Under His Shadow
Children's sermon
Ants Work Best Together
31 Object Lessons from Nature
Object:
a clutch of chicks (Borrow these -- they are not disposable. For showing them, I recommend a wire cage or an old aquarium. Cover it to begin the lesson.) *Note: a box of antibacterial wipes should be on hand for those children who touch the chicks, to avoid any potential diseases.
Scripture: Matthew 23:37
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Material: a clutch of chicks (Borrow these -- they are not disposable. For showing them, I recommend a wire cage or an old aquarium. Cover it to begin the lesson.) *Note: a box of antibacterial wipes should be on hand for those children who touch the chicks, to avoid any potential diseases.
Listen, boys and girls. Do you hear something? (listen intently) I have our classroom visitors under this cover. Can you guess who they are? (allow time for guessing and then uncover the chicks) You are right. I brought some little, baby chickens to class this morning! (talk about the chicks: how old they are and where you got them)
Now, these chicks, like all chicks, were hatched from eggs. If we were out on the farm, the mother hen would have been sitting on her eggs. Then, when the chicks hatched out, she would have taught them how to scratch in the dirt for food (imitate), how to drink water from a dish or a puddle (imitate), and all sorts of other things. But the most important thing the mother hen would teach these chicks is this: how to stay warm and safe.
The mother hen has a special place where her chicks will always be warm and safe. Do you know where that place is? It is under her wings. She clucks a special cluck and all the little chicks come running. Then she ruffles up her feathers and the little chicks snuggle up next to her softest place; right under the shadow of those wings.
God wants to be like a mother hen to us, boys and girls. He calls us every day and he wants us to come running. God wants us to stay close to him, snuggled in the shadow of his wings.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Material: a clutch of chicks (Borrow these -- they are not disposable. For showing them, I recommend a wire cage or an old aquarium. Cover it to begin the lesson.) *Note: a box of antibacterial wipes should be on hand for those children who touch the chicks, to avoid any potential diseases.
Listen, boys and girls. Do you hear something? (listen intently) I have our classroom visitors under this cover. Can you guess who they are? (allow time for guessing and then uncover the chicks) You are right. I brought some little, baby chickens to class this morning! (talk about the chicks: how old they are and where you got them)
Now, these chicks, like all chicks, were hatched from eggs. If we were out on the farm, the mother hen would have been sitting on her eggs. Then, when the chicks hatched out, she would have taught them how to scratch in the dirt for food (imitate), how to drink water from a dish or a puddle (imitate), and all sorts of other things. But the most important thing the mother hen would teach these chicks is this: how to stay warm and safe.
The mother hen has a special place where her chicks will always be warm and safe. Do you know where that place is? It is under her wings. She clucks a special cluck and all the little chicks come running. Then she ruffles up her feathers and the little chicks snuggle up next to her softest place; right under the shadow of those wings.
God wants to be like a mother hen to us, boys and girls. He calls us every day and he wants us to come running. God wants us to stay close to him, snuggled in the shadow of his wings.
