Category Archives: Children’s Sermons

Children’s Sermon 11th Sunday After Pentecost (Lec. 18), Luke 12:13-21 – August 4, 2013

July 25, 2013 gb Leave a comment

Prepare: Bring a toy of some kind. Anything will work. Have the toy out as the children gather. Ask them about their favorite toys, and what toys they would like to have.

The story we hear from the Gospel today is about some people who really, really like things. Kind of like us and the toys that we like, or toys we wish that we had. Jesus says some things that are hard for us to understand, and maybe even harder to do!

It all gets started by a man who is mad at his brother for not sharing. He asks Jesus to make his brother share with him, and Jesus says, sorry, that isn’t really my problem, it is your problem. I’m not here to make your brother share with you. In fact, Jesus says, it isn’t really something you should worry about either. He wanted his brother to give him half of his money (Ok, it’s more complicated than this, but we are talking to children. Feel free to tell more of the story if you want) and the brother wouldn’t do it. Jesus told him that he was worrying about stuff, and he was ruining his friendship with his brother because he wanted more stuff.

I think that most of us do that sometimes. We see things that we want that belong to other people and we want those things so much that we don’t think about how upset or angry we are making other people. Jesus says that the amount of stuff that we collect doesn’t really matter, that there is more to being alive than collecting stuff! Instead of filling our lives with stuff we should fill our lives with the love of God and share that love with everyone that we can.

Loving God, fill us with your love! Fill us so full of love that it spills out of our hearts and into the hearts of the people around us. Amen

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit you are loved by God. (have children repeat this)

~GB

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

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Luke 11:1-13 Pentecost 10C July 28, 2013

July 23, 2013 lb Leave a comment

Preparation: Bring with you at least 3 different phones. One with a cord, one cordless, and one cell phone. Also make a play phone with 2 cans and a string

Gather the children to you. Welcome them and let them see your play phone. Show them how you love your phone, and especially that you love to talk to your friends on it, but tell them you want to get the best phone possible. And show them the 3 phones and let them help you decide which is the best.

Say, “In today’s gospel the disciples were also trying to learn the best way to talk to God in prayer. And Jesus shared a prayer with the disciples in today’s gospel that we say in church every Sunday. Do you know what we call that prayer?” (Wait for the answer) And then say, “But Jesus is clear that it isn’t about having the best prayer. It’s about praying to God and knowing that God hears our prayers.

Point to the phones again and say, “So Jesus knows that we don’t always know how best to pray. Sometimes we think our prayers aren’t the best kind.” (Hold up the tin cans and string.) “We worry that God won’t listen, but Jesus Promises they are heard no matter what our prayers look like. (Pointing at all the phones)

Jesus hear our prayers. Help us to always come to you with our joys, and our struggles and fears. Thank you for listening. Amen

May your words be a gift to God and the world. Amen

Submitted by Pastor Michael Stadtmueller

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Luke 10:38-42 July 21, 2013 Pentecost 9C

July 15, 2013 lb Leave a comment

Preparation: get an assistant to either flash a light or make a small noise to distract you as you begin. Tell them to start out subtle before becoming more obvious to everyone.

Gather the children to you. Welcome them and start to tell them about the gospel story today. Prompt your assistance to start the light or noise distraction. As you start talking, fade off,lose your place, etc as you are distracted by the noise or light.

Say, “wow I really want to focus on this Bible story but it’s hard, I keep getting distracted. Anyone else distracted?” Have the kids point out to you the distraction and then invite your assistant to join you. “This is like our bible story today. Jesus’s visiting sisters Mary and Martha. Martha is making dinner and trying to get this ready to be welcoming to her guest. Well she gets distracted by her sister Mary of helping her and she gets upset and tells Jesus to help her get Mary to come help. Jesus knows Martha is distracted by her worry and frustration and tells her that Mary is focusing in on Gods word and has also chosen a good thing. Jesus wants Martha to remember what the main focus is of being welcoming and that is to show care for others in Gods name.”

“Do you ever get distracted? What kinds of things distract you?” (Take answers, be prepared to prompt… Could mention the movie “Up” where the dog is always distracted by the squirrel or electronics, etc.). “Many things that are good and things that are not so food can distract us from remembering we are to focus on Jesus words and live our life base don his words and promises, even our thoughts and feelings can get in the way. I think I need that reminder to focus on Jesus and that many of us do. What are ways we can do this?” (Take answers, mention prayer and worship and reading scripture. If you use the inserts or other daily devotional in your congregation this is a great time to show it and teach again how to use it.

Jesus, you are our God. Help us focus on you. Thank you for your words of love for us. Amen

May your heart, hands, feet, head, words, and actions be focused on Christ.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon: Luke 10:25-37 Pentecost 8C July 14, 2013

July 11, 2013 lb Leave a comment

Preparation: purchase bandaids and have markers

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Gather the children and welcome them to their time with you. Show them the bandaids and ask, “Have you ever used one of these? What are they for?” Be prepared, children usually love band aides and owie stories! Say, “Yes, they are helping to protect and owie and for giving the cut or scrape time to heal.”

Our Gospel story today, the story about Jesus, is one where a man is very hurt and needs help. Two people who seemed like they would be friends and ones to help just go past him and then a third person who is someone from a place where the man doesn’t think they will help is the one to stop and give him water and take him to a place where he can get bandages. And Jesus tells this story saying that God asks us to love God and to love our neighbors and then he asks who is the neighbor? So who do you think the neighbor is? (take answers) Yes the one who helps.

Now there are all kinds of ways we can talk about our hurts and how we need help. Sometimes our hurts are those that we can see like this cut (show one you have or one that the kids have shown you) or maybe they are bigger hurts like someone having surgery or breaking a bone. And how do we help someone like that? (take answers) Yes, we can carry things for them, open doors, bring them food, make sure they have medicine. But sometimes our hurts are on the inside and we can’t see them on other people and they might not even tell us about their hurts. How do we help those kinds of hurts? (take answers) Yes, we might be able to give hugs or listen to people’s words or maybe someone has held you or given you comfort. And we can pray for them too. Jesus story can also help us to know that we can share the hurts we have on the inside and let others pray for us and care for us and help us to know God’s love and healing and we can do that for other people too.

Hand out the bandaids. On this bandaid you can write a prayer or a hurt that you have or a hurt that you know someone else has. Then put it on and let it remind you to talk to God about that hurt.
Another option: if you have an open space or time for people to go to stations in your service, have bandaids and markers there and invite the children and the rest of the assembly to participate in that station.

Jesus, you know all our hurts. Help us to let others know when we need to hear about your love and when we need their help. Also be with us when are helping others. Amen

Mark the sign of the cross and say: May you know Jesus’ healing of your hurts today and always.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Luke10: 1-11, 16-20, July 7th, 2013 7th Sunday after Pentecost

July 1, 2013 bw Leave a comment

Gather the children around the suitcase or bag that you have packed with some essentials for travel. Include the items listed in the text (purse or wallet, bag, sandals). Ask the children if they have ever packed a bag for vacation, over night to grandparents or a friends house. What did they take with them? What could they not leave behind?

Say: Today our story in the Bible is about Jesus sending people out to travel around and tell people about God. Jesus told them not to take anything with them as they went from town to town! Does that seem like a good idea? No, not really to me either! They did not have extra money to buy food or to buy something that they needed. Jesus said that they should trust that the people in the towns will give them what they need. The disciples job was to stay focused on telling people about God and God’s love for everyone.

Jesus did not want them to have heavy bags to carry or to think about collecting more stuff as they went from town to town. If we have too much stuff with us we get worried about carrying it, storing it, if someone will take it, etc. We would forget why we were there: to tell the story of God! Sometimes we think that in order to tell someone about God or show someone God’s love we need lots of stuff, We might think that we need a Bible with us, or our Sunday school papers or that we need to know a lot of details or have read every single word of the Bible in order to tell someone about God. Jesus is saying that we don’t need anything but ourselves. All we need is to just take time with people-stuff and lots of knowledge isn’t the most important thing. But our love and time is! Jesus promises to be with us as we share God’s love so we don’t have to worry about anything else. So I don’t need this bag of stuff to go another town and tell people about God. But I still might enjoy my toothbrush, huh? 🙂

Dear Jesus, thank you for being with us always. We pray that we can tell other people about you even if we feel we don’t have everything we need. You are all that we and the world needs. Amen.

(Make the sign of the cross on one another) Jesus is all that you need as you go on your way.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Galatians 5: 1, 13-25 Fruit of the Spirit, 6th Sunday after Pentecost – June 30, 2013

June 26, 2013 bw 5 Comments

Gather the children together. You will need some fruit (any kind is fine) and an already made fruit salad. Depending on how many children you have, have small cups of the fruit salad scooped out for the children. Or you can just show them the made fruit salad and have it available after worship.

Say: In one of the Bible readings this morning who heard something about fruit? (Accept all answers) I know, I did too and it’s making me hungry! Luckily, I brought this fruit with me today. I love fruit, it’s healthy for us and gives good things to our bodies so that we can have energy and not be sick. What is your favorite kind of fruit? (Again, accept all answers) Mine is________. I eat this fruit whenever I get the chance. I like to eat all kinds of fruit too! When I make a fruit salad I put all kinds of fruit in so that everyone eating the fruit salad will have a fruit that they will really like. It takes all kinds of fruit to make a great fruit salad!

There was a man named Paul who wrote one of our Bible stories this morning. He talked about having the “fruit of the Spirit” which is not actual fruit but good things like this salad we can share with one another. Paul wants us to share love, joy, peace, patience kindness, generosity (sharing), faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (You can teach the song if you know it!) These are all things that help us to get along together and to share God’s love! Just as some of us like different fruits, each of us may be really good at one of these things. If you are a good hugger, you are showing love, or if you are good at sharing your toys then you are good at generosity. Are we all going to be really good at all 8 of these things? No, but we can try and we can notice when our friends are good at not fighting or smiling, and try and learn from them. Just as it takes lots of fruit to make a yummy salad it takes all of us to share God’s love to everyone we meet!

God of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, thank you for giving us our friends and our families. Just as you show us all of these good things let us share them with the world. In Jesus name, Amen.

(make the sign of the cross on each other) May you be guided by God’s loving Spirit.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost (Lec 12) Luke 8:26-39 – June 23, 2013

June 19, 2013 bw Leave a comment

Preparation note: This lesson is a difficult one. We will not focus on the lesson per se but how we hear things that might frighten us every day and that God is present in our fear.
Gather the children. You will need to tweak the wording of this to fit your context regarding if you children’s time is before or after the gospel reading in worship.
Say: We just heard a story that has some scary things in it didn’t we. Do sometimes hear scary things on tv or at school? Yes, sometimes we hear things that we don’t understand, make us worry or are scary to us. What do you do when you hear something scary? Do you talk to mom, dad, brother, sister or other trusted adult? That can be a good idea. When I am scared ad worried I talk to my family and friends too and I talk to God. I tell God what is bothering me or what I am scared or worried about. about. What are some things that you worry about? (Accept all answers. If you don’t have too many children you can write them down to pray about them at the end of this children’s time.)
Well, God understands that there are real things in our lives that scare us and that we worry about. God wants us to talk to God about those things because then we will remember that God is with us always, God hears our worries and will not leave us when we are scared. We belong to God and God will never let us go. When a friend is scared or worried we can tell them about God, how they too belong to God and how God is with us in our fear.

God we are so glad that you are with us always. We pray today for: (pray for what the children named). We know that you love us and care for us. Thank you for all the people in our lives, our moms, dads, friends and teachers that we can talk to about all of our worries. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Do not fear, God is with you! (Make the sign of the cross on one another.)

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon 4th Sunday After Pentecost (Lec. 11), Luke 7:36-8:3 – June 16, 2013

June 4, 2013 gb Leave a comment

Prepare: You will need an empty cookie jar, with crumbs in it would be even better. If you want to have a cookie or small treat ready at the end that is fine, but not necessary. Just make sure you think about allergies!

As you invite the children to gather, make a big show of the empty cookie jar. Things like, ”Oh man, where did all my cookies go?”

I know what you’re thinking. It’s pretty disappointing to see me come in with an empty cookie jar, isn’t it? Well, I think that I ate them all. I didn’t mean to, but I just couldn’t help myself! Do you forgive me? Oh, good.

You know, today’s Gospel story is about forgiveness, too, but it’s kind of funny how Jesus talks about it. In the story there is a woman who has had a bad life, and she has done some bad things so that she could survive and have food to eat. When the other people see her with Jesus, they tell Jesus that he should leave her alone, that she is not a good person to be seen with. Instead, Jesus turns to the woman and tells her that all of her sins are forgiven!

Well, that makes the other people a little angry. They know that she has done bad stuff, most of them think that she has done far worse things than any of them, and they tell Jesus what they think. Now here’s the funny, or strange part. Jesus says, “She has done lots of bad things. When I forgive her she loves me more. You have done very few bad things, so for you my forgiveness is not such a deal. But for her, forgiveness is life and love.”

Hmmmm. So, do you think that means that we should do bad things so that God forgives us, so that we can love God more? Should I be happy about eating all the cookies because that means I can love you more? That seems a little backwards, doesn’t it?

I think what Jesus is saying is God love all of us enough to forgive whatever we do wrong, whether it is something big or something small. We should not be angry about God forgiving other people, because they deserve forgiveness, too. It also means that we should live like people who are loved and forgiven. Always doing our best to love each other as God loves us.

Merciful God, thank you for the amazing gift of forgiveness in our lives. Thank you for the forgiveness that you show to us, and thank you for the ways that we can forgive others. Teach us to live in your love and to share your love with everyone we meet. Amen

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit you are loved by God. (have children repeat this)

~GB

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

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon 3rd Sunday After Pentecost (Lec. 10), Luke 7:11-17 – June 9, 2013

May 31, 2013 gb Leave a comment

Prepare: The best possible set up for this is to find some “Pied Pipers,” Maybe a group of youth who are willing to follow you first and help call some of the children along. The idea is to generate excitement about something that has yet to be seen. You will also need something fun at the other end, like a Martin Luther bobble-head, or a cool poster of Jesus, or a beautiful cross, or . . . It almost doesn’t matter, as long as it’s something unexpected. Hide it somewhere so that you can lead the children around for a little while.

Start in a different spot than you usually would, and call for the children to follow you. Make sure that you “Pied Pipers” are ready to get up and encourage the children to come along, too. When you find the object, be excited about it and show the children what you found as you head the usual spot.

Well, that wasn’t what I expected to find! What did you think we were looking for? (take a few answers) I think that we were a little like the crowd in the Gospel story today. See, they were following Jesus even though they didn’t know where he was going or what he was planning to do. They were just following to see what would happen – kind of like you following me! Now I have to admit that what we found was fun, but it was nothing compared to what Jesus showed them.

The story goes like this, Jesus had just healed a slave that belonged to a Centurion (a Roman soldier) and the people were amazed that Jesus could heal him, and that Jesus would help a Roman soldier! So they all started to follow him. Then, as people saw the crowd, more people started to follow, even though they didn’t know what they would see. When they got to the next town they saw something amazing and unbelievable! Jesus talked to a widow! Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, why is that amazing? Well, a widow is a woman whose husband has died, and when Jesus was teaching widows were worse to talk to than Roman soldiers! People couldn’t believe that Jesus would talk to her. To make things worse, Jesus was interrupting a funeral – the widow’s son had also just died. Jesus, seeing how hard this was for the woman raised her son from the dead! Now the crowd was blown away by the things they had seen. So much better than the (whatever your object was) that we found.

I think that this is still true for us today. We often try to follow Jesus, even though we don’t know where Jesus is leading us. But, it we do our best to follow, and keep our eyes and ears open, we might hear and see some amazing things!

Amazing God, we do our best to follow you and see the things that you do in the world. Teach us to rejoice in the work that you do. Teach us to not just follow you, but to help you do the work that needs to be done. Amen

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit you are loved by God. (have children repeat this)

~GB

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Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon 2nd Sunday After Pentecost (Year C, Lec. 9), Luke 7:1-10 – June 2, 2013

May 21, 2013 gb 2 Comments

Prepare: Find several action figure toys, some that are inherently good and some that are inherently bad, and two boxes or baskets to sort them into.

Have the action figures out for the children to see as they gather (yes, this will be “dangerous” in terms of distraction). Ask them if they have a favorite superhero (or whatever relates to what you have with you)

It sounds like you guys have some good favorite heroes! I have some here with me, and I think that I have some good guys and some bad guys, but I’m not sure. Can you help me sort them out?

(Take some time to sort the good guys and the bad guys into the baskets or boxes)

Wow, thanks! So, I’m going to guess that we all like the good guys, right? Those are the ones that we want to play with most of the time, right? I like having some bad guys around so that the good guys can be heroes and save people, but I always want the good guys when I play. But, which box do you think belongs to God, the good guys or the bad guys? We will get back to that question later.

That makes me think of the Gospel story that we hear today. Jesus is walking through a town when a Roman soldier comes to him and asks Jesus to heal his servant, who is really sick. Well, really the Roman soldier sends some of the Jews in the town to talk to Jesus, because the soldier thinks that he is not good enough to talk to Jesus! When Jesus goes to his house, the soldier says that Jesus should not come in because he is not worthy to have the Lord in his house, Jesus needs only to speak the work and his servant will be well. Jesus is amazed by the soldier’s faith and heals the servant with a word.

I think that everyone would agree that most of the Roman soldiers were the “bad guys” where Jesus lived. People were afraid of the soldiers and would do what they were told to do. So, why would Jesus help this soldier? (See if you get some answers – but steer them to – ) Because God loves everybody! So, back to our heroes and villains. Which box belongs to God? (Steer them toward both boxes!)

Yes! Both boxes belong to God, because God loves everybody.

God of Love, we rejoice in the love that you shower on us! Teach us to rejoice with you in loving the people we would call our enemies. Help us to share your amazing love throughout all our days and with all people. Amen

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit you are loved by God. (have children repeat this)

~GB (thank you to Pastor Michael Stadtmueller for the great idea!)

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Let us walk with you on the journey of faith. Whether your feet are big or small, fresh or worn, running or crawling, God's love goes with you and you stand on holy ground.