Faith Formation Journeys

Walking Together in Grace

Tag: Romans

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

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

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

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

    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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