Login / Signup

Free Access

There Is Enough Friendship To Share

Children's sermon
John the Baptist gives us a great example of how to be a friend. Many times, when someone new comes along people get scared their friends will like the new person better. This happens to kids and adults. Bullying often stems from the fear that someone else will steal friends away. A bully sees the only line of defense as making fun of the new kid. They hope by ruining their reputation their friends won’t want to be friends with the new person, and the bully can keep all their friends to themselves.

This reaction to a new person is based in a scarcity fear. The fear that there is only so many friends a person can have before the forget or leave behind current friends. God wants us to see the world as full and abundant. God wants us to have a “the more the merrier” view on friendship.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he was not worried about losing his friends. He told hisis friends how great Jesus was and encouraged them to hang out with Jesus. Some did choose to follow Jesus but that didn’t mean John had lost friends, he hadtrusted their loyalty and wanted good things for them. If that meant following Jesus, he was happy for them.

In your message say something like:

Our Bible story today is about how John the Baptist helped Jesus make a few friends. Friends are very special to us. Some of us may have lots and lots of friends and some of us may have one or two who are extra great friends. We might call them best friends!

When we have a best friend we want them to be happy. We look out for them and make sure people are being nice to them. And they do the same for us. But what happens when someone new comes along? Someone else who our best friend likes to hang out with? Seeing our best friend play with someone else can be scary because we worry they won’t have time for us. We might get sad thinking they won’t want to be our best friend any more.

When we get scared like this we might feel mad. Our anger might lead us to do things we normally wouldn’t, like maybe saying something mean about our best friend’s new friend. We might think that will make them not like them and then we can keep our best friend all to ourselves.

But in our Bible story today we see that there is enough friendship inside everyone that we can share our friends with others. We might even be able to be best friends with more than one person. The Bible tells us that John the Baptist had a group of best friends. They would go everywhere together. Then one day John met Jesus and they got along really well. John got to know Jesus and found out Jesus was a great person. John could have gotten scared that Jesus would steal his friends, but John got excited.

He wanted his friends to know Jesus too. John introduced his friends to Jesus and told them if they wanted to follow Jesus it would be okay because John knew Jesus needed some best friends. John was willing to share and instead of losing friends he found a friend in Jesus.

Let’s say a prayer asking God to help us share our friends.

Loving God, Thank you for our great friends. Help us find ways to share our friends by inviting others to play with us, and being excited with them when they make a new friend. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Easter 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 3
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 4
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
33 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: An orange and a lemon that are about the same size and shape, a knife, a cutting board, orange and yellow paint, and some paper towels. Prepare the fruit by painting the lemon orange, and the orange, yellow. The more alike they look, the better.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! Let’s get started!

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For May 11, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
Tinkerbell is the delightful sprite in Peter Pan who drifts between the world of senses and the world of magic. She sprinkles “fairy dust” to make children fly; she sparkles around Peter Pan as a comrade adventurer.

Once, in one episode of a televised version of Peter Pan, Tin­kerbell ingested some poison. There was nothing to be seen of her, tiny thing that she was, other than the brightness of her little light. But with the poison, her light began to fade. Before our very eyes she grew dimmer, pulsing with a weakening glow.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 9:36-43
Cryonics is an interesting and, if I’m honest, disturbing practice. You might be wondering, what is cryonics? The aim of cryonics, according to Dennis Kowalski, the president of the Cryonics Institute in Michigan, is to “keep bodies in a stable, preserved state until the necessary medical technology arrives.” As of June 1, 2024, there were about five hundred people who have tried to keep themselves preserved for future medical advances to revive.

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Hello, Peter. Come on in to the office,” Pastor Carl held open the door for him. “Oh, don’t worry about your shoes.”

“They’re muddy and I really should take them off,” Peter said. “Besides if I don’t, I’ll be hearing my mother’s voice telling me to take them off before coming into your office.”

Pastor Carl smiled. “Fair enough.”

After a few moment, Peter took the offered seat across from Pastor Carl.

“So how are you finding our church?” Pastor Carl asked. “I know you mentioned we’re a bit more casual and smaller than you are used to.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:


Jesus said that he gives eternal life to those who follow him. As we worship God today, let us believe in his words so that we too may enjoy the Life that he offers.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we leave you out of our lives.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we are disappointed because you don't answer prayers in the way that we wish.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we refuse to believe that you still act in our lives today.

SermonStudio

David E. Leininger
Women have always been uniquely important in the life of the church, whether or not men want to admit it. It started with Mary. Women were accorded special status during Jesus' ministry; in fact, it was probably women who were major financial supporters of the itinerant rabbi and his friends. Women were the first witnesses to the resurrection. This is not a feminist statement but a factual statement: from the first day to this day, if it were not for the women, there would be no church. It is that simple.

Donald Charles Lacy
History shows that people are invariably looking for Messiahs or Christs. There is that special person who is to come among them and, in a sense, do for them what they cannot do for themselves. Even for years after our Lord arose from the dead and ascended -- yes, and still at this moment -- people are looking.

Henry F. Woodruff
Now you can't even trust the police. When I was a child growing up in Texas, everyone knew how to spot the police cars: they were big old Ford Crown Victorias, painted black with white doors, sporting black wall tires with little moon hubcaps -- or, if they really wanted to be sneaky and fool you, they were big old Ford Crown Victorias painted gray, with whip antennas and license plates that read "City" on them. You could bet the farm on it. Now all that has changed. Police cars are all different makes and models and colors.
Clyde W. Wentzell
1. O my Good Shepherd, O Lord of my soul,
Keep me forever beneath your control.
In right paths lead me for your name’s sake.
All the best choices, Lord, help me to make.

2. When through dark valleys my walk is severe,
Keep me from evil, Lord, ever be near.
Your rod and staff, my discipline be,
O my Good Shepherd, keep watch over me.

3. You spread a table of bountiful store.
Rich are your mercies and love evermore.
Oil on the head, anointing most pure,
Flows in abundance as your love is sure.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL