Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 3, 2011
Good morning boys and girls. I hope you all got enough rest last night. I’m sure you know how important it is to get enough sleep every night so you can wake up refreshed and ready to take on the new day. And without enough sleep, our bodies cannot do the work that we expect of it. Without enough rest we feel tired and lazy — our minds and our bodies just don’t work as well as they should.
You know what boys and girls? Just like laying your head down on your pillow to rest, you can turn to Jesus for rest for your soul. We read in our Bible today that Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are tired and I will give you rest. Learn from Me, for I and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29). Jesus is asking us to to come to Him to find rest for our souls so we can be refreshed and ready to do the work that is expected of us as His loyal followers. Instead of being lazy and tired in spirit, He wants us to accept His command to Love one another. And if we do this, we will have peace inside. We will have rest for our souls.
Boys and girls, many of you will take a family vacation this summer. Maybe it will be a trip to the mountains or the beach. Maybe you are going to Disneyland! But wherever you go on your vacation you are sure to come back refreshed and ready to go back to school! Well, even though you might like to delay the school year you know that there is important work to be done! And you’ll do a better job after having had a nice rest during your summer vacation. And it is just the same way when we follow the example and do the work of Jesus, we will receive the rest our souls need in order to be hard working member of our Christian community. Now let’s get to work!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 10, 2011
Good morning boys and girls. Have you ever wondered why a tree can bend on a windy day but usually doesn’t topple over? The reason is because the roots that support the tree spread out over a very big area. And the strong roots that are hidden under the soil help keep the tree planted firmly in the ground during a windy day. But why do the roots naturally stretch out so far, even many miles for some plants and trees? Can you guess why? That’s right, the roots stretch out so far to find water, which is necessary for the tree to grow. Without roots the tree would die. And the tree is willing to go many miles by spreading it’s roots in search of the life giving water that it needs. Today we read in our Bibles that Jesus asks us to imagine someone who plants seeds all around. Some fall near a path and the birds come and eat the seeds. Others fall on rocks and they spring right up in the tiny cracks where they find just a little soil and they begin to grow. But as soon as the sun comes out the plants are burned because they don’t have room for the deep life giving roots to bring them water. And then Jesus tells us there are still others seeds that fall into rich soil, and their roots go deep and they live to be healthy plants with strong, far reaching roots.
It’s the same way with us as loyal followers of Jesus. Our faith in doing the will of God must be planted deep in our hearts. And when we are tempted not to do God’s Will the deep roots of our faith will help us to stand tall and make it through any tough times that will try to bend us. The roots of faith will keep us from toppling over!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 17, 2011
Good morning boys and girls. How many of you have a pet dog at home? That’s great. Dogs can be wonderful pets as you already know and great, loyal friends. Of course there are many things that a dog can’t do that we can but they do have certain things that they are actually better at than us. Can you name something a dog does better than a human? Smell? That’s right! Dogs can smell things from very far away and some dogs are specially trained to help rescue workers after an earthquake to help find people who are trapped using their very good sense of smell. Can you think of anything else? That’s right! The sense of hearing. A dog can hear certain sounds that we can’t. Have you ever noticed that your dog starts barking a few minutes before you hear someone knocking at your door? Long before you hear anyone, your dog may hear someone approaching your house. You may not hear the person until they ring your doorbell. We read in our Bibles today that Jesus said, “Listen, anyone who has ears.” (Mt 13:43).
Boys and girls week after week we gather together here to study our Bibles. Week-after-week we hear the instructions that Jesus has given us. But if we haven’t been following those instructions then we haven’t really been listening, have we? Have you ever heard the expression “It goes in one ear and out the other?” That refers to someone who hears but doesn’t listen with his or her heart. The sound reaches his or her ear, but it just goes in and out. Since the person isn’t really listening, the words don’t settle down deep within their heart. And that’s exactly the way it is with Jesus’ word. He expects us to open up our hearts and really start listening! He doesn’t want His words to go right through us. Instead He wants His words to go down deep within our hearts. And we don’t need our pet dog to bark or our doorbell to ring to remember to listen. No, it’s right here in our greatest instruction book ever for living — our Holy Bible. And today we must really listen to Jesus command to open up, not only our ears, but our hearts! Is everyone really listening?
Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 24, 201
Good morning boys and girls. Have any of you ever gone on a treasure hunt? Maybe you played a game at camp or at school or with your friends where one person hid something and everyone else had to go out and find that thing. Or maybe you went on an Egg hunt at Easter time to find the hidden treasure! That really is a lot of fun, especially when you find the treasure! Today we read in our Bibles that Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.” (Mt. 13:14) What does that mean boys and girls? Can we go out in a field somewhere and find Heaven? What do you think? Believe it or not boys in girls it doesn’t matter if you are in a field, or on the playground, at school or at home you can find Heaven right where you are. That is to say you can be close to God if you follow the instructions that Jesus has given you. And when you do so you will find a little bit of heaven right here and right now on earth. That is the treasure that is waiting for you!
Several years ago boys and girls there was a great treasure hunter who searched the ocean floor just off the coast of Florida for a great sunken treasure. He was looking for the great Spanish ship named the Atocha and he spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars and many years in his search. And finally he did find a fabulous treasure of beautiful gold coins and precious jewelry.
Well you know what boys and girls? You don’t need to spend all that time or money to find your treasure. You can find it right in your heart. That’s right! The love of God is a priceless treasure that is yours for the taking just as soon as you open your heart and let God fill you up with His loving presence.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 31, 2011
Good morning boys and girls. Today I want to tell you a story about a little ant who felt like he wasn’t being treated fairly. He thought he was given more than his fair share of work to do. You see he had the job of carrying a piece of a twig that was so long and heavy for the little ant that his legs wobbled with every step. He thought to himself, “Why have I been asked to carry such a heavy load?” And to make things worse, he suddenly came upon a crack in the sidewalk that he thought would be impossible to cross.
And then an idea popped into his head. What do you think he did boys and girls? That’s right! He pushed that twig across the crack until it reached the other side, forming a bridge that he could cross over. Wow, isn’t that great? That little ant was able to turn what seemed like an unfair burden into something great!
Boys and girls it is the same way for Jesus’ loyal followers. Sometimes we feel like we have been given more than our fair share of work to do. Sometimes we feel like asking, “Why have I been asked to carry such a heavy load?” What are some of those times, boys and girls? How about when you are asked to visit a sick friend or relative when you would rather be playing with your friends — or when you are asked to share your things with someone who has less than you. And you might ask yourself, “Why do I have to do this?” Well you already know the answer. It is because that’s what Jesus has asked of you as one of his loyal followers. And just like that little ant, when you carry your heavy load you will be blessed with the peace of spirit that will fill up your heart — your heavy burden will turn into something great. When you do this, you will form a friendly bridge from your heart to others. Boys and girls, the next time you are riding in your car and travel over a bridge, I want you to think about our story today. And I want you to ask yourself, “Am I doing my fair share? Or would I rather complain about the work that has been asked of me?” And then think of it as a reminder that you can form a friendly bridge from your heart to others.
