Share Your Crayons
Children's sermon
THE BIG INFLUENCE OF SMALL THINGS
Exegetical Aim: If we give our life to God, he will give life back to us.
Props: A new box of large crayons, a tray to dump the crayons on, and one sheet of paper for each child present. Put the tray in the middle of the children.
Lesson: Good morning. (response) Look what I have! Show the new box of crayons to the children. And they are all mine. I wonder how many crayons I have? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 144 crayons! Wow, that's a lot of crayons and they're all mine. Hold up the paper. How many pictures can I draw? Count the pieces of paper. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Ten pictures. I can draw ten pictures with my crayons and my ten pieces of paper.
But ... I can't draw that many pictures by myself. What am I going to do with all this paper and all these crayons? (response) If the children do not suggest that they can help, then lead them to this conclusion by counting the children. The number of children should correspond to the number of pieces of paper. What can I do? I have ten sheets of paper and 1, 2, 3, 4 ... and 10 children. Ten pieces of paper and ten children? What should I do? (response) You mean give away my papers and my crayons? (response) To you? (response) Well, okay we will see. Dump the crayons onto the tray in an attempt to create commotion. Here is some paper. Everybody take a piece of paper and let's all draw a quick picture. Get any color you want.
Application: When they are done. Now how many pictures do I have? Hold them up so I can see them. Your pictures look great! Collect the pictures. Look at all these pictures I have now. Why do I have so many pictures? (repeat) That's right. Because I let you use the crayons to draw. Jesus said just what you said; he said, "If I try to hold onto my life I will lose it, but if I will give it to him he will make something great with it."
I think Jesus was saying that if we give our pieces of paper to God, he will draw a picture and give it back to us. Often times the picture that God draws is very different than the ones we would draw, but the picture is always beautiful.
Let's Pray: God, we give you our lives knowing that when you take them you use them like these children have used these crayons. You fill them with your colors and give us so much more in return. Amen.
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Proper 7
Romans 6:1b--11
A New Walk
Exegetical Aim: Walking with Christ in newness of life.
Props: A crutch adjusted to its lowest level.
Lesson: Hold the crutch as if you are using it. Good morning. What am I using? (response) Have any of you ever used a crutch? Let one or two briefly tell of their experience. Did it affect the way that you walked? (response) Who can show us how to walk with a crutch? (response) Allow one of the children to try walking with the crutch. Does it look like it is an easy thing to walk with a crutch? (response) Why not? (response) Ask the volunteer to put down the crutch. What if the person with a hurt leg or foot went to the doctor and the doctor healed the person? Would that person still need the crutch? (response) No! Of course not! How would the person walk if he was healed? (response) You would walk normally because you would have a new walk, wouldn't you? Ask the volunteer to walk normally back to the group.
Application: The Bible says that we can walk in newness of life because of Jesus' love that he showed for us by dying on the cross. What that means is this. Jesus died on the cross point to a cross in the sanctuary to save us from our sins. Every person has sin in his or her life, because we don't always do what God wants us to do. And that sin hurts us inside hold up the crutch. But when we love God for what he has done for us through Jesus, we are not hurt anymore inside. And just like the person whose leg is healed can walk with a good walk, those who believe in Jesus can have a new walk in our hearts. In other words, when we look to God in faith put the crutch on the ground, he will make everything okay again. So always trust God, and walk in his way.
Let's Pray: Dear God, thank you for giving us a new walk through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
?
Props: A new box of large crayons, a tray to dump the crayons on, and one sheet of paper for each child present. Put the tray in the middle of the children.
Lesson: Good morning. (response) Look what I have! Show the new box of crayons to the children. And they are all mine. I wonder how many crayons I have? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 144 crayons! Wow, that's a lot of crayons and they're all mine. Hold up the paper. How many pictures can I draw? Count the pieces of paper. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Ten pictures. I can draw ten pictures with my crayons and my ten pieces of paper.
But ... I can't draw that many pictures by myself. What am I going to do with all this paper and all these crayons? (response) If the children do not suggest that they can help, then lead them to this conclusion by counting the children. The number of children should correspond to the number of pieces of paper. What can I do? I have ten sheets of paper and 1, 2, 3, 4 ... and 10 children. Ten pieces of paper and ten children? What should I do? (response) You mean give away my papers and my crayons? (response) To you? (response) Well, okay we will see. Dump the crayons onto the tray in an attempt to create commotion. Here is some paper. Everybody take a piece of paper and let's all draw a quick picture. Get any color you want.
Application: When they are done. Now how many pictures do I have? Hold them up so I can see them. Your pictures look great! Collect the pictures. Look at all these pictures I have now. Why do I have so many pictures? (repeat) That's right. Because I let you use the crayons to draw. Jesus said just what you said; he said, "If I try to hold onto my life I will lose it, but if I will give it to him he will make something great with it."
I think Jesus was saying that if we give our pieces of paper to God, he will draw a picture and give it back to us. Often times the picture that God draws is very different than the ones we would draw, but the picture is always beautiful.
Let's Pray: God, we give you our lives knowing that when you take them you use them like these children have used these crayons. You fill them with your colors and give us so much more in return. Amen.
?
Proper 7
Romans 6:1b--11
A New Walk
Exegetical Aim: Walking with Christ in newness of life.
Props: A crutch adjusted to its lowest level.
Lesson: Hold the crutch as if you are using it. Good morning. What am I using? (response) Have any of you ever used a crutch? Let one or two briefly tell of their experience. Did it affect the way that you walked? (response) Who can show us how to walk with a crutch? (response) Allow one of the children to try walking with the crutch. Does it look like it is an easy thing to walk with a crutch? (response) Why not? (response) Ask the volunteer to put down the crutch. What if the person with a hurt leg or foot went to the doctor and the doctor healed the person? Would that person still need the crutch? (response) No! Of course not! How would the person walk if he was healed? (response) You would walk normally because you would have a new walk, wouldn't you? Ask the volunteer to walk normally back to the group.
Application: The Bible says that we can walk in newness of life because of Jesus' love that he showed for us by dying on the cross. What that means is this. Jesus died on the cross point to a cross in the sanctuary to save us from our sins. Every person has sin in his or her life, because we don't always do what God wants us to do. And that sin hurts us inside hold up the crutch. But when we love God for what he has done for us through Jesus, we are not hurt anymore inside. And just like the person whose leg is healed can walk with a good walk, those who believe in Jesus can have a new walk in our hearts. In other words, when we look to God in faith put the crutch on the ground, he will make everything okay again. So always trust God, and walk in his way.
Let's Pray: Dear God, thank you for giving us a new walk through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
?
