a person loves it more than anything else. Some people are so interested in becoming rich, they let their love of money grow wild. The more money they get, the more they spend on themselves. First they want a new car, a new house, and new clothing. Then they want more cars, bigger houses, and more expensive clothing. When they think like this, they forget that there are others in the world who need help. They forget about people who are hungry, poor, or sick. They grow mean and become afraid that someone else will try to take their money away. The ugliness in their hearts drives them away from God. So treat your money like a gift from God and share it with other people. And the next time you see a big root, think about how mean the love of money can make you. Amen.
Object: some vegetables from the garden, some flowers, and a large weed with a big root
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to help your mom or dad in the garden? (let them answer) Do you like to grow vegetables and flowers? (let them answer) I brought along some vegetables that were grown in (mention a member's name) garden. These are (name the vegetables) I also have some flowers that were grown in (mention another member's name) garden. Aren't they beautiful?
I also brought something from my garden. Do you know what we call this? (let them answer) That's right, it's a weed. It's a big weed and it causes a lot of trouble. Sometimes it has pretty blooms but it can also be ugly. When it's in bloom it causes people to sneeze and have headaches. Have you ever helped your mom or dad weed the garden? (let them answer) What do you do with weeds? (let them answer) That's right, you pull them out. What's the most important part to get rid of? (let them answer) That's right, the root. A root like this grows deep in the ground and to get rid of it, you may have to do more than pull. You may have to dig it out with a shovel. If you don't get rid of the root, the weed will just grow right back and in a few days it will be bigger than when you first tried to get rid of it. If you don't get rid of a weed, there will soon be two weeds and then four weeds and before you know it, the whole garden will be filled with weeds. When the garden is filled with weeds, the vegetables and flowers will die.
Paul said money could be the root of evilness if a person loves it more than anything else. Some people are so interested in becoming rich, they let their love of money grow wild. The more money they get, the more they spend on themselves. First they want a new car, a new house, and new clothing. Then they want more cars, bigger houses, and more expensive clothing. When they think like this, they forget that there are others in the world who need help. They forget about people who are hungry, poor, or sick. They grow mean and become afraid that someone else will try to take their money away. The ugliness in their hearts drives them away from God. So treat your money like a gift from God and share it with other people. And the next time you see a big root, think about how mean the love of money can make you. Amen.
