Tag Archives: John

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Fourth Sunday of Easter, 1 Peter 2:19-25 (and John 10:1-10), May 11, 2014

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Prepare:  Find a picture of someone who fought (or is fighting for) human rights – like Martin Luther King Jr., or Nelson Mandela.  I will use Martin Luther King as my example here, but it really doesn’t matter too much who you choose.

20130822-223520.jpg  Have your picture out as the children gather, and ask if any of them know who is in the picture.  If they know who it is, ask them why this person is important.

FaithCross That’s right, this is Martin Luther King.  He wanted equal rights for African Americans.  He tried very hard to be peaceful and kind, but he was also sure that he was doing the right thing.  There were people who were very angry with him for the things that he was saying and for the changes that he wanted people to make in their lives.  He knew that we should treat all people the as beloved children of God.  No one is less of a person than anyone else because they are a boy or a girl, or because their skin is light or dark, or their hair is straight of curly.  We all belong to God.

The sad part of this story is that Martin Luther King was treated badly.  He was arrested, he was beat up, he was yelled at and eventually he was even killed because he knew what was the right thing to do, and he kept doing it.

I thought of Martin Luther King when I reading from 1 Peter.  In that letter, Peter (or maybe Peter’s followers) write that even if it is scary we should keep doing what we know is right, even if we get in trouble for doing it.

Now wait a minute . . . you really have to think about this!  If you’re hungry, is it right to go take all the cookies out of the cookie jar, or steal someone’s lunch?  Is it pushing someone out the way because you are late?  No, doing the right thing is acting with love!  So, instead of taking someone else’s food when you are hungry, it is sharing or giving your food to someone else who is hungry, too.  Instead of pushing someone out of your way, it is stopping to help someone who needs it even if you are going to be later because you stop.

Sometimes acting with love can be the hardest thing to do, too.  Acting with love might mean getting on the bad side of a bully because you help someone who is being bullied, or tell a teacher or adult about the bully.  Acting with love means giving food or help to someone who is homeless even if other people what to ignore them.

At the end of this little passage from 1 Peter, we hear that even if we mess up, Jesus always welcomes us back.  Even when we don’t always act with Love, there is a place for us with Jesus.

20130822-223749.jpg   Loving God, help us to love one another the way that you love us.  Help us to see the ways to act with love and kindness in everything that we do, and forgive us when we mess up and forget to be loving.  Amen.

20130822-223908.jpg  Send them out with a traditional Easter greeting!  You say, “Christ is risen!”  They respond, “Christ is risen indeed!”

 

~GB

Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Second Sunday of Easter, John 20:19-31, April 27, 2014

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Prepare:  Bring a digital camera or your phone – something that will let you take a picture of the children and show them the picture (a tablet with camera would be ideal).  Also bring a stuffed animal, you will need someone to hold the animal secretly in the background of the picture, so make sure you have that set up in advance, don’t let the children see the animal!

20130822-223520.jpg  Gather the children together and take a group picture, make sure they are looking at you and that you can get the stuffed elephant in the frame of the picture behind them.  Odds are good that at least one of them will want to see the picture, but if no one asks to see it, then start saying how great it is.  As soon as one of them asks to see it, gently tell them no, tell them that it is a great shot, they will just have to trust you.  Then take it over to another adult in the room and show them, and get them to say that it’s a great picture, but still refuse to show the children.  Then put the camera/phone away.

FaithCross  So, do you believe me that it was a good picture?  I even have a second opinion!  It must be good, right?  But you still want to see, don’t you?

That is kind of what happens in the Gospel story today.  Jesus shows up and talks to his friends, but one of them, Thomas, isn’t there.  We don’t really know where Thomas was, but he was not with the others when Jesus appeared to them.  When the other disciples tell Thomas that they saw Jesus he say, “I don’t believe it.  And I won’t believe it unless I can see him with my own eyes, unless I can touch the places where he was injured.”  This is a little different than you trusting that the picture was a good one, it would be like me saying that there was an elephant in the background of the picture I just took.  Would you believe that?  No, you would have known if there was an elephant in the room, right?  And if there had been an elephant in the room, and you told your friends at school they wouldn’t believe you either, right?  They would want to come and see the elephant, just like Thomas wanted to see Jesus!

The good news for Thomas is that Jesus does come back, and Thomas does get to see and touch and experience Jesus.  Then Jesus says, “blessed are those who have NOT seen and still believe.”  Jesus isn’t really saying that Thomas was wrong for what he wanted.  Jesus is saying that Thomas got an amazing gift that almost no one else will ever get – the chance to touch Jesus!  We believe without Jesus appearing to us, we believe without touching Jesus hands and feet.  Thomas was blessed with the experience of Jesus alive in front of him, we are blessed because we believe in the risen Christ without proof we can see or touch.

So, what about that elephant in the picture?  Do you believe that there was an elephant in the picture?

Let’s take a look . . .

FaithCross_PrayALT    Living God, we are blessed with your love for us, we are blessed in our believe and, like Thomas, in our unbelief.  Teach us to trust in your love and grace in all things.  Amen.

FaithCross_BlessALT  Send them out with a traditional Easter greeting!  You say, “Christ is risen!”  They respond, “Christ is risen indeed!”

 

~GB

Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Lent 5A John 11: 1-44

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Preparation:  a rope or string that you can tie around your wrists loosely, Lazarus Painting/picture (see link below for one, you can also google it and look in images)

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Gather the children with you.  Show them your bound wrists. Say, “Hmm, I seem to have a problem here….. ummm… My hands are somehow tied up here… do you think anyone can help me?” Let the kids help or plant an older child to help them get you free. You can also tie up someone else’s hands and find ways to work together with the children to unbind that person.

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“Whew, that was not easy but thank you for helping me. You know we just heard that story about Lazarus and Jesus. Lazarus had died and when someone died in that time period they were wrapped up (show a picture of this if possible–here is a link to one: Lazarus painting). See how he is wrapped up in cloth and there are people around him? Well I noticed that Jesus did tell Lazarus to get up or rise, he told him to come out of the tomb, which was like a cave, and then Jesus told the people there to unbind him and let him go. Jesus was there to call Lazarus back from the dead, but Jesus also asked his friends and family to participate, to help in freeing Lazarus. So I was thinking… there are lots of things that can bind us up–maybe not exactly like a rope around our wrists, but things in life that may be hard, make us feel bad or make us think that we are not good enough or loved enough. What do you think, do you have things that ever make your heart or your mind feel like they are bound up? (take answers but help them along) Yes, things like missing someone we love, or having a big test, or something hard happening with our family or friends. It may even make our stomachs feel tight or our hearts sad. You know, Jesus says something else in this story. He says I am the resurrection and I am the life. That is Jesus’ promise, that we have life and love and healing in him no matter what is happening in our lives. So all those things that can bind us up–they can’t keep us bound. Jesus brings us new life over and over again. And Jesus sends other people into our lives to help us to be unbound–like our family and friends who love us, hug us when we are hurting and help us when things are hard. And sometimes Jesus asks us to be those people for others too. And this is a promise from God too, that no matter what is holding on to us, we are free to know God’s love and to love others.

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Let’s pray, “Jesus, you set us free in love to know you and to love others. Help us to pray to about the things that bind us up and help us to remember your love surrounds us at all times. Amen”

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God in my head, God in my heart, God on my left, God on my right + (do this while making the sign of the cross and showing kids how to join in with you if you have not done this before)

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon 2nd Sunday in Christmas, John 1:10:18, Ephesians 1:3-14, and/or Jeremiah 31:7-14 – January 5, 2014

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Prepare:  Bring a beautifully wrapped box.  There doesn’t need to be anything in it, it is just a visual aid. However, if you wanted to you could have a small baptismal remembrance in the box for each child.  Maybe a small shell, or a dove.  It would be a fun addition, but it is not necessary.

20130822-223454.jpg  Welcome the children with a big “Merry Christmas!”  You may get a few strange looks or “Christmas is over” comments, but that is exactly what you want.

FaithCross  What do you mean Christmas is over?  We still have one more day, today!  This is the last day of the Christmas season – it is the twelfth day of Christmas, just like that song, The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Do you know that song?  I can’t always remember all the gifts that were given in the song, but I do remember that a gift was given for each day of Christmas.  (This is where you would have the gift box out.)  I have a box here all wrapped up like a Christmas gift.  Maybe you got gifts on Christmas, I know that I got a few.

Maybe you are wondering why we are talking about Christmas gifts here?  Well, it’s because all of the readings from the Bible today talk about an amazing gift that God gives to each of us.  God adopts each one of us as God’s children.  Each of us are loved, forgiven, given God’s mercy, accepted by God for who we are.  God sets aside any and all bad things that we have done and loves us more than any of us could imagine.

Wow!  What a gift!  Now, what are you going to do with that gift?  Think about it – What did you do with your other Christmas gifts?  I, for example, got some new pants (ok, insert a gift that you got here) and I am going to wear them!  I might even point them out to people, “Hey, check out these great new pants!”  Well . . . maybe I won’t point them out to everybody, that might be a little weird . . .

Some of you might have gotten Legos, and I bet you will build them and show them to your parents and friends and aunts and uncles.  Some of you might have a new doll or toy truck – I bet you will play with that and take it with you friends houses.  Or maybe you got a new game or a bike!  You will probably play with all of them.

So, what will you do with God’s gift?  Will you keep it a secret?  Will you hide it and not let anyone know that God loves you?  Or will you share God’s amazing love and forgiveness with others?

(If you did bring a reminder for each child hand it out now)

Here is a little reminder that you are loved by God.  Take this with you and share God’s love with everyone you meet!

FaithCross_PrayALT  Loving God, we praise you for your generous gift of love and forgiveness.  We thank you for the grace that gives us another chance when we don’t get things right, and we thank you for the love that surrounds us when we are sad or afraid.  Help us to share your love and grace throughout our lives.  Amen

FaithCross_BlessALT  May God’s Word shine a light into your life today and always.

~GB

Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Christmas Day, John 1:1-14, December 25, 2013

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Prepare:  You will need a nativity set with all the pieces!

20130822-223520.jpg  Tell them that today we get to hear the Christmas story from the Gospel of John, then read John 1:1-5.  Feel free to make the language a little more “child friendly,” like changing “testify” to “talk about,” or something like that.

FaithCross  Huh.  That’s a funny Christmas story.  Let’s see here, I brought a Nativity set to help me tell the story, but I’m not sure that any of these pieces are in the story that I just read.  (Take the pieces out of the nativity scene as you mention them.)  I didn’t hear about wise men, or shepherds.  There wasn’t an angel, either.  Mary and Joseph weren’t there.  I didn’t even hear about a baby!  Well, I guess I brought the wrong things to tell the story today . . . wait, let’s read a little further in the story.  (Read John 1:6-14)

Did you hear that?  The Word of God became flesh and lived among us!  That sounds like a baby to me!  Let’s put the baby back then.  When we talk about the Word of God we often think of stories.  Well, before we had so many books people had to remember stories so that they wouldn’t get lost.  And babies need people to remember them so that they can get food and be taken care of and not get lost, so let’s put Mary and Joseph back.

What good is a story if it doesn’t get told?  That’s the best way to learn a story, right?  To hear someone tell it and then tell it back?  Just like the angels told the story with their song!  And who did they tell?  A story needs to be heard, right?  That’s right, they told the shepherds.  So I guess we should put the angel and the shepherds back, too!

Alright, now all the people here know the story, but they all live here.  What this story needs is someone to help spread it around.  I wonder who we could find to come hear the story and then take it with them?  The wise men!  That’s it!  Three people from a far away land who came to see and hear and who will take the story with them to their homes.

Look!  Out Nativity set is complete again!  And you thought that this wasn’t a Christmas story!

20130822-223749.jpg  Word of God, teach us the stories of our faith, be always on lips and always burning in our hearts.  Be with as we hear the story again and again, and give us the courage to tell the story again and again.  Amen

FaithCross_BlessALT  May God’s Word shine a light into your life today and always.

~GB

Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.