1 Corinthians 3:17b
Children's sermon
GOD IS ALWAYS NEAR
Object Lessons and other Worship Stories for Children
A church building needs people.
Object:
a shovel.
Did you ever dig with a shovel like this? One day, a long time ago, someone used this shovel to dig in the ground when there was no building here. Digging with a special shovel is the way a new building is often started.
I want you to guess where the first digging was done for this church building. Do you think it was done where we're now sitting? Where else could the digging have been done? Where the [___] is. It was done where the front door is.
If we didn't have this church building, could we still have a church? Yes. To help you understand that question, turn around and look the same direction I'm looking. What do you see? People. Do we need people so we can have a church? Right. We need people.
People are the most important part of the church. Without all these people and without you, we wouldn't even need this church building that was started with this shovel.
The Church
2 Timothy 2:15
Hard Work
Learning new things at school and at church can be hard work.
School's been going on for quite a while now. On a school day do you ever stay in bed when you really should be getting dressed?
I know a boy who says, "School is too hard." Do you think school is hard? (Let them discuss it.) It can be hard work to go to school. Teachers want you to learn many new things.
Sunday church school can also seem hard and you may want to stay in bed on Sunday mornings. Your teacher and the children in your class will miss you if you don't come to church for Sunday church school.
You also can go to [Junior Church] on Sunday morning. When do you go to [Junior Church]? Right after we finish talking to you. What do you do during [Junior Church]? We make things.
When we come to church we learn about God and about his son, Jesus, and we make friends at church who care about us. I hope you keep coming because I care about you.
The Church
Psalm 133:1
Family Pictures
Belonging to a church family feels good.
Objects: photos of church families.
I've brought some pictures to show you today. These are pictures of families who belong to our church. This is the [__ family]. (Show pictures of several families, naming each of them.)
You all live in families and you know some of the families that are in the pictures I've shown you. All of us in our church are like one big family, especially when so many of us are living here together at [Camp ___].
What do you like about living here with all these other people from our church? (Let them answer.) We like to swing together, run together, play ball together, eat together, pray together.
It sounds as though you like belonging to our church family. I know I do.
The Church
Psalm 111:1-3
Outside Worship
Worshiping God can be done either inside or outside the church building.
Object:
an outdoor setting.
Here we are all together in a new place to worship God. What do we do when we worship God? (Let them answer.) We sing, pray to God, listen to the Bible being read. I like doing those things inside the church, as we usually do, and I also like doing them outside the church.
Out here we can see the trees and the grass. We might hear a bird sing. We can see the blue sky. Things we see out here help us think of God who planned for our wonderful world.
It feels good to do something different, such as worshiping God outside. Let's be glad for this beautiful day and place where we can be with our friends and think about God.
The Church
1 Peter 4:10-11
What To Be
Grown-ups do many kinds of work and also belong to churches.
Do you know what a theological seminary is? That's a school where a person learns about being a minister. Have you ever heard about a theological seminary before?
A long time ago, when I was a little older than you are, I wanted to be a minister. What do you want to be when you're grown up? (Let them answer.) I want to be a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, a fireman, a policeman, a mom, and a dad. There will be many different things to do when you grow up.
I hope one thing you'll want to do is belong to a church. Do you think you'll go to church when you're a grown-up? (Let them answer.) I hope you will because I think going to church to worship God is important.
The Church
Matthew 28:19-20
Advertising
Visitors may come to our church because they've read about it in the paper and/or they've been invited by a friend.
Objects: a colored supplement from the newspaper and church ads in the newspaper.
Stores advertise so people will come to buy things, such as peanuts and socks, watches and electronic games. Even though churches don't have things to sell, as stores do, they have a special place in the newspaper that tells what they will be doing on Sunday mornings.
Right here it says that [___] Church (that's this church) will have a worship service at 11:00 on Sunday morning.
Why do we put it in the paper about our worship service? Right. We want people to read it and come to our church.
How can children your age, who don't know about our church and who don't read the newspaper, find out about our church? (Let them answer.) We can tell them about it. Do you ever invite friends to come to church with you? Inviting other children to be part of our church family is important. It's fun for you and fun for them to learn together about God and Jesus.
The Church
Matthew 18:20
Worship At Camp
Whether christians are in an indoor or outdoor setting they can worship God.
Object:
an outdoor setting.
Here at [Camp __] we don't do some of the things that we do at home. Have you seen any TV here at camp? No. Have you soaked in tha bathtub while you've been here camping? No. Have you talked on the phone since you came to [Camp __]? No.
Also here at [Camp __] we do some of the same things that we do back home in [___]. We eat our meals, we sleep, we play, and we worship God.
Where do we worship God back in [___]? (Let them answer.) At church. Now we're worshiping God at [Camp __], but we don't have any church building. What do we do when we worship God out here with no building? (Wait for them to answer.) We sing, we pray, we listen to the Bible being read.
God is here at [Camp __] just as he's with us in our church building in [___]. Wherever we Christians get together, we can worship God.
Object:
a shovel.
Did you ever dig with a shovel like this? One day, a long time ago, someone used this shovel to dig in the ground when there was no building here. Digging with a special shovel is the way a new building is often started.
I want you to guess where the first digging was done for this church building. Do you think it was done where we're now sitting? Where else could the digging have been done? Where the [___] is. It was done where the front door is.
If we didn't have this church building, could we still have a church? Yes. To help you understand that question, turn around and look the same direction I'm looking. What do you see? People. Do we need people so we can have a church? Right. We need people.
People are the most important part of the church. Without all these people and without you, we wouldn't even need this church building that was started with this shovel.
The Church
2 Timothy 2:15
Hard Work
Learning new things at school and at church can be hard work.
School's been going on for quite a while now. On a school day do you ever stay in bed when you really should be getting dressed?
I know a boy who says, "School is too hard." Do you think school is hard? (Let them discuss it.) It can be hard work to go to school. Teachers want you to learn many new things.
Sunday church school can also seem hard and you may want to stay in bed on Sunday mornings. Your teacher and the children in your class will miss you if you don't come to church for Sunday church school.
You also can go to [Junior Church] on Sunday morning. When do you go to [Junior Church]? Right after we finish talking to you. What do you do during [Junior Church]? We make things.
When we come to church we learn about God and about his son, Jesus, and we make friends at church who care about us. I hope you keep coming because I care about you.
The Church
Psalm 133:1
Family Pictures
Belonging to a church family feels good.
Objects: photos of church families.
I've brought some pictures to show you today. These are pictures of families who belong to our church. This is the [__ family]. (Show pictures of several families, naming each of them.)
You all live in families and you know some of the families that are in the pictures I've shown you. All of us in our church are like one big family, especially when so many of us are living here together at [Camp ___].
What do you like about living here with all these other people from our church? (Let them answer.) We like to swing together, run together, play ball together, eat together, pray together.
It sounds as though you like belonging to our church family. I know I do.
The Church
Psalm 111:1-3
Outside Worship
Worshiping God can be done either inside or outside the church building.
Object:
an outdoor setting.
Here we are all together in a new place to worship God. What do we do when we worship God? (Let them answer.) We sing, pray to God, listen to the Bible being read. I like doing those things inside the church, as we usually do, and I also like doing them outside the church.
Out here we can see the trees and the grass. We might hear a bird sing. We can see the blue sky. Things we see out here help us think of God who planned for our wonderful world.
It feels good to do something different, such as worshiping God outside. Let's be glad for this beautiful day and place where we can be with our friends and think about God.
The Church
1 Peter 4:10-11
What To Be
Grown-ups do many kinds of work and also belong to churches.
Do you know what a theological seminary is? That's a school where a person learns about being a minister. Have you ever heard about a theological seminary before?
A long time ago, when I was a little older than you are, I wanted to be a minister. What do you want to be when you're grown up? (Let them answer.) I want to be a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, a fireman, a policeman, a mom, and a dad. There will be many different things to do when you grow up.
I hope one thing you'll want to do is belong to a church. Do you think you'll go to church when you're a grown-up? (Let them answer.) I hope you will because I think going to church to worship God is important.
The Church
Matthew 28:19-20
Advertising
Visitors may come to our church because they've read about it in the paper and/or they've been invited by a friend.
Objects: a colored supplement from the newspaper and church ads in the newspaper.
Stores advertise so people will come to buy things, such as peanuts and socks, watches and electronic games. Even though churches don't have things to sell, as stores do, they have a special place in the newspaper that tells what they will be doing on Sunday mornings.
Right here it says that [___] Church (that's this church) will have a worship service at 11:00 on Sunday morning.
Why do we put it in the paper about our worship service? Right. We want people to read it and come to our church.
How can children your age, who don't know about our church and who don't read the newspaper, find out about our church? (Let them answer.) We can tell them about it. Do you ever invite friends to come to church with you? Inviting other children to be part of our church family is important. It's fun for you and fun for them to learn together about God and Jesus.
The Church
Matthew 18:20
Worship At Camp
Whether christians are in an indoor or outdoor setting they can worship God.
Object:
an outdoor setting.
Here at [Camp __] we don't do some of the things that we do at home. Have you seen any TV here at camp? No. Have you soaked in tha bathtub while you've been here camping? No. Have you talked on the phone since you came to [Camp __]? No.
Also here at [Camp __] we do some of the same things that we do back home in [___]. We eat our meals, we sleep, we play, and we worship God.
Where do we worship God back in [___]? (Let them answer.) At church. Now we're worshiping God at [Camp __], but we don't have any church building. What do we do when we worship God out here with no building? (Wait for them to answer.) We sing, we pray, we listen to the Bible being read.
God is here at [Camp __] just as he's with us in our church building in [___]. Wherever we Christians get together, we can worship God.
