Category Archives: Children’s Sermons

Children's Sermons

Children Sermon Pentecost 19A Matthew 22:34-46

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Preparation: Ten commandments written into the categories of Love God and Love Neighbor and index cards or pieces of paper rolled up with the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 written on them)

Faith+Open: Gather children with you. Have you heard of the ten commandments? Can you tell me what they are? Respond as appropriate, if they know them Yay! If not, respond encouragingly that there are two commands they can learn (or maybe three, I’m partial to Honor father and mother 🙂

Faith+Share: Good, we know that there are ten commandments given to Moses and actually there are a lot more than 10 in the Bible. There are 613! So we are going to learn them today… pause… just kidding! What rules do you have at home or school? Do you think there is one that is the most important? yay, it might be hard to decide what is most important. Jesus was asked by some leaders who knew all the 613 laws very well which one was the most important. And they might have been surprised because he had an answer for them. He said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul and mind and Love your neighbor as yourself. If you think about it,(show ten commandments divided into these categories) when we talk about how to live as Christians these two commands cover all the other commandments. Go briefly through list. 

When Jesus said to love God and neighbor he was not actually saying something new. He was telling them what scripture said in Deuteronomy and in Leviticus. In fact this was such important part about being Jewish that it has a special name, the Shema. Have them repeat the word Shema. Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and explain that this tells us to love God and live in God’s word all the time, everyday and everywhere. Show them a mezuzah or the rolled up paper. The Shema would be in the mezuzah which would go on the doorposts of people’s homes so that would remember that God’s word was on their hearts at home and whenever they left home. Hand out the index cards or scrolls that you have prepared and encourage the children to take them home and put them on their table or by their door or in a special place. Tell them to try to read and say the Shema as a family every day this week.

Faith+Prayer and Blessing: 
God, you love us all the time. Thank you for the gift of your words and your love for us. Help us to show our love for you and our love for others by the way we act and live. In the name of the Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Extension Ideas: 
1. Have kids repeat the Shema or parts of it.
2. Make mezuzahs or scrolls together instead of handing them out
3. use chart paper and have the kids come up with which category each commandment goes into
4. Teach them the song “Love the Lord your God”  Here is a link to a youtube so you can hear the music

Lyrics:
Love the lord your God
With all your heart and
All your soul
And all your mind
And love all humankind
As you would love
Yourself and…

Love the lord your God
With all your heart
And all your
Soul and mind
And love all humankind

We’ve got Christian
Lives to live
We’ve got Jesus’
Love to give
We’ve got
Nothing to hide
Because in God we abide

Love the lord your God
With all your heart
And all your soul
And all your mind
And love all humankind
As you would love
Yourself and…

Love the lord your God
With all your heart
And all your
Soul and mind
And love all humankind

We’ve got Christian
Lives to live
We’ve got Jesus’
Love to give
We’ve got
Nothing to hide
Because in God we abide  LOVE

~LB

Children's Sermons

Children Sermon Pentecost 18A Matthew 22:15-22

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Preparation: offering plate

Faith+Open: Gather children to you. Hold up the offering plate. Do you know what this is used for?

Yes for offering. What goes in offering? Yep mostly money, although you know sometimes a picture or note comes in the offering and that is wonderful too! 

Faith+Share: Why do you suppose we collect an offering during worship? Take some answers and see what they have to say. You can also ask if they put anything in the offering plate.

We do take offering as a part of worship because it is a way for us to be in ministry together, to put our money together and use it to help others, to teach people, to have a building to gather in, to have a place for people to pray, and sing, and worship, and get help, and talk to God, and all of the things that we do here together. Our gospel story today is Jesus telling the leaders of the synagogue and the people listening to him that we ‘give to God what is God’s’. What do you think is God’s? Take some answers. Is money God’s? Are we God’s? 

Yes, really it’s an interesting answer because everything is God’s. So when we give to God what is God’s we are saying that we offer what we have in money, time, in our prayers, in who we are. And we are all children of God. We can offer what we have and ourselves to God everyday, not just in worship but in worship we do come all together to share and to give and to praise God for everything.

Faith+Prayer: God, thank you for all that you have given us (list some things the kids brought up). Help us to know how to offer what we have to you and how to share what we have with others. Amen

Faith+Blessing: Remember that you are God’s child all the time and everywhere. 

Extended Idea: 

1. Talk about saying ‘It’s Mine” and then say how God says YOU ARE MINE all the time!

2. Offering is a time that kids can participate in worship, even without money. They can add drawings or notes or coins that they have. Consider having a basket up front (on a stand or held by an acolyte) where kids can come during the offering time of worship and bring their own offering. This has been a delightful experience for many churches and they do it every week!

3. If you have a children’s church time, kids could draw pictures of their offering–something they are good at or draw/write a prayer, etc. and when they come back to worship they could be welcomed to put it in the offering basket.

Children's Sermons

Philippians Children’s Sermon Series #4: Phil 4:1-9

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Philippians Children’s Sermon Series

Series Note: In the lectionary year A Pentecost 14 through 17 we read through Philippians as the Epistle each week. The letters of Paul can have challenging content to teach to children (adults too!). We have written a children’s sermon series based on the scripture verses in Philippians. You can use these as a series or on their own.  The overarching theme is focused on how we are those who walk with and live as servants of Jesus and yet Rejoice that God is with us in all of our daily living as we strive to “let our gentleness be known and remember the Lord is near” (Phil 4:5 paraphrase). 

Preparation: You could use instruments and noisemakers if you choose for this children’s sermon. Streamers and ribbons would also make it fun! If you are going to have the whole congregation join in the blessing time then have it printed in the bulletin.

Faith+Open: Gather the children. Recap what we have been learning in Philippians or sum up Philippians that Paul is in jail and writing to his friends reminding them to tell the story of Jesus, serve others, be kind to each other, and to remember that God is with them all the time.
Say, “Paul says in Philippians chapter 4 to REJOICE all the time! He is in jail and still rejoicing that God is with him and that he knows that God loves him and all of us. We can rejoice and celebrate that this story of Jesus is about us and for us.” 

Faith+Share: “What are ways that we rejoice?” “Yes we can make some noise when we rejoice can’t we?” I am going to ask you some questions about when we can rejoice and I want you to yell loud the word REJOICE (and shake/play these instruments if you are using them) after each question. Let’s practice!”

“Let’s get the congregation to join us!” (practice yelling rejoice and making noise)

God is with us…REJOICE!
All the time….REJOICE!
When we are in worship…  REJOICE!
When we are at play…  REJOICE!
When we are happy…  REJOICE!
When we are worried…REJOICE!
When we are at work… REJOICE!
When we pray….REJOICE!
When we tell the story…REJOICE!
When we are lost….REJOICE!
We know God is with us. REJOICE!
All of the time. REJOICE!
We know God loves us….REJOICE!
All of the time…REJOICE!

“Do you remember the blessing we have been saying? Let’s bless the whole congregation. We are going to turn towards them and say the blessing together.” Gather kids up so that they are facing the congregation to give them the blessing.”

Faith+Blessing: Say together the words from Philippians 4:5 (NRSV) while doing the following actions:

Let your gentleness (flat hands palms facing body circle each other)  be known to everyone (open hands and arms out). The Lord is near (hands to heart)

Extended Ideas:

Teach the song “Rejoice in the Lord Always and Again I say Rejoice.”
Have streamers and ribbons for the kids to wave in the air (or make them if you have a children’s church)
Send kids out into the congregation with their instruments and noisemakers to do the litany and have them stay there for the blessing.
Use the blessing as the benediction this week.

~LB&BW

Children's Sermons

Philippians Children’s Sermon Series #3: Phil. 3:4b-14

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Philippians Children’s Sermon Series

Series Note: In the lectionary year A Pentecost 14 through 17 we read through Philippians as the Epistle each week. The letters of Paul can have challenging content to teach to children (adults too!). We have written a children’s sermon series based on the scripture verses in Philippians. You can use these as a series or on their own.  The overarching theme is focused on how we are those who walk with and live as servants of Jesus and yet Rejoice that God is with us in all of our daily living as we strive to “let our gentleness be known and remember the Lord is near” (Phil 4:5 paraphrase).

Preparation: You will need a children’s bible. (Spark Storybook Bible is recommended because it has a nice paraphrase of Philippians)

Faith+Open: Gather children. “Do you remember that if you were hear last week you took some stars home?” Where did you put them?” Get answers. “I hope the stars reminded you that God is with you in all kinds of places. 

Faith+Share: “I want to read you more about the story of Paul who is the one who was writing this letter to the Philippians. While I read notice where Paul is writing from.”

Read from the Spark Bible or other children’s Bible. The main ideas is to convey that Paul is in jail, he is scared and sad, his friends are worried about him but he even while he is suffering he knows that God is with him.

After you read say, “Where was Paul?  Yes, even though he is in jail Paul still knows that God is with him. He knows that God is with him and his friends as he prays for them. He is trusting God even when it’s really hard.  How many different places can you think of that God is with us?”
Refer to the places the kids talked about in opening

“God is with us in all these places and God is with us when we are sad or scared and when we are joyful or happy. We also know that we can be kind and gentle with our friends and family and neighbors because then they know that they are loved by us and by God. That is why we are learning this blessing and doing it each week. It helps to remind us that God is with us, always near to us and that we can live together in community and be gentle with one another.”

“Let’s say it together…”

Faith+Blessing:  Say together the words from Philippians 4:5 (NRSV) while doing the following actions:

Let your gentleness (flat hands palms facing body circle each other)  be known to everyone (open hands and arms out). The Lord is near (hands to heart)

Extended Ideas:
Make a mural of drawings of all the places God is with us.

Children's Sermons

Philippians Children’s Sermon Series #2 Phil. 2:1-13

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Philippians Children’s Sermon Series

Series Note: In the lectionary year A Pentecost 14 through 17 we read through Philippians as the Epistle each week. The letters of Paul can have challenging content to teach to children (adults too!). We have written a children’s sermon series based on the scripture verses in Philippians. You can use these as a series or on their own.  The overarching theme is focused on how we are those who walk with and live as servants of Jesus and yet Rejoice that God is with us in all of our daily living as we strive to “let our gentleness be known and remember the Lord is near” (Phil 4:5 paraphrase). 

Preparation:
1. Find a star pattern, write or type the Christ hymn or the Phil 2:1-13 scripture reference, and make enough stars either for the children OR for the whole congregation. You can google star patterns or just draw one and photocopy and cut out for enough copies. If you plan ahead you can get some older kids to cut these out for you!
2. Get baskets to put the stars in.
3. Recruit 2 (or more) kids to hold the baskets during communion. YOu can also use a stand if that works better. These kids will hand out the stars after people have taken common (or when it works best for you in your worship service)
4. Suggested hymn to sing could be “This Little Light of Mine”

Faith+Open: Gather children. “I want to read to you the Christ Hymn that we hear/heard today in Philippians. Listen as I read this because it is telling you a story.” Read or paraphrase verses 5-11. For ideas for actions that can go along with it go to this link atWorshiping with Children.

Faith+Share: “Paul is telling the story of Jesus to the Philippians to help them remember how to tell the story of Jesus to others. What did you hear in this story?” (get at the idea that Jesus came to be with us on earth and that Jesus is also our Lord to be praised)
“How do we tell the story of Jesus?” Get some ideas. Then say, “When we are in worship telling the story of Jesus and our faith in our hymns and prayers and in communion and in listening to the world of God.” Get specific, talk about a certain hymn you are singing that day or tie in the actions of communion as a way that we tell the story of Jesus. If you have a baptism today that is a good example as well.

“Paul says that God is at work in YOU. This means that we are a part of telling the story and showing the story of Jesus. God is work in us and we then are like lights for the world. I have these paper stars here because they remind me of how we try to be lights for God in the world which means we can be blessings to other people and show them Christ. On each star is the Christ Hymn (or the scripture reference) on one side and the other side is blank. I would like you each to have a star and do two things. First, while you are listening to the sermon draw or write a way that you can be a blessing and shine this week. Maybe you can help someone at home or a neighbor. Maybe you can visit someone who is lonely or sick. Maybe you can be nice to someone at school that it’s hard to be nice to. Second I want you to take this star home and put it where you can remember not only to shine for Christ but that Christ is with you all the time. You can put in on your bathroom mirror or fridge or bulletin boat or in your backpack.” 

“In fact, I think everyone can do this during the week. So you get your stars now, but grown ups… (address the congregation) you can have a star too. There will be a basket of stars being held for you to pick up after you take communion. Think about how you are going to shine Christ’s light this week and how you are going to remember God is with you. You can put your star on your mirror or fridge or hang in your car or on your bike, wherever you will see it this week.” 

“Let’s say our blessing together now. I invite everyone to join us.” (you may need to teach if you have only done this once or if you are using this outside of the series)

Faith+Blessing: 
Say together the words from Philippians 4:5 (NRSV) while doing the following actions:

Let your gentleness (flat hands palms facing body circle each other)  be known to everyone (open hands and arms out). The Lord is near (hands to heart)

Extended Ideas:
Decorate the stars
Have kids write the verse on the stars
Have an area for people to put their stars in the church–perhaps they make one to take home and one to keep at church.

Children's Sermons

Philippians Children Sermon Series #1 Phil. 1:21-20

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Philippians Children’s Sermon Series

Series Note: In the lectionary year A Pentecost 14 through 17 we read through Philippians as the Epistle each week. The letters of Paul can have challenging content to teach to children (adults too!). We have written a children’s sermon series based on the scripture verses in Philippians. You can use these as a series or on their own.  The overarching theme is focused on how we are those who walk with and live as servants of Jesus and yet rejoice that God is with us in all of our daily living as we strive to “let our gentleness be known and remember the Lord is near” (Phil 4:5 paraphrase). 

Preparation: In your context think about or find out what the children or youth specifically or the church together are doing as service in the community or the world. For example, the children’s offering in our congregation is currently going to the Kid’s Cafe portion of our local food bank. Then find another older youth or adult who is willing to be person number 2. Work together to think of three ways you can give as examples of being in service to the community, family, and/or neighbors.

Faith+Open: Gather the children with you. “I heard in your Sunday school (or in our church or in our community) we are raising money for (or collecting) __________” So you know I think that is pretty cool–Since I heard you are doing that, I decided I could_______________ (fill in what you are going to do, either contribute or better yet, that it made you think of something you can do in your family or neighborhood).

Faith+Share: Person 2 interrupts (after you have said what you are going to do) “Wow, I think that is a fabulous idea! You know, hearing about how the kids/the church are______________ and that you are __________ I think I can help with those things too but I also know that ________________ needs______________.

Say, “Great idea. That is pretty neat how we have inspired to work together where we are and where we can to be in service in Jesus’ name. It reminds of our reading from Philippians today where Paul says, ‘Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for faith of the gospel.’” (NRSV Phil 1:27–feel free to paraphrase or summarize). We are serving in the Holy Spirit together even when we are doing different things. AND God is with us in our serving and in our daily struggles and in our daily joys.

“I want to teach you a blessing from Philippians that we are going to use for the next few weeks as we read from Philippians in worship. This blessing is on that reminds us how to serve one another with kindness and reminds us that God is with us always.”  (Teach following blessing)

Faith+Blessing: Say together the words from Philippians 4:5 (NRSV) while doing the following actions: Let your gentleness (flat hands palms facing body circle each other)  be known to everyone (open hands and arms out). The Lord is near (hands to heart)

Children's Sermons

Children Sermon Pentecost 17A Matthew 22:1-14

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Preparation: cross or heart stickers–enough for each child to have 5

Faith+Open: Invite the children to come for children’s time. Begin by showing them a party hat and talking about the last birthday party for a friend that you went to. Read “The Wedding Banquet” parable from the Spark Bible (Augsburg Fortress) or another children’s Bible.

 Faith+Share: How many of you have been to a special party? When you go to a special party how do you dress? How do you act? Are you on good behavior? Why? (Accept all answers. If they need prompting talk how when we are at a friend’s house or a family members house (like grandma and grandpa) 

We want our friends and family to know by how we act that we love them and care about them. Our story from the Bible this morning tells us that God wants everyone to be in God’s family. God invites everyone all over the world to God’s party! That is really special. We are all included because God loves us. How do you think we should act being a part of God’s family? Just as we may put on nice clothes for a party for a friend, some people wear a cross either as a necklace, bracelet, pin or even ring so that God’s love can been seen by everyone.  God puts love in our hearts to share with everyone so that everyone knows that we are in God’s family and they are too!  How can we show God’s love and that everyone is invited into God’s family? (We can be nice to friends and siblings, we can help people, we can tell them about Jesus and God’s love, write cards to neighbors, collect food for the hungry, etc.) I have some cross stickers that I want you to give to friends and family members to share God’s love with them. When you give them a sticker you can tell them that God loves them and so do you! (Have enough stickers so that each child can have one of their own and three or four to give away.)

 Faith+Close: Prayer: Dear loving God, you want all of your children to be included in your love. Help us to share your love with everyone we meet. Your love is like a joyous party that we all can come to! Thank you for the best gift of all your Son Jesus! Amen

 ~BW

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Pentecost 16A Theme: Living Out Grace

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This children’s sermon based on Philippians 2 & 3 can be adapted and used for other texts that focus in on grace as a gift and how that is lived out. For Philippians 2 it focuses on the Christ hymn and the image of Christ come down to us. On Philippians 3 it focuses on grace is a gift and that we have the ‘prize’ of grace and can live that out. 

 The original concept is adapted from a children’s sermon by Pastor Michael Stadtmueller. 

Preparation: A wrapped gift box where you can take off the lid, bread inside the box, a ladder (you could also place the gift box on the altar and ‘pretend’ a ladder)

Faith+Gather: Have the ladder up front with the gift box on top. Gather the children near the ladder, but in a safe sitting position (especially if your ladder is very tall!)
“Look up there at the gift on top of the ladder. We hear a lot about grace in our Bible and one way to think about grace is as a gift. So I was thinking that sometimes we spend a lot of time thinking about how to get that gift.”
Walk over to ladder and get ready to climb.
Ask the children, “What are things that you do to please or serve others?” Get some ideas from the kids or supply your own if they are quiet. Examples could be that we listen to our parents, then climb up one rung. For each example you say, climb another rung but stop before you are at the top.
“So we can do all these things and they are good and look I am getting closer to the prize. But you know what, then other things happen. Like maybe I hurt my brother or sister (go down one rung) or I didn’t listen when my parents asked me to do something(go down another rung). Give a few examples that put you back on the floor.
“So now, it’s pretty hard to get to the top.” 

Faith+Share: “But you know, that is not grace. Grace really is a gift. So we don’t really have to go get the prize in order to have grace in our lives.” Climb the ladder, get the gift and bring it down to the center of the children.

“See God’s grace is not something we have to get on our own. It comes to us. God brings grace to us because it really is a free gift. And we have this gift with us and then we can go out and share it with others and live in service because we know how much we are loved by God.”

Open the box and take out the bread. “We know that Jesus told us to remember him through eating bread. And we eat bread at communion. And we can have a taste now (pass around bread). We know that Jesus is with us and we have this prize, this gift of grace that gives us the love and the will to go out and live our lives in grace.” 
Place the gift box on the altar as a reminder for everyone during communion.

Faith+Prayer: God, thank you for the gift of grace and the gift Jesus. We are grateful that you are with us always. Amen

Faith+Blessing: Take a big piece of bread and go share with others. Or make sign of cross saying, “God in my head, God in my heart, God on my left, God on my right.”

~LB

Children's Sermons

Children Sermon Pentecost 15A: Matthew 21:23-32

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Faith+Open: Gather the children. If they have not heard the gospel story yet, recap it. If they have remind them of what was said along the lines that a father had two children and one said he would do something and didn’t and the other said he wouldn’t but did.

Faith+Share: Say, “Hhhhmmm… this sounds familiar to me! I think I hear this at home a lot from my own two kids. But you know, I can remember times that I have said I would do something for another person and then either forgot or got busy and didn’t do it. One time I told my son that I would help him out by sewing his cub scout badge onto his uniform shirt and then it was time for the meeting and guess what, I hadn’t done it yet. Or another time, I told a friend I would pray for her when I got him but then I just plain forgot. Has this ever happened to you? Where you said you would do something but then didn’t do it?” Take some answers.
“I am thinking that one of the things that Jesus wants us to know is that what we say AND what we do matter. It is another way for us to think about being in service to one another. Once my daughter told me she WAS NOT going to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer and I was pretty tired and didn’t want to fight with her so I sighed and walked away. But then I came upstairs and she had done what I had asked. That meant a lot to me. It was a way for her to help me out in a busy day.”

Now get quiet and whisper and make a deal out of this being a ‘secret surprise”
“Let’s think of some kind of act of service you can do at home for someone you live with. Any ideas?”
Get their ideas and then challenge them to go home and do a mystery act of service for someone in their family.

An extra idea would be to have little “mystery service” cards to hand out to them so they could leave the card wherever they had helped out.

Faith+Prayer: God, help us to remember to talk about you and be in service to others, showing them our love and your love. Amen

Faith+Blessing: God in my head, God in my heart, God on my left, God on my right Amen.

Children's Sermons

Children Sermon Matthew 20:1-16 14A

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Summary: The parable of the labors in the field could be summed up by saying “that’s not fair,” a familiar phrase in households with children. They will understand the idea of something not being fair so we emphasize living in God’s grace means that mercy trumps being fair in the kingdom of God. 

Preparation: a small something to give away (i.e., candy, small crosses, pencils)

Faith+Open: Gather the children with you. Have the line up from oldest to youngest (or tallest to shortest if that is easier. You can also do a just a few kids if you have too many to do it with all of them) and spend some time examining them in this order making sure it’s right.

Faith+Share: “Let’s see here. We have the oldest/tallest here at this end of the line and the youngest/shortest here at this end of the line. I have here these (candy or small crosses or some small giveaway) to give out but who should go first?” If you don’t get kids vying to go first right away then prompt them a bit by asking should oldest go first? Or tallest? Or those who got up her first?, etc.

“Do you have line leaders at school? And what is the line leaders job? So they go first for the day? Hhmmm. Well if this is my line leader then it means the kid at the very end is very last right?” (You may want to have the kids sit at this point, but stay in their line)

“Well we heard/will hear this gospel story from Jesus that there were workers in a field and some worked from the beginning of the day and some didn’t work until the end of the day but they all got paid the same. Do you know what the workers who got their first said? Yep, they said, ‘That’s not Fair!’ we worked longer and harder and we should get more. But they were given what they were promised, it was just the same as what the workers who came later were promised. Have you ever had something be not fair? So we know what it feels like think that we didn’t get treated the same. BUT Jesus tells this story to teach us about GRACE. See the workers who were hired later still had families to bring home food to and the landowner did not want anyone to go hungry so they were all paid the same. Jesus says that God is like this. God gives us what we need and loves us all so much that we don’t get what we deserve, we get GRACE. Jesus said the last will be first and the first last! This might sound unfair to let the last go first but with God we are all included and we are all a part of God’s GRACE and we are all God’s Children.”
“We are going to say a prayer of thanks and then I will hand these out. Can you guess which way I will hand them out? The last shall be first!”

Faith+Prayer: God, you give us grace and love. Thank you for your love for us and for all people. Help us to remember that no matter whether we are first or last we are your children. Amen

~LB