Children’s Sunday Sermon
August 1, 2010
Good morning boys and girls. Have you ever asked your mom or dad if you could do something that they didn’t want you to do and they said “NO!” And then came your response: “Well, all my friends are doing it, so why can’t I?” Well boys and girls it is times like that when you have to trust that your parents or grandparents or teachers know what’s best for you! And you know in your heart that just because others are doing a certain thing doesn’t mean that’s it is best for you. Have you ever played “follow the leader?” That’s a fun game where you do everything that the leader is doing. You put your hands up when the leader does, you scratch your head when the leader does, you stick your tongue out when the leader does. But I’m sure you wouldn’t jump off a bridge just because the leader did, would you? That’s silly, but of course you don’t always have to do what everyone else is doing. You don’t always have to “follow the crowd.”
There is a big word that describes doing what everyone else is doing. The word is “conformity” and it means that you will make your behavior match everyone else’s behavior. Boys and girls in many parts of our lives this is a good thing, like obeying the law and following the rules at school. When you cross on the green light you are conforming to the rules of the road. But sometimes it’s not so good like getting a tattoo just because “everyone else is doing it!” Did you know that these days there are nearly as many people going to the Doctor to get old tattoos removed as there are people having new ones made? Maybe those people thought it was a good idea to follow the crowd when they got the tattoo but now they’re not so sure!
Boys and girls this is certain: If everyone would conform to the Lessons that we have learned in our Bibles this would be an awesome world!
What if we could say, “love your neighbor,” because everyone’s doing it!
What if we could say, “help those who need you,” because everyone’s doing it!
What if we could say, “listen with your heart because,” everyone’s doing it!
If we could say those things, then we would know that everyone was following the greatest leader ever. We would know that everyone was following the recipes in the greatest book ever written. And that’s when God would be very pleased that “everyone is doing it!”
Children’s Sunday Sermon
August 8, 2010
Good morning boys and girls! It’s time to talk about money again! You might be thinking to yourselves, “why money again! We’ve talked about this before.” Well, you know what boys and girls? Some people say that the number one sickness in the world is the love of money.
Jesus talks a lot about money in our Bibles, boys and girls, because he knew that so many people were money sick. He didn’t say that money all by itself was bad. Of course it isn’t. We all need money to buy the things that we need in order to live. But what Jesus did say was if we love money too much that’s bad. Today we read in our Bibles that Jesus said, “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Can anyone tell me what this means? Well let me help you with this one. Suppose what you treasured above all other things was a certain possession that you had — maybe a toy or a game — or if you are a collector maybe a baseball card or a stamp or a coin. What if that was the most important thing in your life? What if that was all you ever talked about, or cared about or looked at? Would that be a good way to live? No, of course not. What Jesus is telling us is that if we put money ahead of everything else then that is not a good way to live either. You see sometimes people can become so interested in making money that they forget what the important lessons are.
Now suppose you treasured something else. Suppose you put your love of God and your belief in our Bible ahead of everything else? Suppose you’ve been really practicing all of your lessons because you treasure them above all else. Would that be a good way to live? Of course it would! It would be the best way to live. And like it says in our Bible, to treasure God is to tell Him that He lives in our hearts!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
August 15, 2010
Good morning boys and girls. Today I want us to think about some of the “shapes” that we can see in nature — shapes that we see in the world around us. Can you name some of those shapes? That’s right! Mountains sometimes have a triangular shape. With their high peaks that form a point at the top and their wide base at the bottom, they do look like a triangle.
How about a farmer’s field? With corn or other vegetables planted in neat rows the farmer’s field does form the shape of a square or a rectangle. How about when you look far out at the ocean or a big lake? There you will see a straight line that forms the horizon.
And now comes the best shape — the circle. That’s right! The sun and the moon and the earth all look like a circle. And so do many flowers and seeds and other wonderful creations of God. The circle is my favorite shape. And unlike the triangle or the square or the rectangle, or the straight line that all have distinct points, you can’t find a beginning or an ending point of a circle, can you? It just goes ‘round and ‘round and ‘round!
You know what boys and girls, our Christian community is kind of like a circle. Each one of us, joining hands together form a great big circle — and the inside of our faith circle is overflowing with God’s love for us. And each one of us in the circle is very important! If just one person in the circle lets go, we wouldn’t have a circle anymore, would we?
Let’s all get up right now and join hands and form our own circle to show God that we are thinking of him today. And don’t let go!
Now this week, as you look up at the sun and at all of the wonderful flowers I want you to think of God’s Circle of Love made up of all of His children joining hands. And that’s a good reminder for us every day boys and girls to keep on practicing the Bible Lessons that we learn here each week!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
August 22, 2010
Good morning girls and boys. Today we read in our Bibles that Jesus said, “There are those now last who shall be first and those now first who shall be last.” What do you suppose Jesus meant when He said this?
Before you answer I want you to think about a person who cuts in line ahead of everyone in the cafeteria, or at the water fountain. Or maybe you’ve seen someone push their way ahead of everyone at the grocery store or in line at the movies. What do you think about that person when you see him trying to get ahead of everyone else, or you see her pushing her way to the front of the line? That’s right, it’s not very polite to act that way, is it? But it’s more than just impolite. It tells us that person doesn’t want to do what is expected of him as a loyal follower of Jesus. Instead, such persons want to put themselves ahead of everyone else who are doing the right things and waiting their turn. They feel so important that they think they don’t have to follow the rules like everyone else.
Well you know what boys and girls, Jesus has something to say about people who act that way. Jesus is telling us that those who do the right thing and respect their neighbors will be doing God’s Will. In doing so we are following Jesus’ examples, just like we do when we listen with our hearts, and share, and help, and all the other things that are expected of us. Jesus is telling us that if we think about others, instead of always thinking about ourselves first then we are doing the work that is expected of us as loyal followers. Boys and girls, the next time you find yourself wishing you could go to the head of the line without waiting your turn, remember — if you do the right thing and wait your turn, soon enough you’ll get there. And more importantly, when you treat your neighbor the way Jesus has taught us then you are already at the head of the line in the eyes of God.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
August 29, 2010
Good morning boys and girls. There’s a true story about a professional football quarterback who was eating in a restaurant one day. He noticed a little boy, eagerly walking to his table. Seeing this, the football star quickly signed his autograph on the lunch menu, certain that was what the boy wanted. Just as the little boy arrived at the man’s table, the famous quarterback handed him the menu with his autograph. Puzzled, the boy looked at the quarterback and said, “No thanks mister. Can I borrow your ketchup?”
That’s a funny story boys and girls but it also teaches us a lesson. There are times when we might think that we’re a big shot, and along comes a boy like that to bring us back down to earth!
Jesus has taught us a lot about this subject. He said if a man exalts himself he will be humbled. What does this mean boys and girls? It means exactly what we learned in our little story today. The famous quarterback was so used to having everyone ask for his autograph that he was sure that was what the boy wanted. But then came the boy’s surprise answer — and the famous man was humbled by that little boy who didn’t even know who he was! All he wanted from the star football player was the ketchup!
And Jesus has taught us something more in today’s lesson. He also says, the man who humbles himself will be exalted. It’s the opposite of what the quarterback did. If we take time to think that others are also important before thinking we are the most important, then God will put us first. Instead of asking us for the ketchup bottle, God will want our autograph. He’ll know that we have signed our names to the promise of always remembering to practice our faith. He’ll know that we have signed our name to the promise to Love one another as he has loved us! And when you do that, you’ll be a star in the eyes of God!
