Tag Archives: Children’s sermon

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

December 27, 2013 gb Leave a comment

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.

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.

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!

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

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 1st Sunday in Christmas, Matthew 2:13-23, December 29, 2013

December 19, 2013 gb Leave a comment

Prepare: Bring a pillow, you are going to talk about dreams!

Welcome the children and then tell them that you are going to take a little nap. Make a big show of getting the pillow just right and talk about how you are trying to figure out what to do next with a big project, or wondering about what advice to give to a friend, and you are hoping for a good dream to help you out. This might get a reaction of “no, that’s silly” or it might not. Work with whatever you get to start talking about dreams.

So, you don’t think that I will figure out what to do by waiting for a dream? Maybe you’re right. I mean, dreams don’t usually mean too much. It seems like most of the time they are just our brains replaying some of the things that happened during the day. I mean, even dogs dream! Or at least they seem to. Have you ever seen a dog dream? Sometimes they bark a little, or they look like they are running. Maybe they are dreaming about chasing a squirrel or cat that they saw. I know that most of my dreams seem to be about the things I did during the day. (Tell a quick dream story here. I will give an example) I remember I always used to have dreams about work when I used to be a waiter at a restaurant, especially after a really busy night. I would have dreams that I was running around the restaurant trying to keep up with all the people. I would wake up more tired than when I went to sleep!

Ok, so if dreams are usually about things that we did during the day, why would I think that I could go to bed to figure out how to help my friend? In the story we hear from the Gospel today that is exactly what happens! When Jesus was born there was a king named Herod who heard about a powerful king being born in Bethlehem – that’s was Jesus. He thought that Jesus was going to take over his kingdom and he didn’t want that to happen. He was willing to do anything to make sure that Jesus would never get old enough to be king. Mary and Joseph had no idea what was being planned, until one night when Joseph had a dream where an angel told him to get up and take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, far away from Herod and danger. That was a pretty special dream. What’s even more amazing is that Joseph had another dream when it was safe to bring Jesus back home!

God used something as normal and common as a dream to tell Joseph what to do to keep Jesus safe. That is pretty cool! Think about all the things that happen to you every day. All those boring normal things that you just don’t think about. Could God use those boring things to tell you something? Keep your eyes and ears ready, you never know when God will tell you something important in an unexpected place!

God of everything and everywhere, help us to be open to hearing and seeing you in every little thing that happens. Fill our days with the wonder of your love and grace. Amen

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

December 17, 2013 gb Leave a comment

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

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.

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!

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

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 Eve, Isaiah 9:2-7, December 24, 2013

December 16, 2013 gb Leave a comment

Prepare: You will need a really good blindfold, so that whoever is wearing it is completely in the dark.

As the children gather find a volunteer to be blindfolded. They do not need to do anything other than sit and listen, they just need to wear the blindfold. Ideally this is one of the children, but if none of them are willing it can be a youth or adult helper. They will need to talk about wearing the blindfold at the end, so it should be someone who is not too shy.

I bet you are wondering why (person’s name here!) is wearing a blindfold. We will get to that, but first we should talk about the reading from Isaiah. Did you hear that? What a great Christmas story, don’t you think? (give a little time) Wait, you didn’t hear the Christmas story in that reading?

Well, let’s see if we can tell the Christmas story together, what do you think? (Prompt the children through the story, starting with the Mary and Joseph traveling, and end with the angels and the bright light that the shepherds saw. Take a little time, we want that person in the blindfold to be there for a while!)

Wow! You guys know this story really well! Well, let’s see if we can find that story in the reading from Isaiah. The story of Christmas is the beginning of something new. Jesus being born changes everything. The Isaiah reading talks about people who can’t see the good things in life, or don’t have hope, finding hope and love. It is about people who difficult lives finding relief from the things that are hard. Some of those difficult things could be being sick, or getting bullied, or just being sad about something. We get used to these things, so when they are taken away it is surprising. All of this is why Jesus came to earth, why he was born!

So, what does it feel like to have a burden lifted? Let’s see – (Take off the blindfold) what do you see? (Give a little time for the blindfolded person answer).

God of hope and light, we praise you for the gift of your son and for the chance to share his love. Help us to keep you in our hearts during this season and throughout the year. Amen

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 Isaiah 7:10-17 December 22, 2013

December 13, 2013 lb Leave a comment

Preparation: either make little cards that say Immanuel God with us or get some small crosses or those cross in a pocket coins or some small item to symbolize God with us.

Gather the children to the front. (If you know some of their names already be prepared with knowing some of the name meanings if you can.) Ask, “Does anyone here know what their name means?” Take answers or point out some you know. For instance John is ‘beloved of God’ , etc. Share what your name means.

“In our scripture from Isaiah, the prophet who was declaring hope to people in a time when they did not feel much hope, he says that one day a son will be born and his name will be Immanuel. Do you know who we as Christians say that son is? (taken answers) Yes, we are reading this scripture today because in just two days we will celebrate the birth of Jesus, a son come into the world. and another name we hear sometimes for Jesus is Immanuel. This has a special meaning too, it means ‘God with us.’ What do you think of when you hear the name Immanuel means God with us?” (take answers and give some of your own–sharing ways that God is with us each day and all the time.)

I have a _______ (card, pocket coin, cross, whatever it is you can give them to think of God with them all the time) for you today. You can take this back with you and put it in your pocket or wherever you might want to keep it to help you remember that God is with you all the time.

Jesus, we know your light comes into the world and we know your name Immanuel means you are with us always. Help us to feel your presence and know your love. Amen

God is with you all the time and all the time God is with you. +

Children's Sermons

Children’s sermon Isaiah 35: 1-10 December 15, 2013

December 13, 2013 lb Leave a comment

Gather the children to you up front. Ask, “So what is that you are thinking you want for Christmas?” Take a few answers–we realize this is dangerous so you may need to just share what you are asking for as gift.

So when we talk about what we ask for Christmas, that is like talking about what we hope for or what we expect in the future. So what other things do you hope for? Like what do you hope to be when you are older?

We heard from the bible today about what God hopes for. God has some pretty big hopes–even bigger than wanting a 3DS! (or whatever they have mentioned). At Advent we are watching for God’s hope and light to come into the world at Christmas in Jesus. So we hear from Isaiah that God’s hope is a big vision for there to be light for all people and that all people will know that even when it seems like the world is very dark that Jesus’ light still comes and brings a word of peace and hope for the future. This is a future that is hard to imagine, like it’s hard to imagine being 20 isn’t it?! So the lights that we have in our advent wreath or on the tree or on our house–where do you have lights? Well all these lights, no matter where they are, help us remember God’s big vision, that God’s light is everywhere and that God’s big hope is for the world.

Holy God, We hope for your light in the world. Help us to see all lights as a reminder of your love for all people and that the darkness will not last but be lit up by God. Amen

May you see hope and light from God today and always +

Communications

Children’s Sermon December 1st, 2013. Advent 1A Isaiah 2:1-5

November 28, 2013 lb Leave a comment

Preparation: if you would like to pattern your children’s sermons off of our take home devotions for advent the pick an ornament that reminds you of peace or says something about peace.
You also need a picture of a sword and plowshare to show how they look alike. You can simply google for images.

Faith+ Connect: Gather the children with you and near the advent wreath. “Good morning! Look around and tell me if you notice anything different about our space today” take answers and highlight any Advent preparations you have made.

Faith+ Bible: “Today is the beginning of Advent, a season where we prepare for… (Let them say Christmas if they know the answer). You have noticed some things we have done to prepare and you may be making preparations at home too. Today we hear from the prophet Isaiah in our Bible reading. Isaiah is talking to the people about the promises of God that one day we will all walk I the light and on the path of God. We know that this light is in Jesus. One way Isaiah tries to describe what this is like is to say that God will turn swords into plowshares. Do you have any idea what that means? I bet you know what a sword is though, right? So a sword would have been used for fighting and for taking land or things away from someone else. The vision that Isaiah has is for people to come to God and put away their weapons and live together. A plowshare is a part of a farming tool called a plow and it looks like a blade that is also in the shape of a sword. So Isaiah calls people to come together to live in Gods ways and to live in peace.” (Show your picture or toy plow)

If you’re using the home devos take out the ornament that you picked and talk about why it reminds you of peace. Show the children the devotion book and give them each one. Take a few minutes to talk about how to use it and that each week they (and you) will pick an ornament to share.

Faith+Chat: Another way he says this is to say that we will walk in the light. Each week of advent we will light a candle. Today we light the candle and remember the promise that we are people of the light and we can work to live in peace with others in the world. You can light a candle at home as well this week to prepare for the birth of Jesus and to live in the light.

Faith+Prayer: Jesus, we wait your coming and pray for peace in our days and in our world. Thank you for being our light in all ways and all the time.

Faith+Blessing: Walk as a child of the light. +

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Luke 23:33-43, Christ the King Sunday, Year C

November 20, 2013 bw Leave a comment

Preparation: Have an object (any object will do) in a box or bag or in some way covered up. You are going to play the game 20 questions with this object.

Gather the children around you and show the box that contains the object you have chosen. You can tell the kids whether it’s an animal, vegetable or mineral if you would like. Then have the children ask you only “yes” or “no” questions about the object. You don’t have to keep track if they ask 20 questions or not, that is up to you! It also doesn’t really matter if they guess what the object is or not for this lesson. When the children have either guessed or reached question number 20, say, “It was hard to only ask ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions wasn’t it? Were you wondering if I was telling the truth or if there was more information than ‘yes’ or ‘no’? Even though being told ‘yes’ or ‘no’ seems like an easy way to go, it’s actually harder than being able to get a longer answer from someone isn’t it? It’s better to have a real conversation and get more information.”

Who can help me remember the story from the Bible about Jesus we just heard? (Accept all answers and guide them through a retelling of the gospel.) Is this the time of year when we think about this story? This sounds more like Good Friday doesn’t it? Well, we are hearing this story today because it is the last day of the Church’s calendar-kind of like our New Year’s Eve and this story is really important to us but this story comes with a lot of questions to. People in the story are even asking questions: Are you not the Messiah? Do you fear God? Can’t you save yourself Jesus? Jesus doesn’t give a yes or no answer to these questions does he? Do you think if he told them they would have believed him? Maybe yes, maybe no-but the most important thing is that Jesus heard their questions. And then Jesus tells the people listening something more important than anything: that they will be with Jesus. This is why we hear this story today. It helps us to remember what is most important as we celebrate Christmas, that Jesus is with us always and loves us. Jesus will never leave us, no matter what questions or how many questions we may have about God. We can ask God whatever we want, even if it is a hard question. We can talk to each other about our hard questions too, can’t we? We can talk to our moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas and everyone here. We all have questions about God and we should talk about them together.

Dear God, thank you for listening to our questions. We know that we can talk to you anytime we need to about anything. Thank you for families who talk to us about you. In Jesus name, amen.

“Jesus is with you today.” (Make the sign of the cross on one another.)

Children's Sermons

Children’s sermon November 17th, 2013 26th Sunday after Pentecost Year C Luke 21:5-19

November 12, 2013 bw 2 Comments

Preparation: This children’s time is loosely based off of the Gospel reading and is also an opportunity to talk to children about complex and frightening topics such as super typhoon Haiyan. Have a large cross available for the children to put sticky notes on. Have several stacks of sticky notes, pencils, pens and markers. You will also need either a cross sticker or some sort of simple cross to give everyone in your congregation. Invite the adults to participate with the children.

Have the children gather around the cross. Ask the children if they know why the cross is important to us. (Accept all answers.) Tell the children that yes, Jesus died on the cross and it is how we know that God understands our fear, our hurting and is always with us. Jesus on the cross reveals that God is with us even in some pretty scary times and places. We have all had scary experiences haven’t we and we worry about being alone, sick, hurt or scared. This is completely normal and we all worry. Every single person here-even adults-worry about these same things.

We heard Jesus mention some pretty scary things in the Bible this morning didn’t we? Jesus knows that we hear difficult things on the news or on the computer like storms or other stuff. BUT Jesus wants us to know that even if these scary things happen-we are not alone. We have a whole group of people here and in our neighborhoods that are with us; we have family, friends AND Jesus promises to be with us NO MATTER WHAT. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we are doing-Jesus promises to be there. Jesus says this in the Bible: Matthew 28: 20 “I am with you until the end of the age” which means forever.

But that doesn’t mean that we still won’t worry, right? I do! I worry! Do you know what I do when I am worried? I might talk to my husband or my friend but I always pray and talk to God about what is scaring me. I have some sticky notes here for all of us (including adults!). Let’s all write or draw a picture of what is worrying us or scaring us. (This might take some time so you will need to allow for this. Have older children help younger children or adults help.)

When you are done writing/drawing, put your worry on the cross. Jesus knows what it is to be afraid and hurt and promises to listen and be with you when you are scared and hurt. The cross can remind us of that. After you put your worry on the cross come and pick up a cross sticker to take home to put in your room, on your refrigerator or another place where you will see it. The cross can remind you that when you are afraid God is there and to tell God all your worries and fears.

Dear God, sometimes we are scared. Thank you for promising to be with us and for our friends, family and neighbors who help us when we are worried or scared. We know that you love us and care for us always. In Jesus name, amen.

(Make the sign of the cross): Do not be afraid, Jesus is with you always.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon November 10, 2013 25th Sunday after Pentecost

November 9, 2013 bw Leave a comment

Preparation: Have a small tree branch or seed (maybe a tulip bulb) to show the children. If you can-have a bulb or other seeds to give the children.

Bring the children together and have them sit in a circle where they can see you. Hold up the branch or the bulb. Ask the children what they see. (Accept all answers) Tell them that you see a great big green growing tree or a field of colorful tulips. You see a forest or a garden. Sometimes we have to look past what we know and try to see what God sees.

In our story today, some religious leaders were asking Jesus about what happens after we die. Do we keep all of our friends? Do we stay married to the people we were married to? Do the rules of this world matter? Jesus tells them that they are worried about the wrong things. With God, there is no death-only life. Just like this bulb might look dead to us-it is life waiting to happen. God looks to bring life out of everything-even something as scary as death. God says that because God loves us so much and that we belong to her, that we don’t have to worry about what happens when we or someone we love dies. God will bring about life with God forever. Do we completely understand that? No but that’s ok. We know it’s true because God raised Jesus from the dead and God promises this new life to us too!

Even better, God promises us new life here and now, every day! God promises to be with us when we are scared and can’t see happiness or how a dead tree branch will grow leaves. God gives us all of these people around us to help us see new life in God when it is hard for us. And we show all of these same people God’s new life too! Here is a seed/bulb to help you to remember to look for new life in God everywhere you go.

Dear God of life, help us to see life and love everywhere we go and in everyone we meet. Help us to reveal the new life you promise us all. In Jesus name, amen.

(Make the sign of the cross) Remember that you belong to the God of the living.

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.