Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 7, 2013
Good morning girls and boys. We read in our Bibles today that Jesus sent out His disciples on a mission of “preaching the need of repentance.” And so today I want to talk about this word, REPENTANCE. Can anyone tell me what the word repent means?
That’s right. When we repent we feel sorry for something that we did wrong — like if you did something that hurt one of your friends and you felt bad about it. And then you promise not to do that wrong thing ever again.
Every one of us has something to repent for, (to be sorry for), but first, we have to admit to ourselves that we can do better. Jesus tells us that if we really want to do the Will of God we must repent for the things we have done wrong and we must try very hard to change, so that we won’t do them again.
A little girl was caught lying, so her mother made her go to her room. “You will sit there until your father comes home,” the mother said. “I’ll stand in the corner, but I won’t sit,” said the stubborn little girl. So the mother put her hands on the girl’s shoulders and made her sit down. When her father came home he asked his daughter what she was doing sitting the corner of her bedroom.
She said, “My head tells me I’m sitting here, but my heart tells me I’m still standing.” Now was that girl repentant? No, she wasn’t because her heart said that she wasn’t really sorry for what she had done.
That’s a funny story, but you know that God doesn’t want us to be like that little girl. No, God wants us to feel truly sorry when we have done wrong. And, most of all, try our best to do better.
That’s what REPENTANCE means!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 14, 2013
Good morning boys and girls. I’d like us to imagine a picture of something that forms a circle. Okay– maybe you pictured something like a spinning top, or the hands of a clock, or a merry-go-’round.
Maybe you have heard the expression, “what goes around comes around.” What does that mean, boys and girls? Let’s pretend you are watching your friend riding on a merry-go-round. For the first second or two that friend would be traveling away from you, and then, in just a few seconds more that friend would be back around the circle coming toward you. The horse he or she is riding on would leave from a certain spot and come right back to that spot — over and over again. So when people say “what goes around comes around,” they mean that something that goes out in a circle will come back. And what they really mean is when you do something nice, when you send out good things — maybe something good will come back to you.
And likewise, if you do something mean, maybe what comes back won’t be so good. Another way to think of it is that we are all responsible for our actions. We are all responsible for the things that we do — and the things that we do will have consequences later on — some good and some bad, depending on how well you’ve been practicing your Bible Lessons!
You know what boys and girls? One of the things that should be going around, one of the things that Jesus has instructed us to send all around is our love for one another. We read in our Bibles today that Jesus has instructed us to “love our neighbor, as much as we love ourself.” And when we start to send our love and our good deeds around to our friends and our neighbors, just like the circle, that love, and those goods deeds will come back to us.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 21, 2013
Good morning boys and girls. Today I would like to start out with a story about a boy who was always worrying. He was looking at his test paper that his teacher had just graded. “I worried about this test all night,” he said. “I worried and worried and worried.” The little girl next to him asked, “So what happened?” “I got an A. I wasted a good worry!”
In our Bible Lesson today we read that Jesus is visiting Mary and her sister Martha who is doing all of the housework while Mary is just sitting with Jesus. Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to get up and help her. Jesus answers, saying “Martha you worry too much — it is Mary who has chosen the right thing to do.” You see boys and girls while Martha was busy with the chores around the house, Mary was sitting and listening to Jesus. And that’s why Jesus told Martha that she is worrying too much about the little things instead of listening to the important Lessons that He was teaching.
Jesus taught the Lessons that we read about in our Bibles by His example.You could say His entire Life was the Lesson. He wasn’t just a great Teacher–He was the best Teacher ever. He wasn’t just a great Healer — He was the best Healer ever. He didn’t just care about others — He loved others so much that He was willing to give up His own life for them!
Boys and girls it is not possible for us to be just like Jesus. But we can follow His passionate examples instead of worrying about the little things. It is not possible for us to be able to teach just like Jesus, but we can share His teaching with our brothers and sisters in our faith community. It is not possible for us to heal like Jesus, but we can send around the healing love that He asked us to share with our neighbors. And now boys and girls I hope that this week you all do a little less worrying and a little more practicing the Lessons we have learned in our Bibles. The Lessons from the Greatest Teacher ever!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
July 28, 2013
Good morning girls and boys. During the last few months we celebrated Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and today I want us to think about our fathers and mothers. Our human families include our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers. And God has a very important role for fathers and mothers to play in our families. What are some of the important things that God wants our parents to do here on earth? That’s right! Fathers and mothers work hard so they can earn enough money to provide you with food and clothing and a nice place to live. What else? Fathers and mothers are there to teach important lessons especially learning right from wrong. What else? That’s right, most of all fathers and mothers are there to take care of you whenever you need them. Mothers and fathers are there to provide for you, to protect you, to keep you healthy and strong, to feed you, and to keep bad things away from you. And for all of us, no matter how old we are, we will always have our heavenly Father right by our side!
Boys and girls today we read in our Bibles that when we pray we should say ‘Father.’ Why is this important boys and girls? That’s right, when we pray to God, we are praying to our heavenly Father. God is the Father of Jesus — and God is the Father of us all. And that includes every living creature, that ever was, in all of the universe. God the Father is the source of all life.
Boys and girls when we say The Lord’s Prayer, we begin by saying “Our Father.” The next time you say “Our Father,” think about the One who is always there, just like your parents, to feed you and clothe you, to keep you healthy and strong and to keep bad things away from you. And remember also, since God is Father to us all then all of His children are our bothers and sisters. I’ll bet you didn’t know you had such a big family, did you?
