Sin Is An Ugly Matter
Children's sermon
THE BIG INFLUENCE OF SMALL THINGS
Exegetical Aim: Sin marks us.
Props: Water--soluble black felt pen and a damp rag.
Lesson: Using the felt pen, make a big mark on your forehead while the children come forward. You want them to see you doing this as they approach. Good morning. I have a question for you. How many of you know what sin is? (response) Sin is when we do things that are wrong, things that disappoint God and hurt other people. Can anyone give me an example of a sin? (response) How many of you here today have brothers and sisters? Do you ever get angry with them? (response) Why? (response) What do you do when someone hurts you or your friends? (response)
As you say the following "tattle--tells" make a mark on the forehead of each boy and girl. This act is intended to be a surprise. When we get hurt by someone, most of us tattle--tell. We say, "Mom, look at what Dawn did to me." Make a mark. "Did you see Richard hit me?" Make a mark. "He's mean." Make a mark. "Dad, Judy took some stuff from my room without asking." Make a mark. "He broke the window." Make a mark. "He took my cookies." Make a mark. Sin is an ugly matter. You may be right. Judy might have done those bad things and Richard might have been mean. Those are ugly things to do, but you make things even uglier when you complain and tattle--tell on others. It's like making a big mark on them. Instead of tattle--telling, what do think you should do? (response)
Application: Jesus tells us that if we have something against our brother or sister, we should talk to them about it. With the cloth, and as you speak the following words, wash the mark off each forehead. We should try to solve the problem rather than telling everyone else. We should talk to people who hurt us and try to fix the problem. Jesus said, "If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him what he did wrong, and if he listens to you, then you have won your brother back." It is like taking a cloth and washing away the mark of sin. It makes everybody wash the mark off your own forehead feel better.
Let's Pray: Dear Lord, when someone hurts us, teach us to talk with one another and work out the differences. Wash the mark of sin from our lives and the lives of others. Amen.
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Proper 18
Romans 13:8--14
Wake Up!
Exegetical Aim: The urgency of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Props: A Bible, an alarm clock, and a microphone with sound system if possible.
Lesson: This morning, I want everyone to act as though you are sleeping. Close your eyes. You may lie down on the floor if you wish. Let me hear you snoring. (response) Good job! Now I want you to keep sleeping and snoring until you hear something that wakes you up. Allow about ten seconds to go by quietly, and then set the alarm clock off. If you have a microphone and sound system, use it to amplify the sound of the alarm so that it is loud. If any of the children are snoring, catch it with the microphone before you set off the alarm. Are you all awake now? How many of you like to wake up in the morning? (response) How many of you like to lay in the bed and sleep, and find it hard to get up sometimes? (response) Me, too. How many of you can get up easier if you know that you're going to do something really neat that day? (response)
Let's do this again. I want everyone to close your eyes and lay down again. Is everyone asleep? (response) I can't hear you snoring! (response) Now it's Monday morning and when you hear the alarm go off, you have to get up and get ready for school. I want you to show me how you get up in the morning to go to school. Set off the alarm.
Let's do this one more time. Lie down and close your eyes. Is everyone asleep? (response) Where's the snoring! (response) Now it's Saturday morning and we are all going to the zoo. When you hear the alarm go off, you have to get up and get ready. I want you to show me how you get up in the morning to go to the zoo. Set off the alarm.
Application: There are some things we wake up for and there other things we just don't feel like waking up for. The Apostle Paul understood this and he said that we should wake up and be good boys and girls. We should wake up and behave decently. Let us not fall asleep and be disobedient. Let us wake up and love our neighbors. Let's not fall asleep and be jealous because someone has something and we don't. Paul says we should wake up because the day is dawning and the night is almost gone. He was saying that God is very close. He is coming. He is right around the corner and we need to live good lives.
Let's Pray: Lord I know that at times we want to sleep. But wake us up. Wake us up, for our salvation is closer than when we first believed. While their heads are still bowed in prayer, set off the alarm right here. Be prepared to do this without any kind of pause in between the end of the third sentence of this prayer and the alarm. You want to punctuate the prayer with the alarm. Use the microphone again if possible. When the alarm ends: Wake up in Christ's name. Amen.
?
Props: Water--soluble black felt pen and a damp rag.
Lesson: Using the felt pen, make a big mark on your forehead while the children come forward. You want them to see you doing this as they approach. Good morning. I have a question for you. How many of you know what sin is? (response) Sin is when we do things that are wrong, things that disappoint God and hurt other people. Can anyone give me an example of a sin? (response) How many of you here today have brothers and sisters? Do you ever get angry with them? (response) Why? (response) What do you do when someone hurts you or your friends? (response)
As you say the following "tattle--tells" make a mark on the forehead of each boy and girl. This act is intended to be a surprise. When we get hurt by someone, most of us tattle--tell. We say, "Mom, look at what Dawn did to me." Make a mark. "Did you see Richard hit me?" Make a mark. "He's mean." Make a mark. "Dad, Judy took some stuff from my room without asking." Make a mark. "He broke the window." Make a mark. "He took my cookies." Make a mark. Sin is an ugly matter. You may be right. Judy might have done those bad things and Richard might have been mean. Those are ugly things to do, but you make things even uglier when you complain and tattle--tell on others. It's like making a big mark on them. Instead of tattle--telling, what do think you should do? (response)
Application: Jesus tells us that if we have something against our brother or sister, we should talk to them about it. With the cloth, and as you speak the following words, wash the mark off each forehead. We should try to solve the problem rather than telling everyone else. We should talk to people who hurt us and try to fix the problem. Jesus said, "If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him what he did wrong, and if he listens to you, then you have won your brother back." It is like taking a cloth and washing away the mark of sin. It makes everybody wash the mark off your own forehead feel better.
Let's Pray: Dear Lord, when someone hurts us, teach us to talk with one another and work out the differences. Wash the mark of sin from our lives and the lives of others. Amen.
?
Proper 18
Romans 13:8--14
Wake Up!
Exegetical Aim: The urgency of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Props: A Bible, an alarm clock, and a microphone with sound system if possible.
Lesson: This morning, I want everyone to act as though you are sleeping. Close your eyes. You may lie down on the floor if you wish. Let me hear you snoring. (response) Good job! Now I want you to keep sleeping and snoring until you hear something that wakes you up. Allow about ten seconds to go by quietly, and then set the alarm clock off. If you have a microphone and sound system, use it to amplify the sound of the alarm so that it is loud. If any of the children are snoring, catch it with the microphone before you set off the alarm. Are you all awake now? How many of you like to wake up in the morning? (response) How many of you like to lay in the bed and sleep, and find it hard to get up sometimes? (response) Me, too. How many of you can get up easier if you know that you're going to do something really neat that day? (response)
Let's do this again. I want everyone to close your eyes and lay down again. Is everyone asleep? (response) I can't hear you snoring! (response) Now it's Monday morning and when you hear the alarm go off, you have to get up and get ready for school. I want you to show me how you get up in the morning to go to school. Set off the alarm.
Let's do this one more time. Lie down and close your eyes. Is everyone asleep? (response) Where's the snoring! (response) Now it's Saturday morning and we are all going to the zoo. When you hear the alarm go off, you have to get up and get ready. I want you to show me how you get up in the morning to go to the zoo. Set off the alarm.
Application: There are some things we wake up for and there other things we just don't feel like waking up for. The Apostle Paul understood this and he said that we should wake up and be good boys and girls. We should wake up and behave decently. Let us not fall asleep and be disobedient. Let us wake up and love our neighbors. Let's not fall asleep and be jealous because someone has something and we don't. Paul says we should wake up because the day is dawning and the night is almost gone. He was saying that God is very close. He is coming. He is right around the corner and we need to live good lives.
Let's Pray: Lord I know that at times we want to sleep. But wake us up. Wake us up, for our salvation is closer than when we first believed. While their heads are still bowed in prayer, set off the alarm right here. Be prepared to do this without any kind of pause in between the end of the third sentence of this prayer and the alarm. You want to punctuate the prayer with the alarm. Use the microphone again if possible. When the alarm ends: Wake up in Christ's name. Amen.
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