You Have To Work At It
Children's sermon
Children's Sermons A To Z
Exegetical Aim: The effort involved in loving God and one another.
Props: None. This sermon may need some adaptation if you have a large sanctuary; however, the sermon is designed to create commotion within the congregation and the closer to which this is allowed the better the effect. Especially if the reading of John 21:1--19 or 15--19 immediately follows.
Lesson: When the children are settled: I have a question for you this morning, "Do you love your mom and dad?" (response) Get as many children to answer as possible. If you love them, I want you to go to them and hug them and come right back. If your mom or dad is not here, then go hug the person who brought you here. As the children return and are getting settled: I have another question for you, "Do you truly love your mom and dad?" (response) Then, I want you to go to them and hug them and come right back. If they pause and look at you a bit dumb--founded, urge them on. Go on! As they return and before they get settled again: Now wait, before you sit down I've got one more question for you, "Do you really really love your mom and dad?" (response) Then, I want you to go hug your mom and dad and come right back.
Application: You may sit down this time. I wanted to make sure that you really did love your mom and dad. It's not enough just to hug them once. Loving takes a lot of work. Was that hard work? Going three times, hugging three times, and coming back? (response) Really loving people is hard work. Every day we need to tell our mom and dad and our sisters and brothers how much we care for them. Tomorrow, sometime, when you're playing with your toys, stop what you're doing and go find your mom or your dad and hug them. Will you do that? (response) Good! Let's put some work in our love.
Let's Pray: Dear Lord, help us to work hard at loving one another. Amen.
?
Easter 3
Acts 9:1--6 (7--20)
A Chosen Vessel
Exegetical Aim: To show that God uses unlikely people for his work.
Props: A designer vase with a small mouth, one very plain (maybe even ugly) vase with a larger mouth, and a number of wrapped flowers that can only fit in the plain container (because of the size of the bouquet).
Lesson: I have some very nice things to show you this morning. What are these? Show the vases. (response) Pick up the designer vase. This vase is very pretty, isn't it? What do you see on the vase? (response) Discuss the intricacies of the vase, and tell a story of its meaning to the family, or of something that gives it value. Now pick up the plain vase. Do you like this vase? (response) No, it's not as pretty as the first one.
Now pull out the flowers. When your dad gives flowers to your mom - and that does happen, doesn't it? (response) - or when you pick her some flowers, in what does she put the flowers? (response) A vase kind of like this one. What else does she put in the vase? (response) That's right, flowers can't survive without water. Well, we need a very special place to put our flowers - in which vase do you think your mom would put the flowers? (one hopes most children will pick the designer vase) Try putting the flowers in. They won't fit! What are we going to do? Oh, you think they'll fit in this vase? (response) But it's so plain. (response) Well, what do you know! They fit perfectly. That doesn't look so bad after all.
Application: It turns out that the best container for the flowers was the one that no one wanted to choose. Something similar happened to Saint Paul. He was someone that Christians didn't trust, and many didn't like him. But God chose him to be a special carrier of the message of Christ. God has a way of using anybody who wants to serve him. It doesn't matter if you are the strongest, or the smartest, or the prettiest. What does matter is that you love God, and know that God can use you. So, if this plain container can carry these beautiful flowers, and if Saint Paul can be a messenger of God's word, so can God use any of us to tell his message and carry his love to other people.
Let's Pray: God, thank you for making us the way we are, and thank you for using us to carry your message no matter who we are. We love you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
?
Props: None. This sermon may need some adaptation if you have a large sanctuary; however, the sermon is designed to create commotion within the congregation and the closer to which this is allowed the better the effect. Especially if the reading of John 21:1--19 or 15--19 immediately follows.
Lesson: When the children are settled: I have a question for you this morning, "Do you love your mom and dad?" (response) Get as many children to answer as possible. If you love them, I want you to go to them and hug them and come right back. If your mom or dad is not here, then go hug the person who brought you here. As the children return and are getting settled: I have another question for you, "Do you truly love your mom and dad?" (response) Then, I want you to go to them and hug them and come right back. If they pause and look at you a bit dumb--founded, urge them on. Go on! As they return and before they get settled again: Now wait, before you sit down I've got one more question for you, "Do you really really love your mom and dad?" (response) Then, I want you to go hug your mom and dad and come right back.
Application: You may sit down this time. I wanted to make sure that you really did love your mom and dad. It's not enough just to hug them once. Loving takes a lot of work. Was that hard work? Going three times, hugging three times, and coming back? (response) Really loving people is hard work. Every day we need to tell our mom and dad and our sisters and brothers how much we care for them. Tomorrow, sometime, when you're playing with your toys, stop what you're doing and go find your mom or your dad and hug them. Will you do that? (response) Good! Let's put some work in our love.
Let's Pray: Dear Lord, help us to work hard at loving one another. Amen.
?
Easter 3
Acts 9:1--6 (7--20)
A Chosen Vessel
Exegetical Aim: To show that God uses unlikely people for his work.
Props: A designer vase with a small mouth, one very plain (maybe even ugly) vase with a larger mouth, and a number of wrapped flowers that can only fit in the plain container (because of the size of the bouquet).
Lesson: I have some very nice things to show you this morning. What are these? Show the vases. (response) Pick up the designer vase. This vase is very pretty, isn't it? What do you see on the vase? (response) Discuss the intricacies of the vase, and tell a story of its meaning to the family, or of something that gives it value. Now pick up the plain vase. Do you like this vase? (response) No, it's not as pretty as the first one.
Now pull out the flowers. When your dad gives flowers to your mom - and that does happen, doesn't it? (response) - or when you pick her some flowers, in what does she put the flowers? (response) A vase kind of like this one. What else does she put in the vase? (response) That's right, flowers can't survive without water. Well, we need a very special place to put our flowers - in which vase do you think your mom would put the flowers? (one hopes most children will pick the designer vase) Try putting the flowers in. They won't fit! What are we going to do? Oh, you think they'll fit in this vase? (response) But it's so plain. (response) Well, what do you know! They fit perfectly. That doesn't look so bad after all.
Application: It turns out that the best container for the flowers was the one that no one wanted to choose. Something similar happened to Saint Paul. He was someone that Christians didn't trust, and many didn't like him. But God chose him to be a special carrier of the message of Christ. God has a way of using anybody who wants to serve him. It doesn't matter if you are the strongest, or the smartest, or the prettiest. What does matter is that you love God, and know that God can use you. So, if this plain container can carry these beautiful flowers, and if Saint Paul can be a messenger of God's word, so can God use any of us to tell his message and carry his love to other people.
Let's Pray: God, thank you for making us the way we are, and thank you for using us to carry your message no matter who we are. We love you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
?
