Tag Archives: Luke

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon – May 29, 2016 – Luke 7:1-10, Lec 9C

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Prepare:  Make two big signs, one that says “faith,” another that says, “trust.”  These can be used for both the children’s sermon and for the worship station.

Even better! Make single really big sign/poster with a Venn diagram of faith and trust!

You may also want a dictionary – or you can use these from dictionary.com

Trust

Faith

20130715-114218.jpg As the children gather around ask them if they know the difference between “faith” and “trust.  Let them wrestle with that a little bit.  Once they have had a few minutes to work on it, tell that in the dictionary (or at least at dictionary.com) the definition of faith includes trust, but the definition of trust does not include faith!

FaithCross_BibleALT Well isn’t that strange? If you have faith in something that means you also trust it, but if you trust something you might not have faith in it.  Maybe one way to think about is that we trust the things that we can see and feel, and we have faith in things that are hard to see and feel.

Well, in the Bible story we hear today, there is a centurion (a Roman soldier) who shows both trust AND faith in who Jesus is and what God can do. He has a servant who is dying and has faith that Jesus can heal the servant, but he also trusts that Jesus is powerful enough that the servant will be healed without Jesus even coming to his house!  This amazes even Jesus!

Let’s play a little game with trust and faith.  I have these two signs, (or one, whichever you did!) and we are going to come up with some things that we trust, some things that we have faith in, and some things that fit into both!  I’ll start – I trust that the building we are in is not going to fall down.  I have faith that Jesus is present with us now, and I have trust and faith in God’s everlasting love. Now you try!

(Give them a little space to come up with some ideas)

That was great!  Think about trust and faith this week as you meet people and play with friends.

FaithCross_PrayALT Loving and healing God, thank you for giving us things to put our trust in, like (add some things from the poster!). Thank you for giving us things to have faith in, like (______________). Thank you for being someone we can trust and have faith in!  Amen.

FaithCross_BlessALT May the Holy Spirit burn in your heart today and everyday!

FaithCross_Worship Simply invite the congregation to participate in the faith/trust/faith and trust exercise with the children!  You can make a big poster that people can come up and write on, or you can have more of an interactive discussion about it with the whole assembly.

Children's Sermons

Palm Sunday Year C Luke 19:28-39

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Preparation: some pathetic looking palms or sad looking palm plant or other plant .
An alternative image that goes with the text better is a coat. Bring a coat and after talking bout the palms tell about the coats being laid to honor Jesus and as gifts. Talk about the gifts we bring and how Jesus sees us as gift. Instead of palms at the worship station have people write on images of coats.

FaithCross_ConnectALTGather the children and have them bring their palms or use this as a time to hand them out. Ask, “who can tell me why we are holding these palms today?” Take answers and explain that it is a ritual and tradition of the church to have palms on this day to remember the part of Jesus life where he went into Jerusalem for the last time and had his last week with is friends and followers. The palms were waved as he came into town to honor and praise him.

FaithCross_BibleALTSome of your palms look really good but look at the ones I have here. (Show your pathetic palm/plant). This one is kind of small and too old maybe to be used for Palm Sunday. I am not sure it is good enough. But  you know what I like about this palm? It is real, it was grown from this plant and it has lived in this worship space (or my house or wherever) for a long time. And it makes me think how sometimes we think we are not good enough for things. Are there times you feel like you are not good enough or that you have let someone down?

Jesus sees all these palms as a gift. There may be some that are too old or new or some that are dried out or just too small, but they are all real and a part of creation. Jesus sees you and me this way too. Even if you feel that you have let someone down or you feel that you have not done something well or you that you are just not big enough or smart enough yet–Jesus sees you as totally enough just as you are right now. Jesus looks at you like these palms, as a gift. As someone who can share love and live as a beautiful part of God’s creation. Jesus goes into Jerusalem today and he will go to the cross there. He dies on the cross to show you that God already loves you and forgives you always.

FaithCross_PrayALTJesus, we praise you with our palms and with our voices. Let us know your love for each one of us in all our gifts and in all the ways we need to grow. Amen

FaithCross_BlessALTMay you know Jesus love always rescues you+

 

 

FaithCross_WorshipHave palm branches for people to make into crosses. Or have construction paper and have people trace their hands and write in the ways they see God’s love and forgiveness for them on the inside of their hand (their palm)

OR for LOTS Of fun have washable markers and let people write on their very own hands (like the picture).. I know, crazy-ness. Let me know if you tried it!

 

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon/Worship Station – March 6, 2016: Lent 4c – Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

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Prepare: One of my favorite ways to tell this story is to act it out. So your preparation for the children’s sermon can be as simple as just making sure you know the story well enough to tell it, or as complex as having actors and costumes. Up to you!

For the worship station, set up a “voting booth” with a two large jars or containers and beads or small rocks for people to vote with.

20130822-223520.jpg As the children gather ask them if they have a favorite story.  If they do, ask them how they like to tell the story?

20130822-223633.jpg Today’s Gospel story is a really fun story to act out, but first we need to some actors.

OK – from here on you are on your own! But I will tell you what I would do.  I would have a short list of the important characters in mind, and maybe even on a piece of paper in front of me. I would look for “volunteers,” and by that I mean that I would ask, but would ultimately end up choosing some people to play certain parts. Once I had my cast I would start to narrate the story and encourage the actors to act out what I am saying.

One really fun way to do this is to have the prodigal son stay with you, and pretend to walk away while the father and other son back away from you.  Then you can keep the action of the story close by.

To get the two groups back together you can have them kind of meet in the middle.

My simple cast would be:

  • Father
  • Prodigal
  • Other Son

Expansions on that would be:

  • The people the prodigal celebrates and eats with
  • the farmer he works for
  • the pigs that he eats with
  • the people who live near his father
  • his fathers’s other servants
  • etc . . .

20130822-223908.jpg You are God’s Beloved child

 

20130822-223749.jpg Loving and forgiving God, bring us back to you when we wander far from your love and care. Teach us to show your love, mercy and forgiveness in all parts of our lives, and lead us in ways that keep us close to you always! Amen.

FaithCross_Worship For the worship station, ask the question, “where does your pride end?” To keep it simple have two jars:  “I would return to my family when the money ran out,” and, “I would be eating with the pigs.”

Have people vote and see where you congregation ends up!  Make sure that being forgiven for pride is part of your prayers AFTER the worship station, so that the idea of returning to God is part of your focus in worship this day.

Children's Sermons, Communications

Children’s Sermon Lent 1C Lord’s Prayer series Luke 4:1-13

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This begins a Lent series on the Lord’s prayer. There are elements of the Lord’s prayer in each week of the Lent readings in year C. This first one is on the portion that says ‘lead us not into temptation’. Another addition you could do with the Lord’s Prayer is learn some of the sign language and teach the kid the prayer piece by piece.

Preparation: Bowl or plate, real or plastic foods–healthy mostly and some junk food

20130822-223520.jpgGather the children up front with you. Have the bowl out and the food choices too. Say, ” So I have this bowl and all this food here. What do you think I should pick to make me full? ” Have the kids help some. Go through the choices and pick healthy ones and then be ‘tempted’ to choose the unhealthy as well. Say, “I could just eat the cookies, but not sure how healthy that is, or if they will keep me from being hungry…”

“So why is that we say we should eat dessert last?” Take answers. “Yes, because we know that the food that is good for us will help us grow, be strong and healthy and takes care of our bodies. We do not need cookies for that. So we have this ‘guide’ or ‘rule’ that we tend to follow that says we should first eat the healthy food. It is a guide that helps keeps us on the right track most of the time. ”

20130822-223633.jpg“Each week we pray the Lord’s prayer–have you noticed that? And in that prayer we say this “Lead us not into temptation”.  Jesus taught this prayer to us. And we hear today in the gospel how Jesus was in the wilderness and tempted by the devil to do things that would not honor God, to walk outside of the path that he was walking with God. When we pray this prayer, we are asking God to help us continue to follow Jesus, to make good choices, to stay on a path that keeps us healthy and strong. So it is kind of like our guide for eating healthy, but this prayer is not just about food. It is about how we live and make good choices. ”

20130822-223749.jpgLet’s say this part of  Lord’s prayer up to this part together. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (have them repeat) “Jesus help us to make good choices, to follow you, and to remember you are with us, loving us all the time. Amen”

20130822-223908.jpg+God is with you and guiding you+

 

 

FaithCross_WorshipHave a poster with the words “Lead us not into Temptation” Invite people to share their struggles: “Lead us not into temptation.”  Temptation is part of our daily life.  What are some common things that you are tempted by that you wish you had better control over.  Write them on the poster and say a prayer for God’s leading.