Children’s Sunday Sermon
January 1, 2014
Good morning girls and boys.Today is the very first day of the year 2014, and I want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy New year! Did you know the celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays? It was first observed about 4000 years ago. In our country, there are many different customs observed for the New Year like having big parties, banging pots and pans at midnight and even eating certain foods. Perhaps the most popular custom of all is making a New Year’s Resolution. What does that word, resolution mean, girls and boys? It means that we have decided to do something — that we are “resolved” to make a change in the way we will live our lives in the coming New Year. What are some of the things that people resolve to do in the New Year? That’s right — many people resolve to go on a diet, to exercise more, or maybe save money — and those are all fine goals for the New Year. Here’s an interesting fact: 4,000 years ago the most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment! Times sure have changed!. But today there is a much more important resolution that God has in mind for each of us. And that is to do a better job of being faithful and loyal followers of Jesus.
I’m sure many of you will enjoy a special New Year’s dinner this evening. In many parts of our country people celebrate the New Year by eating black-eyed peas. And cabbage is another “good luck” vegetable that people eat on New Year’s Day. Did you know that the Dutch people believe that eating donuts on New Year’s Day will bring them good luck? I’ll bet a lot of you would rather eat donuts than cabbage today! But no matter what food you will enjoy tonight in celebration of the New Year the most important thing to remember is the resolution that each one of us must make — not just on New Year’s Day, but every day. Let’s all make our New Year’s resolution here today:
This year, I will try to do a better job following the example that Jesus has set for me. This year, I will try to do the good work here on earth that God expects of me. And you know what, boys and girls? By promising to remember those things, each and every day of the New Year, you’ll be making the best New Year’s resolution of all!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
January 5, 2014
Good morning girls and boys! I hope all of you have been thinking about your New Year’s resolution this week. Now today we are going start by to talking about music! That’s right. If you have a favorite song that you can think of please raise your hand? Okay, great — that’s just about everybody. Once again, please raise your hand if you know all the words to your favorite song. Very good — most all of you know the words! Now let’s see a show of hands for those who would like to sing one of those songs for us here today. Wow — I don’t see very many hands this time!
Well that’s okay boys and girls. Most of us, including me, are a little nervous about getting up in front of an audience and singing. You know what, boys and girls? It’s sort of the same way when it comes to the book most of us would consider our all-time favorite — the Bible. In fact the Bible has been called the greatest book ever written. And we know many of the words in the Bible boys and girls — but just like your favorite song — for some reason, we are not always ready to show others how well we know them. We may all gather together each week to study our Bible lessons — the words in the Bible — but we are not always willing to to sing them out in our daily lives. We are not always willing to practice the things that Jesus taught us in this favorite of all books.
So what should we do boys and girls? Well don’t worry — I’m not going to ask you to get up and sing for us here today. What I am asking is that you think about not just learning the words in the Bible, but learning how you can live the words. And when we learn to live the words in the Bible our hearts will be singing the beautiful music that God wants us to sing. Through our actions we will be sharing with our friends and family and neighbors just how well we have learned the words in our favorite of all books.
Today, each of us can start thinking about the words in one of our favorite passages in the Bible. I’ll give you one today to start thinking about. Not just to memorize and recite to others, but to memorize and to live and share with others — as shining examples of the bright light that Jesus shines in each of our lives. So let’s read together, and hopefully your hearts will sing the beautiful music that God has filled us with: Love one another as I have loved you. Don’t you feel your heart singing?
Children’s Sunday Sermon
January 12, 2014
Good morning girls and boys! There once lived a man who became famous for saying, “Every day is a miracle!” Wherever he went, whoever he met, he would include that line at the end of every conversation — “everyday is miracle.” You know what, boys and girls? He was right. Each and every day that God has given us here on earth truly is a miracle. All you need to do is look around and you’ll see the miracle of the trees and the flowers, the miracle of the birds and the sky, the miracle of the mountains and the oceans — every one of them God’s miracle! But to see the greatest miracle, all you need to do is pick up a mirror. That’s right — God’s most awesome creation — God’s greatest miracle is you. Of all of the people, in all of history, no one, not a single one is exactly like you. And don’t you forget that! Each of you here today is one of God’s greatest miracles! As one of God’s miracles, you have a one-of-a kind job to do here on earth. In your own way, each one of you can be a shining example of the light that Jesus shines on us.
If I had a crystal ball and could look into the future I would find that some of you became doctors, some lawyers, some teachers, and some computer programmers. Some fire fighters, and some artists — and the list would go on and on. And each person, with his or her special talents would be busy with their job. But that’s just the beginning of the story. If I looked deeper, I would find that no matter what job they had, some were living the lessons that Jesus has taught, and some were not. And that would be sad, boys and girls, because as one of God’s miracles, as a member of our Christian family, each of us must also do the work that God expects of us. And if we would all do that, when we look into that crystal ball, the light shining out of the hearts of those people would be so bright that it would fill the world with peace. And that’s a miracle that we can all look forward to! But before we get there, we have plenty of work to do. So let’s get busy today doing our schoolwork so we can see a bright future for ourselves. But more important, let’s also get busy doing the work that God expects of us. And never forget, “Everyday is a miracle!”
Children’s Sunday Sermon
January 19, 2014
Good morning boys and girls. If you’ve ever gone grocery shopping with your Mom or Dad I’m sure you noticed all the labels on food packages. Most foods have labels that list all the ingredients, vitamins and minerals. And today, many people concerned about their health and nutrition spend a lot of time reading those labels. Now, more than ever, people understand how important it is to choose the right foods. So the next time you have your favorite breakfast cereal, why don’t sit down with your Mom or Dad and together, read the list of ingredients. You’ll definitely learn something!
Boys and girls there is also a list of ingredients that go into not just eating well, but living well. And those ingredients can be found right here in this book — the greatest recipe book ever written — the Bible. Let’s see if we can find some of these ingredients:Compassion, Mercy, Brotherhood, Humility. And the number one ingredient: LOVE.
Boys and girls, now that we have a brand new year ahead of us, maybe we can think about a recipe that will help us stick to our New Year’s “resolutions.” It’s called “Recipe for a Happy New Year.”
First, take twelve months, and remove from them any bad feelings left over from last year. Clean them completely of bad thoughts so they are fresh and new. Then cut these months into pieces of about 30 days each. Next, prepare just one day at a time: put into each day 12 parts of faith, 11 parts of hope, 10 parts of prayer, 9 parts of kindness, 8 parts of patience, 7 parts of work, 6 parts of loyalty, 5 parts of courage, 4 parts of generosity, 3 parts of quiet time, 2 parts of humor, and a dash or two or three of fun and play. Pour love into the whole batch and mix with enthusiasm. Sprinkle with smiles and laughter. Follow these directions and a happy new year is guaranteed!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
January 26, 2014
Good morning boys and girls. I’m sure you’ve all heard someone say, “He has a bad attitude,” or “She has a poor attitude.” But what does this word, ATTITUDE, really mean? That’s right — our attitude is how we act or feel about things. Some people always seem to be going around with a not-so-great attitude, while others seem to have a “good attitude.” Of course we all have those, not-so-good, very bad, terrible days that we’ve talked about before. And of course that will affect how we act that particular day. But, depending on how you look at things, depending on how you feel about things, you can decide either to go through life with a “good attitude,” or a “not-so good attitude.” And this is especially important when we are talking about the work that we have been asked to do as members of our Christian community. It’s a lot easier when you have a “good attitude.”
So how do we change our attitude? How do we go from having a “not-so-good attitude” to a great one? If you look in your dictionary you will find the meaning of the word and the correct way to say and spell it. But if you look in the greatest of all books — our Holy Bible — you’ll find out how to live a “good attitude.” And you’ll discover how Jesus talked about having a good attitude.
So let’s look at some of the things that may give us a “bad attitude.” Can anyone think of any? That’s right, feelings of hate and jealousy, and gossip, and selfishness are all examples. How about some things that show a “good attitude?” That’s right, feelings of brotherhood and compassion, and sharing and caring and especially love, are all good examples. Sound familiar boys and girls? That’s right! All of these lessons are found in our Bible.
So this week boys and girls, let’s all see if we can shine our smiles in places that really need it. You may find someone who is carrying around those heavy feelings and, because of your good attitude, you may help that person lighten up. You may even help that person to smile a little (or even a lot)!
