The Shortest Distance Between Two Points
Children's sermon
Children's Sermons A To Z
Exegetical Aim: We should allow God direct access to our lives. Key verse: 5b.
Props: Large map of your city, state, or country, and two large washable markers of different colors. One should be red. The red should easily overpower the other color. Unfold the map and place it on the ground before the children arrive. Have them sit around it. Make sure the markers are not permanent.
Lesson: Good morning! (response) I want everyone to sit around our piece of paper. What is this? (a map) Does anyone know what it is a map of? (response) That's right it is a map of the city. Can any of you find your home? Allow time for them to search. What about the church? Can anyone find the church? Allow them to search. I am going to help you find the church. The church is right here. What are all these lines on the map? (streets) Show them the streets that surround the church and a couple of landmarks in the neighborhood.
There is one more thing I want you to try to find. Can anyone find the zoo? (response) You could also pick three or four landmarks on the four corners of the map from which various teams can start. The museum, the park, and the McDonald's are other possibilities. This is not a race. You are letting them carefully and exactly trace the paths between the church and the landmarks.
I want you to take this marker and follow the streets drawing a path from the zoo to the church. A majority of time may be spent here. When they are done: Show me how to get to the zoo. It really took a lot of twists and turns to get to the zoo. How many turns did you have to make? (response) The roads are really crooked, aren't they? (response) I have a question for you. If you were going to build a quick road between the zoo and the church, how would you build that road? (straight) Here is a red marker. Show me what that road would look like. A ruler or yard stick to aid in the drawing of the line would help here.
Application: When they are done, hold up the map for everyone to see. Now you can see all the crooked roads and turns we have to take. Have a child show the congregation the crooked path by tracing the path with his/her finger. But if we could, we would make straight roads. Have another child show the straight path. Isaiah, in the Bible, talked about making the crooked roads straight and making the rough ways smooth. He was telling us to get ready for God and to give him a straight road into our lives. We shouldn't make God take a left turn and then a right turn and give him crooked roads to travel. God wants us to open our hearts and let him in right now.
Let's Pray: God, we are going to make straight paths for you to come into our lives. We open our hearts fully to your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Advent 2
Philippians 1:3--11
Abounding Love
Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate that God's desire is for our love to abound more and more.
Props: A pitcher of water, a large glass, and a pan.
Lesson: Good morning. Look at what I have today. Hold up the pitcher of water. I thought that today I might get thirsty, so I brought some water just in case. I think I'm kind of thirsty now, as a matter of fact. Do you mind if I have a drink? (response) Thank you. Bring out the large glass. Do you think that this is big enough to quench my thirst? (response) Good. Well, there's one more thing I had better do before I pour the water. I'm afraid that I might mess up while I am pouring the water. What might happen? (response) Yes, I might spill it. So I'm going to place this pan underneath the glass just in case I spill some. How about that? Here we go. Pour the water slowly into the glass until it is three--quarters of the way full. Do you think that's enough? Maybe I should fill it all the way? (response) Okay, let's fill it all the way. Carefully fill it to the rim without spilling any. There we go. It's full now. Do you think that it can get any fuller? (response) What would happen if I were to pour more water into the cup? (response) Look at the children and begin to pour the water into the glass. Let the water spill out over the edge of the glass into the pan. While you are pouring continue to ask the children what would happen if you poured more water into the cup. This should create some laughing and some squeals. Oops. What happened? (response) Yes, it appears that I poured more water than the glass would hold. But wait a minute. Didn't you tell me to fill the glass? (response) Isn't it still full? (response) Even though the water spilled out of the glass, the glass is still full.
Application: That's the way it is with love. You can never be too full of love. Once you are full of love, what happens to all of the other love inside of you? (response) Yes! It pours out all over the place. Have you ever known someone who was always pouring out love to other people? (response) You know, Jesus was like that, too. When someone is always pouring out love, we say that that person is "abounding" in love. And to be abounding in love, you have to be full of love, don't you? Well, the Apostle Paul told the people in the early church that he wanted them to have a lot of love. He said, "It is my prayer that your love will abound more and more." How can we be filled with love? (response) By letting Jesus fill our hearts. So the next time you see a glass of water, remember that just as water that overflows from a glass still leaves the glass full, love flowing out of us leaves us full of love.
Let's Pray: Lord, fill us up with your love. Amen.
?
Props: Large map of your city, state, or country, and two large washable markers of different colors. One should be red. The red should easily overpower the other color. Unfold the map and place it on the ground before the children arrive. Have them sit around it. Make sure the markers are not permanent.
Lesson: Good morning! (response) I want everyone to sit around our piece of paper. What is this? (a map) Does anyone know what it is a map of? (response) That's right it is a map of the city. Can any of you find your home? Allow time for them to search. What about the church? Can anyone find the church? Allow them to search. I am going to help you find the church. The church is right here. What are all these lines on the map? (streets) Show them the streets that surround the church and a couple of landmarks in the neighborhood.
There is one more thing I want you to try to find. Can anyone find the zoo? (response) You could also pick three or four landmarks on the four corners of the map from which various teams can start. The museum, the park, and the McDonald's are other possibilities. This is not a race. You are letting them carefully and exactly trace the paths between the church and the landmarks.
I want you to take this marker and follow the streets drawing a path from the zoo to the church. A majority of time may be spent here. When they are done: Show me how to get to the zoo. It really took a lot of twists and turns to get to the zoo. How many turns did you have to make? (response) The roads are really crooked, aren't they? (response) I have a question for you. If you were going to build a quick road between the zoo and the church, how would you build that road? (straight) Here is a red marker. Show me what that road would look like. A ruler or yard stick to aid in the drawing of the line would help here.
Application: When they are done, hold up the map for everyone to see. Now you can see all the crooked roads and turns we have to take. Have a child show the congregation the crooked path by tracing the path with his/her finger. But if we could, we would make straight roads. Have another child show the straight path. Isaiah, in the Bible, talked about making the crooked roads straight and making the rough ways smooth. He was telling us to get ready for God and to give him a straight road into our lives. We shouldn't make God take a left turn and then a right turn and give him crooked roads to travel. God wants us to open our hearts and let him in right now.
Let's Pray: God, we are going to make straight paths for you to come into our lives. We open our hearts fully to your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
?
Advent 2
Philippians 1:3--11
Abounding Love
Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate that God's desire is for our love to abound more and more.
Props: A pitcher of water, a large glass, and a pan.
Lesson: Good morning. Look at what I have today. Hold up the pitcher of water. I thought that today I might get thirsty, so I brought some water just in case. I think I'm kind of thirsty now, as a matter of fact. Do you mind if I have a drink? (response) Thank you. Bring out the large glass. Do you think that this is big enough to quench my thirst? (response) Good. Well, there's one more thing I had better do before I pour the water. I'm afraid that I might mess up while I am pouring the water. What might happen? (response) Yes, I might spill it. So I'm going to place this pan underneath the glass just in case I spill some. How about that? Here we go. Pour the water slowly into the glass until it is three--quarters of the way full. Do you think that's enough? Maybe I should fill it all the way? (response) Okay, let's fill it all the way. Carefully fill it to the rim without spilling any. There we go. It's full now. Do you think that it can get any fuller? (response) What would happen if I were to pour more water into the cup? (response) Look at the children and begin to pour the water into the glass. Let the water spill out over the edge of the glass into the pan. While you are pouring continue to ask the children what would happen if you poured more water into the cup. This should create some laughing and some squeals. Oops. What happened? (response) Yes, it appears that I poured more water than the glass would hold. But wait a minute. Didn't you tell me to fill the glass? (response) Isn't it still full? (response) Even though the water spilled out of the glass, the glass is still full.
Application: That's the way it is with love. You can never be too full of love. Once you are full of love, what happens to all of the other love inside of you? (response) Yes! It pours out all over the place. Have you ever known someone who was always pouring out love to other people? (response) You know, Jesus was like that, too. When someone is always pouring out love, we say that that person is "abounding" in love. And to be abounding in love, you have to be full of love, don't you? Well, the Apostle Paul told the people in the early church that he wanted them to have a lot of love. He said, "It is my prayer that your love will abound more and more." How can we be filled with love? (response) By letting Jesus fill our hearts. So the next time you see a glass of water, remember that just as water that overflows from a glass still leaves the glass full, love flowing out of us leaves us full of love.
Let's Pray: Lord, fill us up with your love. Amen.
?
