Children’s Sunday Sermon
December 3, 2023
Good morning, boys and girls. Christmas is less than a month away, and I’m sure some of you have already started to prepare. A few of you may have begun your Christmas shopping. Others may be working on a special Christmas play to be performed later this month. Or you’ve already started to help your mom or dad decorate your house. Those are all very nice things you can do as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus on Christmas day. But we can’t get started with all these projects on Christmas Eve, can we, boys and girls? No, this work requires us to plan and prepare for the coming of Christmas!
We have already learned in our Bible Lessons that Jesus has promised that we will live forever. Boys and girls, because we are human, the idea that we will live forever is hard for us to imagine in our lives here on earth. But the promise that Jesus has given us, of eternal life, of living forever, starts exactly here on earth. And that’s where we must make sure that we are always prepared.
For all of us loyal followers of Jesus, we have already begun our preparation for eternal life here on earth. And being prepared means doing the good work expected of us here on earth as we grow closer to God. And Jesus tells us that eternal life means being close to God.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
December 10, 2023
Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever played the game, “Who can be quiet the longest?” The game is simple: You sit in your house with your brothers and sisters or some friends and try to keep perfectly quiet. But it isn’t that easy. Before long, someone starts to laugh or point or make faces, and oops . . . someone blurts something out and loses the game! And it’s not just hard for kids to stay quiet. It’s hard for most adults, too.
Did you know that silence has been important to many religious followers’ lives through the ages? You may have seen pictures of Trappist Monks who wear long robes with a hood. In the old days, the Monks took a vow of silence, meaning they were quiet all day long except to sing hymns and recite prayers.
Today, many people take time out of their day to sit in silence. But why would people be silent when it can be so hard? The answer is many people feel closer to God when they can sit in silent prayer. When you clear your head of all the noise and clutter that is always around, you can sit quietly to say your prayers. When you clear your head of all the noise and clutter around you, you can sit quietly and listen to the voice of God, who is always right there beside you.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
December 17, 2023
Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever been camping or taken a vacation in the mountains? Do you remember thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe how dark it gets out here at night!” And maybe you looked up at the sky and saw the stars shining more brightly than you had ever seen them. You see boys and girls, the further you get away from the bright city lights, the darker the sky seems at night. But the further you escape the bright city lights, the brighter the stars in the night sky shine!
Today, we read in our Bibles that Jesus is the “Light of the World.” That’s right. We know that Jesus is here 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. 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 night 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 prepared to light up their day with a special visit. Or when a little brother, sister, or cousin wants to play 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 shining star, reflecting Jesus’ bright light of love into the lives of our friends, 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 stare up into the night sky at the brightly shining stars, I want you to think about today’s lesson and how you can shine your light for someone who needs you! And that’s what I call a bright idea!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
December 24, 2023
Good morning, boys and girls. Christmas will soon be here, and I know you are excited as you prepare for this special day. But with all the rushing, shopping, and cooking, sometimes we need to remember the real meaning of Christmas. So, as a reminder, I want to share a little prayer that you can recite with your family on Christmas day.
A Christmas Prayer*
Loving Father,
Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing that Christ brings and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Tomorrow, boys and girls, it might be hard to think of the deeper spiritual meaning of Christmas as you open your gifts with your family and relatives. But as you look at all the sparkling lights around you on Christmas day, remember the One who opens the door of love all over the world. Remember the reason we celebrate Christmas day, and then say thank you to God for the most precious gift of all: the birth of Jesus.
* Robert Louis Stevenson
Children’s Sunday Sermon
December 25, 2023
Good morning, girls and boys. I want to wish each of you a very Merry and a very blessed Christmas on this day as we gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Today, we celebrate the greatest Christmas present given to each of us. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to live here with us on earth. He sent us His only Son to show us the wonderful example of His Good works. He sent His only Son to us to shine his brilliant light into our lives.
Here’s a little Christmas riddle: Who delivers Christmas presents to pets? Why, Santa Paws, of course! Boys and girls, I’m sure many of you received some nice gifts this morning. And maybe your pets did, too! Did anyone make a gift for your mom or Dad or brother or sister? That’s great! Sometimes, the nicest presents we can give are those we make ourselves — like a picture you drew, something you made in your workshop at home or a special Christmas project at school. Often, a gift like that tells the person who receives it just how much we care about them and how much we think about them. And we can do even better than those boys and girls. We can give the gift of ourselves, not just on Christmas day but every day of the year. What does this mean to give the gift of ourselves, girls and boys? That’s right, when you give your gift of time by visiting someone who is sick or lonely, you are giving them a beautiful gift of yourself. If you share with a friend or family member, you give them a beautiful gift of caring. If you listen to someone with your heart, you are giving them the beautiful gift of really listening. These are among the greatest gifts we can give each other- gifts to show how much we care. These gifts show how well we have been following the example of Jesus — the greatest gift ever!
Merry Christmas, boys and girls!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
December 31, 2023
Good morning, girls and boys! Have you ever heard someone say, “We are all children of God?” They’re not just talking about little children but everyone on earth. Boys and girls, mothers and fathers, all of us are God’s children. Each person is special and part of one big human family of God. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were also a family — The Holy Family. Each of us, the children of God here on earth, knows He will take care of us, just like your parents take care of you.
At home, in your family, you have certain responsibilities that your parents want you to do. They want you to be polite and kind, to share with others, to do your chores, and to keep up with your homework. Those are some of your responsibilities at home.
As members of our Christian family, the family of God, we also have certain responsibilities. Jesus tells us in the Bible: “Give food to those who are hungry, give drink to those who are thirsty, and as a child of God, love all the children of God as I have loved you.” In other words, share things with those who have less than you and try to treat them like Jesus would. What a wonderful family we would have if everyone treated all the other children of God this way!
Boys and girls, each of you has special talents and abilities that God has given you. Some of you are good at sports. Some are good at art. Some like math, others like science. Perhaps some of you like music best. Whatever you like to do, whatever you are good at, each of you, each child of God, is special because you are you!
