NOTE: This children’s sermon could be adapted for many different Sundays and readings.
Faith+Open: Find a way to enter into the worship space that gives you a little time to walk before you invite the children to join you. Sing “Zippity Do Dah” as you walk in. Here’s a link to a youtube video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcxYwwIL5zQ
Faith+Share: Have you ever heard that song before? Uncle Remis, the character that sang that song, was singing it as a prayer of thanks for a beautiful day. Well, I have a prayer that I call the “Zippity Do Dah Prayer” that I think might go well with the readings that we have today. The Zippity Do Dah Prayers is a prayer of thanks for the good things that are happening, like love and hope and joy. It is also a great prayer to help us look at the good things that are happening and help us to let go of some of the bad things.
I thought of it when I read the story about Jesus that we hear today. Jesus is in his hometown and he says things that are true, but that make the people who live there really upset. I mean really upset, they decided that they should throw him off a cliff because they were so mad. Then something amazing happens, Jesus just walks through the angry crowd of people and walks away. He leaves the anger behind him and continues his ministry somewhere else.
Now, the Zippity Do Dah prayer has some important parts. First is the position – prayers often have a special position like folded hands, or kneeling. For this one, you lie down on your back, cross your ankles and put your hands behind your head, like this.
The second thing is that this is a prayer of thanks! No “Lord help me,” just thanks. Thank God for different things, something like, “Good morning, God, I hope you are having a good day. I sure am thankful for . . . “ and fill in what you are thankful for. Then at the end say, “I’ll talk to you again soon, Amen!”
Let’s try it! We’ll all lie down in the prayer position and I’ll start, then we can all say 1 or 2 things that we are thankful for. It’s ok if we all talk at the same time.
Faith+Prayer: (use the prayer, then invite the children to sing “Zippity Do Dah” as they go back to their seats.
Faith+Blessing: Shine with God’s light so that all may see God’s Glory.
Special thanks to my friend Randy Williams for this prayer and the idea to use it as a children’s sermon.
~GB
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