Children’s Sunday Sermon
February 2, 2020
Good morning girls and boys. Let’s start with a riddle: What is white when it’s dirty and black when it’s clean? A blackboard.
Well you all look so nice and clean today. That means that you probably used some soap when you washed up this morning. And whether you took a bath or a shower or just washed up at the sink, to do a good job you need soap to get rid of the dirt and impurities — things that might spoil your good looks!
The people who make a certain kind of soap have a slogan that says that their soap is ninety-nine and nine-tenths percent pure. That means that there is practically nothing in the soap that is unclean.
Jesus tells us to make ourselves one-hundred percent pure in heart. That means He wants all our thoughts and all our deeds to be free from anything that spoils our ability to think good thoughts and to do good things. It means our thoughts about one another should be loving thoughts. And it means that we are to treat one another lovingly. It means we are to be kind to one another. It means we should care for one another in ways that show we are willing to help one another when help is needed.
And it means that our minds and hearts should be unspoiled by anything that keeps us from seeing and thinking about God who loves us with the purest love we could ever imagine!
“Blessed are the pure in heart,” Jesus tells us in our Bibles, “For they shall see God.” Boys and girls, the next time you wash your hands to keep them clean and pure, let’s also think about keeping our hearts pure and full of the good thoughts God wants us to have for one another.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
February 9, 2020
Good morning boys and girls. Can I see a show of hands of all those here who are afraid of the dark? I don’t see too many hands raised boys and girls. For most of us when we are little there are times when we are afraid of the dark, but I know you are all too grown up now for that! And these days, in case you need to get up at night when the lights are out, maybe you have one of those little night lights that will help guide your way in the dark.
Today we read in our Bibles that Jesus is “Light of the World.” That’s right. We know that Jesus is here in our lives to shine his bright light of love into our hearts. We have read before in our Bibles that Jesus is like a bright light shining on His loyal followers. And His bright light is there for each one of us to help guide us on our way when things seem dark. In other words, boys and girls, when things are not going so well for us and the day seems dark and gloomy Jesus is there to change all of that.
Now let’s read further from our Bibles. We read that Jesus said that we are the light of the world! That’s right, He says that we must shine our light on those who need us. You see Jesus wants us to reflect His bright light from our hearts into the hearts of others. And as loyal followers, you already know from our lessons when we need to shine our lights most. That’s right. When someone is lonely and needs a friend, we should be ready to light up their day with a smile. Or when someone is sick, we should be ready to light up their day with a special visit. Or when a little brother or sister or cousin wants to spend time playing with us, we should be ready to light up their day by sharing our things with them.
Boys and girls, each of us is expected to be like a mirror, reflecting Jesus’ bright light of love into the lives of our friends and family and neighbors. And when you do that boys and girls you will be a shining example of God’s love for us. The next time you hear your mother or father call out to you to “rise and shine,” I want you think about today’s lesson and how you can shine your light that day for someone who really needs you! And that’s what I call a bright idea!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
February 16, 2020
Good morning boys and girls. Today I want us to talk about a word we hear all the time:
FORGIVENESS.
In our daily lives all of us are asked to forgive others for things they have done wrong to us. But it’s a two-way street. There are also times when we must ask others to forgive us for things, we have done wrong to them. You all know that! But sometimes when someone does something wrong to us, or to someone we care about, it can be hard to forgive. Sometimes you’d rather stay angry instead of shaking hands and forgiving that person.
We all make mistakes sometimes — right? Do you know what boys and girls? All of us can be instantly forgiven by God if we just ask. That’s right. If only we would ask. You see when you ask God for forgiveness — when you say you are sorry for the thing you have done wrong and promise to try to change and do better, God’s forgiveness is guaranteed! Isn’t that awesome, boys and girls?
When you think of God’s forgiving love for you in this way it just might make forgiving others a little bit easier. One more thing boys and girls — when you really earn God’s forgiveness in this way the thing that you did wrong is not only forgiven, but it’s also forgotten!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
February 23, 2020
Good morning boys and girls. We read in our Bible today that Jesus said, “Love your enemies . . .do good to those who hate you . . . pray for those who treat you badly. ” And we read further that if we do these things God will be pleased. Sounds tough, doesn’t it?
Boys and girls what is the opposite of hate? Of course, Love is the opposite of hate. And so, it should come as no surprise to us that Jesus, the One whose Love for us is greater than anything we can imagine, would ask us to respond to hate with love. It should come as no surprise that He asks us to answer bad deeds with good deeds. And this Lesson, boys and girls, is one of the hardest of all to learn.
When someone does something to us that seems bad our first reaction is to get mad, and then to get even. That’s a mistake that we all make — both adults and kids — and it’s part of being human. For adults, it can be something as silly as someone bumping into them in the supermarket or driving too closely — but sometimes those little things can turn into very bad situations. Some people get so angry with others when they are driving, they are said to have, “road rage,” which is a very dangerous thing that you may have heard about.
Boys and girls, I want you close your eyes right now and think about how your classmates might describe you, and how you would describe some of them. Okay. Now tell me, wouldn’t it be nice to be thought of as a boy or girl with a good attitude — someone who is always practicing his or her responsibilities as a loyal follower of Jesus? Someone who is kind, and thoughtful and a good friend? Or would you rather be thought of as someone who answers every bad deed with more bad deeds — someone who goes to school with a bad case of “grumpy-itis.” In the future boys and girls, will anyone really care who bumped into you in the hall or who broke your pencil? Of course not. But in the future, it will be important if you are remembered as a shining bright light reflecting the Love of Jesus! How wonderful that would be!
Boys and girls, there are times when we must stay away from bad people and bad things, and your parents and teachers have taught you how to be safe. It’s very, very important that you listen to and obey your parents and teachers. It is also important that you stand up for yourself and the things that you believe and not let others bully you. You see boys and girls; today’s lesson is not about being afraid or timid when you face bad things. It’s about being strong enough to remember the lessons you learned about facing these things. Not even one of us is perfect and we don’t always follow the instructions that Jesus has given us. But if you really try hard, if you start today by trying to be a little bit kinder or friendlier to someone with “grouchy-itis,” maybe — just maybe, you’ll make a new friend. And that would please God!
