Children’s Sunday Sermon
May 3, 2020
Good morning girls and boys. I’ll bet most of you have probably seen a sheep at the zoo, on television or maybe in a book. But I wonder if many of you know what a shepherd is. A shepherd, boys and girls is a person who takes care of a flock of sheep, and that means a lot of sheep.
The shepherd leads his flock out into the fields where there is plenty of grass to nibble on to keep them strong and healthy. And while the sheep are busy grazing, the shepherd watches over them. He keeps them from getting hurt and he protects them from wild animals. And, if one of them should stray away from the rest of the flock and become lost, the shepherd will not rest until he finds that lost sheep. And it makes him very happy to have it back in the flock, safe and sound.
That is why it is so wonderful to know that Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. He wanted all His followers to know that they could depend on Him to watch over them, protect them, keep them out of danger. And if one of them should lose their way, He would do everything in His power to help them find their way back.
To each one of you now, Jesus is saying, “I am your Good Shepherd. I will be with you always. I want to keep you safe and sound from all that is not good. I want to make you happy. So, don’t stray away and get lost!”
But we can stray when we choose not to obey His commandments.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd loves you and He will be happy to know how much you love Him when He sees how much you love all the other members of His flock.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
May 10, 2020
Good morning boys and girls. Today I want to teach you a very big word. The word is metamorphosis. Don’t worry! I won’t ask you to spell it, but I do want us to learn about it. The word metamorphosis means to change into something very different. And it is something that happens in nature. Can anyone think of an example? No! It’s not when you change a baby’s diaper. No! It’s not when you change your mind!
Have you ever seen a beautiful dragonfly? You know the beautiful insect of many colors that usually flies low over water with its big, wide wings? Did you know the dragonfly didn’t always look that way? Do you know how the dragonfly starts out in life?
How about a very different looking bug, the black beetle. Have you ever seen one? You know, it’s about an inch long, with eight legs and it doesn’t look very pretty (except to its mother). Well let me tell you a story. One day a man was paddling on a lake in a little canoe and he noticed one of those black beetles had crawled up into the boat. It looked kind of sick because it wasn’t moving very fast. And then it died. And then the man noticed that its shell started to crack all the way down its back! And guess what happened next? Out of the beetle came a beautiful dragonfly. Right in front of the man a metamorphosis had occurred. The beetle changed into a dragonfly. That’s awesome!
Boys and girls, that’s just one example of God’s miracles of creation. But just imagine, if a beetle can change into a dragonfly, what does God have in store for us. We already know! Jesus has promised that one day our life here on earth will change into eternal life with God in heaven!
Children’s Sunday Sermon
May 17, 20120
Good morning boys and girls. Today I would like to talk about the word “OBEDIENCE.” Who can tell me what obedience means? That’s right. Being obedient is doing what you are asked to do by your parents, or your teachers. Who else are you obedient to? That’s right — if a policeman or woman asks you not to cross the street until the light turns green you would do what you were told. Right?
You see girls and boys, your parents and teachers and police officers are all in a position of authority over you. Because they care about you, they tell you to do things to keep you safe and secure and to help you learn and grow into the beautiful person God intended you to be. If you have a dog at home, it’s kind of the same way. You want your dog to be obedient so he or she stays safe and secure and becomes a good member of your family. But for all of us, you and me, parents, teachers, police officers, everyone — all of us have been asked to be obedient to the Supreme Authority — the Authority of God, and the instructions that Jesus has given us. Today we read in our Bibles that Jesus said, “if you love Me you will keep my commandments.” In other words, if you love Jesus you will be obedient to the instructions He has given in the greatest recipe book ever written for living good lives, our Holy Bible. And you already know the greatest commandment that we must all be obedient to. And that is, “Love one another.” Boys and girls, this week let’s all be obedient and remember to Love one another just as Jesus has asked.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
May 24, 2020
Good morning girls and boys. Let’s start with a little riddle today. Here goes. A teacher asked a ten-year old boy in class, “Tommy, can you name one important thing that we have here today that we didn’t have, say, 12 years ago?” Tommy thought for a moment and then said, “Me!” Well boys and girls the teacher was thinking of the new computer that they had just gotten in the classroom, but Tommy was right! He and all the other children in the room were more important than that computer. And the teacher agreed with little Tommy.
Boys and girls, let’s all try to think about one important teacher that you have had in school. Maybe this teacher was especially kind or helpful to you. Maybe this teacher gave you extra attention when you were having trouble learning something. Or maybe this teacher told you how great you were when you did an especially good job with your lessons. Okay, are you all thinking of a particular teacher? Great. Besides your parents and the rest of your family, teachers are maybe the most important people in your lives right now. They are so important because they care about you and want you to learn and grow into the beautiful person God intended you to be. And guess what boys and girls? All of us have one teacher above all others who really is the greatest. No matter how old you are He is Number One. And you know who that teacher is, boys and girls? That teacher is Jesus. And by His many examples in our Holy Bible, Jesus has given us the instructions we need to grow into the beautiful persons that God intended us to be.
Children’s Sunday Sermon
May 31, 2020
Good morning girls and boys. If you watch the news programs at night with your parents, you know that there is a lot of trouble going on right now in different places around the world. We all pray for the day when people everywhere will be able to settle their differences by talking, instead of fighting. And of course, that is what Jesus wants for us — to live peacefully together. We read in our Bibles today that Jesus said to his followers, “Peace Be with you” (John 20:20). Of course, Jesus was a man of peace. Of course, Jesus wants all nations to live peacefully together. He wants all of God’s children to get along. But when he says, “Peace be with you,” he is not just talking about avoiding fights and quarrels. It’s not a kind of peace that you find outside in the world. No, instead it is the peace that comes from inside when you are filled up with the love of God. That is the peace that Jesus wishes for all of us. President Abraham Lincoln once said that people are as happy as they make up their minds to be. That’s true, isn’t it boys and girls? If we make up our minds to be grumpy, that’s what we’ll be. But if we make up our minds to think of all the good things in our lives, we will discover we have a lot to be happy about. And just the same way we can decide to let the love of Jesus fill our hearts with peace. Then we will want to share that love with others. And then, they too will have peace.
Boys and girls, this week, as you say your bedtime prayers, remember all the children who live in places where they need peace. And pray also that the love of God will fill each of their hearts so they will know the peace that Jesus offers to us all.
