1 Corinthians 13 Words without love and noisy gong and a clanging cymbal.   

 

Children’s sermon idea: Bring out some pot lids from the kitchen and walk about clashing and crashing them loudly. Explain to the children that the Bible says that words without love are like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (Give some examples of talking without love. You could give examples of saying something in love and get the music director to play some corresponding beautiful note on the piano.)

 

Object lesson items: Large metal pot lids from the church kitchen.

 

Full Children’s Sermon: (Come out crashing loudly with your pot lids. Walk around the children and some of the parishioners as you watch them cringe.) Good Morning children. I hope that helped you wake up. Did you like this music I’m playing on the cymbals? (Give another blast of the “cymbals.”) No? Hmmm. I don’t blame you. It’s a terrible sound isn’t it? It makes you cringe.

In one of our Bible readings this mornings from 1 Cor. 13, Paul explains that words without love are like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal – just like these cymbals! He means that when we do a lot of talking without love we are really making just a terrible noise that no one wants to listen to.  For example, if I say “get out of the way. You stepped on my toe.” It sounds like (Bash your cymbals.) No one wants to listen to that. However, when I’m acting in love my words will be a lot easier to listen. Words spoken with love sound like this: (Have the music director play a nice melody.) Now that is a lot easier to listen to. If I say, “It’s so nice that I’m such a smart and wonderful person” it probably also sounds like (clash you cymbals again.) On the other hand if I say, “Hi, I’m really glad that you came here this morning,” it sounds like…(gesture to the music director for a short melody.) Let’s pray and ask God to help us live in the love of Jesus and sound like that nice music to all those we meet.

 

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, we know that when we are not acting in love our words will probably sound like a terrible clashing cymbal. Help us always to walk in your love so that our words will a beautiful sound and an encouragement to others. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright sundaychildrensfocus.com  Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this story on Sunday but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and do consider making a website link to this site. Blessings, A.H.