Tag Archives: Romans

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon for June 26, 2017 – Romans 6:1b-11

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Prepare: Bring a small LEGO set or some other toy that comes apart or needs to be solved.  Have a cross handy, it could be one that is already in your worship space, or you could bring one that might have special meaning for you.  For example, I wear the same cross every day as a reminder of my faith.

 Have the toy out as people arrive.  Ask them what makes LEGO toys so fun.  Steer them toward the idea that they can be made into other things, or that a puzzle can be solved over and over.  You get the idea!

 Yes!  LEGOs are often really fun because you can remake them!  I think that the best part about LEGOs is that you can keep building them.  Sometimes I even take them apart just to put them back together!  I’m the same way with puzzles.  I like to mess up my Rubix Cube just so I can solve it again.

I was thinking of this when I read the story from Romans today.  It’s really that first sentence that made me think of it.

“Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound?”

OK – that’s really just a fancy way of saying, “Should I go do something bad just to give Jesus a chance to forgive me?”

NO!  But it does sound like how I feel about LEGOs and puzzles, doesn’t it?  Paul, the person who wrote this story, thinks about Jesus’ forgiveness a different way.  We believe that Jesus died to give us freedom from our sins.  It’s not that Jesus likes forgiving us, but rather that Jesus loves us.  When someone I love does something to upset me, it’s not that I like to forgive them, but that I love them and want to keep the relationship strong – so I forgive!

It is the same with God.  You are so loved that God would do anything to keep you close – even send Jesus to die.

 Gracious God, we can never thank you enough for your love and forgiveness.  Be always near us as we strive to live in loving and gracious ways.  Amen

 God loves you always.

 Get a bunch of blank puzzle pieces for people to write short prayers on (Or use the back of an old puzzle).  Invite them to take the pieces home as reminders that God always works to put us back together, and to keep us close.

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Second Sunday of Lent, Romans 4:13-25, March 1, 2015

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Prepare:  For the children’s sermon you can either read the story of Abraham and Sarah from a picture Bible, or you can just re-tell the story in your own words. If you are going to read it, I recommend “The Jesus Storybook Bible” by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

For the worship station you will need a large piece of black or dark blue paper (or cloth would work, too!) and many, many gold star stickers.

20130822-223520.jpg  As the children gather, ask them if they have ever seen Cars 2 (or some other sequel). This may inspire more comments than you want, sorry. Ask them if Cars 2 would make any sense if they hadn’t seen Cars?

20130822-223633.jpg  OK, well today we have a sequel in a way.  The reading from Romans retells the story of Abraham and Sarah and their son Isaac.

(If you used the Genesis reading in worship already you can just refer back to it, but I think that it is always good for hear the story again a different way. I would encourage you to read to re-tell the story of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac here.)

When the Apostle Paul talks about this story he says that it is about more than God keeping a promise. Paul talks about Abraham and Sarah keeping their faith in God, even though the promise seemed impossible. I don’t know for sure, but I also think that how God kept the promise might not have been exactly what Abraham and Sarah expected. Maybe they thought that God would give them many, many children right then, not countless descendants from one son.

Sometimes we hear God’s promise to us and we might have ideas about how that promise should be fulfilled, but that might not always be the same as God’s idea. We, like Abraham and Sarah, need faith and trust in God, and we, like Abraham and Sarah, need to keep doing the good things that God asks us to do, even when we can’t see how the promise will be fulfilled in the end.

20130822-223749.jpg   Faithful God, we thank you for the amazing stories of faith in the Bible, especially when we have a difficult time being faithful. Help us to be faithful to our promises to you and to each other, and to work for good in all that we do. Amen

20130822-223908.jpg  May God’s promises be fulfilled in you.

FaithCross_Worship  Invite the congregation to make a wall of stars!  Each star is a silent promise to do something good for someone else or for the world. Create a prayer station for people to come and say a prayer and add a star to the paper or cloth.

~GB

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Children's Sermons, Communications

Children’s Sermon Pentecost 7A Romans 8:26-39

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Preparation: markers and paper with the words “what If” at the top (or print the whole poem if you like) either to hand out or at worship station

20130822-223454.jpg Gather the children with you. Ask, What kinds of things do you worry about? (take their answers) Yes, I worry about those things too sometimes (or add in your own worries). In fact I have this poem here by Shel Silverstein that lists all kinds of things that might be worrisome.
Read Poem:   Whatif by Shel Silverstein

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear

and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I’m dumb in school?
Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there’s poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don’t grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won’t bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don’t grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

That is quite a list of what ifs! Sometimes I also think that all these what ifs and worries and things that could happen or event things that DO happen that are sad or scary, what if God does not love me anymore–??? Have you ever thought of that what if?

20130822-223633.jpgDid you hear our scripture for today though? I heard it loud and clear, let me read it to you. “For I am convinced–which means I am very, very sure and certain, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height , nor depth,(–insert their worries here and say things like not war or divorce or darkness or lost teeth, etc) nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Do you Know what that means–not one single thing will ever make God’s love go away. Not for you, not for me, not for anyone. Phew… that is some good news, to know that love will be with us no matter what happens or does not happen.

FaithCross_WorshipI have these papers for you that say ‘what if’ on the top. I want you to go ahead and write or draw anything that worries you or scares you. Then after you do that, draw a BIG HEART over the top of it and write God’s Love in that heart to help you remember that nothing will separate you from God’s love.

20130822-224425.jpgJesus, help us remember, no matter what ifs we worry about, no matter what comes our way, that your love is with us to stay. Amen

 

20130822-223908.jpg+May you know God’s love is with you always+

 

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Trinity Sunday Year C Romans 5:1-5

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Guest writer–Pastor Michael Stadtmueller

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

Prep: On Facebook or through other social media ask your members to share some ways that they have experienced God in the world this week.   Let them know you maybe using some of their answers in this weeks upcoming worship.  Make sure you can share a few different short stories collected in one sentence answers.

FaithCross_ConnectALTGather the children. Welcome them to worship

 

FaithCross_BibleALTRead from verse 5 of Romans, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Tell them that we believe that God is revealed to us in many ways through the Holy Spirit, and that today we celebrate the 3 separate ways in which God has been made revealed to the church.

FaithCross_ConversationALT(Trinity Sunday can be difficult to grasp when we get caught in the doctrine, so instead speak through the ways we experience God.) Share the images of how God has been revealed to your congregation members.  And ask the children to share where they have seen God.  Then ask the kids… which one was the right answer?  Remind them that God is most certainly revealed through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that we know this means that all of these answers are ways in which God has been revealed.

Remind them that a joy for a Christian is seeking to find how God is being revealed in their own lives and sharing that joy with others.

FaithCross_PrayALTGod the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we know that you are active and present in our world today.  We pray that you would help us to point others to your ever present Grace by revealing yourself to us.  Amen

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

Children's Sermons

Children Sermon August 7, 2011 Romans 10 Pentecost 8A

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This children’s sermon is based off of the Romans 10: 5-15 focusing on verse 15.

Faith+Open: Gather the children up at the front and welcome them. You may want to have them sit in a circle at this time so that when you do the faith + blessing they are already in a circle. So when your teacher at school wants you to know something important what does he or she do? Answers may range from telling the students about the subject matter, showing a video, or showing an object that is related to the lesson, etc. That’s right! When someone has something important to tell us they will use all kinds of different ways to tell us, not just with words! Did you know that you have something very important to share with everyone you know? You do! God! We are supposed to tell everyone we know about how much God loves the whole world. But it’s hard sometimes isn’t it? We may forget or get embarrassed or wonder what we should actually say.

Faith+Share: But this morning the Bible tells us that we can’t keep this wonderful love of God to ourselves! God sends us to school, the playground, to baseball practice, to our friends houses, everywhere, to tell about God’s love. Now we don’t always have to use our words we can share God’s love by helping people and by being a good friend, but our words are important too! It says in the Bible “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” Well, your feet bring the good news of God! And your feet are beautiful. To help you remember that you bring God everywhere you go we are going to do something special this morning. We are going to bless your feet! And we are going to give you a safety pin with red beads on it to attach to your shoe or sock to remind you that you bring the good news of God’s love everywhere you go!

Faith+Blessing/Faith+Prayer: Hand out the pins with the beads. Have other adults handy to help attach the pins to shoelaces or socks. Then do this blessing: Have all of the kids stand in a circle and put their foot with the pin attached in the circle. Pray: Dear God, thank you for all of these feet that spread your love in the world. You use all of our feet whether they are big or small, walk slow or fast or can walk at all. You promise to be with us always and we know that we can share your love with everyone we meet. Thank you for sending us! In Jesus name, Amen.

If you can’t get the pins made in time for Sunday, gather the materials in a baggie to give to the children to make later at home. You could expand this blessing to the entire congregation! Adults may like the pin as well!

Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon July 24, 2011 Pentecost 6A

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Scripture: Romans 8: 26-39

This lesson is based on the Romans 8 text. At the crux of Paul’s message in this passage is that the summary of all salvation history and God’s love for us is in the three words “God with us.” We all have times when we are afraid and need to be reminded of this fact. Paul is clear that our fear of things real and imagined cannot negate the reality and promise of God with us.

Faith+Open: After calling the children forward say, “I am sometimes afraid. Sometimes it’s just little stuff like the car running out of gas or not knowing what to say to someone. Sometimes it’s big stuff like being sick, do my friends like me or of being alone. We all get afraid sometimes. Do you ever get afraid?” (Wait for responses. You may want to ask what they may be afraid of. Accept all answers.)

Faith+Share: “Yes those are all things that can scare us right? Well today we read part of a letter from a man named Paul who went around to all kinds of different places telling people about Jesus. Paul was writing to the people in the church in Rome. He knew about being afraid. People didn’t always like Paul because he talked about Jesus all the time. They would put him in prison, be mean to him and even sometimes hurt him. Paul knew that his fear was real. BUT Paul also knew who else was real…GOD! Paul knew that God’s love was so big that it would reach Paul no matter what! It didn’t matter where Paul was, what Paul did (even if he did some not so nice things) or what Paul said, God was always there!”

“Do you know what?” God is always with you too! (Ask the kids to name places where they go in their week: school, grocery store, day care, swim lessons, etc.) “Yep! God is with you in all of those places! How can we remember that God is always with us?

Faith+Bless: Hmmm let me think….have you ever noticed how in church some people make the sign of the cross on themselves like this (demonstrate crossing yourself). Do you know why they do it? It is to remind them that God is with them forever! I am going to teach you this today! So take your right hand and use your pointer and tall finger together and start at your forehead. We start there because we want to remember that God in our head. Then we draw an invisible line with our fingers to our chest. This reminds us that God is in our heart. Then we go to our left shoulder, God is on our left. And then our right shoulder, God is on our right. So where is God? Everywhere! We can say, ‘God be in my head, in my heart, on my left and on my right.” (Make the sign of the cross as you say this together. Practice a couple of times.) Now you can do this in church too anytime you want or when we say, “In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” which is God!

Faith+Prayer: Let’s pray: God we thank you for always being with us. You love us and hold us no matter where we are or what we are doing. Be in our head, heart, on our left and on our right always. Amen”

Bonus ideas: If time allows sing a verse of “God’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” You could also bring the children to the baptismal font and make the sign of the cross with water on them while the whole congregation sings.

In my sermon on Romans 8 I am going to ask the adults to write down what their fears are and place them in the offering plate to give to God. Have crayons available so that young children who cannot write can draw their fears and participate. 

~Brigette Weier