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discipleship

  • Kingdom is like a Mustard Seed Children's sermon

    Children's Sermon / Object lesson    Mark 4: 26-34 The Kingdom of God and the mustard seed

    A tiny mustard seed is held between the index finger and the thumb. A perfect illustration of Jesus' teaching in the Bible.       Faith of Mustard Seed

    This parable emphasizes the small, humble beginnings of the Kingdom. (Not what many people expected)

    Basic Children’s sermon idea: Hold up a small seed and then show the sort of large bush that it can grow into. Explain that this is how the Kingdom of God and /or the Church of God grows. It starts with small beginnings.

    Props needed: A small seed and a large bush in a pot.

    Children’s sermon / object lesson: Good morning children! Can you see what I have in my hand? It’s very hard to see. Look closely and you will see a very small seed. It doesn’t look very important. It doesn’t look very powerful. It looks like it would never get any bigger.

    However, if left a seed like this in the ground, and watered it, and left it grow, it would slowly grow into a large bush like this one over here. That is amazing that such a large bush could come from such a small seed.

    Jesus said that this is how his Kingdom would grow. Some people expected that it would start with an amazing show of power. But Jesus said it would start very small way – like this little seed. Jesus started telling people about God and his wonderful love. Later his followers told others of how Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to die for us. It did not seem like a powerful beginning. However, just like a little seed in the ground his kingdom grew bigger and bigger. At first there were just a few believers in Jesus. Now, many years later his kingdom family stretches all around the world. There are followers of Jesus in every country of the world.

    Kid’s prayer: Dear God, thank you for the good news message of Jesus and his love. Thank you that even though this good news message started with just a few people that it now has grown to be a huge church family all around the world. In Jesus name – Amen!

    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus 2021 Feel free you use this on Sunday morning but please “Like” this on the Home Page link. Thank you. A.H.

  • Appointed to bear fruit

    Theme: Producing fruit in our lives                 

    Bible text: John 15:9-17 “I appointed you to bear fruit – fruit that will last. (This follows on from “Jesus is the Vine” last week.)
    Objects needed for the lesson: A branch from a fruit tree (with or without fruit)
    Basic Children's sermon Idea: This is a follow up from last weeks discussion of the importance of staying connected to Jesus the Vine. Show the children a branch from a fruit tree. Ask them what type of fruit it will produce. Drive home the point that although it may look nice it will never produce fruit because it has been broken off from the main true branch / trunk. Jesus appointed us to bear fruit by staying connected to him.
    Full Children's Sermon: Good morning boys and girls. Do you remember last week I brought in a vine? Look what I have this week. Do you know what it is? Yes it is a tree branch. Can you guess what type of tree it’s from? (Let the children do some guessing.) That’s right. It’s from a cherry tree. I cut it off from the tree we have in our back yard. Do you think it will produce some nice big red cherries? How about if I leave the branch over on the side here and we can check back in a few weeks in order to see how it is doing. What – It won’t work? Why? That is right. You must have been listening well last week. Last week I showed you how a branch of a vine will dry up and wither if it isn’t connected to the vine. In the same way, if a branch like this is broken off from the main tree it can’t produce any fruit. This branch that has been broken off will never produce cherries, no matter how long we wait. When it’s broken off it is impossible for water, nutrients, and life to get from the tree out to the fruit that needs to grow. In our Bible reading from the Gospel of John today, Jesus said that he wants us to produce fruit in our lives. He didn’t mean we would produce apple, oranges and cherries. He wants our lives to produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, etc. That is the kind of fruit we will produce if we stay closely connected to Jesus.
    Prayer: Thank you God that Jesus chose us and provides nourishment so we can produce fruit in our lives. Help us stay closely connected to Jesus (like a branch growing on a fruit tree). That way we will produce plenty of good fruit such and Love, Joy, Peace, etc. In Jesus’ Name – Amen.
    Copyright 2009 Andrew Hewlett SundayChildrensFocus.com
    (Feel free to use this story at a Sunday service but please give me credit. Consider placing a link to this site on your web page)

  • Back to School - Children with a Mission

     

    Kids sermon - Helping children get back to school with a mission perspective

     

    (Interactive Sermon for Children’s church or as a Back to School - Sunday School lesson starter)  

    -- Text suggestion: John 20:21 -23 "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you."

     
    Children’s message idea: Bring up individuals serving as missionaries (or have served as missionaries) up in front with the children. Discuss the country in which they served and explain the missionaries help bring the good news of the Jesus Christ to those who don’t him. Pray for them. Then explain that the kids are like missionaries to their schools and school friends that don’t know about Jesus. Pray for and commission the children to be sent out as missionaries as they prepare to go back to school.
     
    Object lesson items: Some individuals that are serving or have served as missionaries.
    Alternate: Bring up a mission info board that has pictures of missionaries. (If you do this you could take the children’s picture and add it to the mission board under “missionaries to schools.”
     
    Full Children’s Sermon: Good morning children! Today I want to introduce to you some very special people. This is Lori and Joke’ who serve as missionaries in the Philippines and Uganda with Precious Jewels Ministry. Missionaries are people who are sent out to bring the love of Jesus Christ to people in far away places. These two people serve as missionaries to very poor children who don’t have anyone to care for them. (|Consider interacting with the missionaries and let the children ask some questions. Have the children pray for them and the people with whom they serve.)
    Now kids, you may not be going off to a far away country like these missionaries but did you know you are like a missionary too? Most of us here are getting ready to go back to school. We may discover that many of the kids there don’t know about Jesus and his love. I want you to think of yourselves as missionaries to your school. Your school is not in a far away land like the Philippines but the people in your class need to learn about Jesus and his love. Think of yourselves as being sent by God to help others know about the good news of Jesus and God’s wonderful love. Even if we are home schooled or go to a Christian school God will still send us to people who don’t know about God’s love made known in Jesus. A few minutes ago we prayed for these missionaries here. Now it’s time for us to pray for you young missionaries as you get ready to go back to school. (Have your missionaries and some other members of the congregation come forward to pray with you.)
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you for missionaries that take the love of Jesus to far away places. As these children get ready to go back to school, send them out in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the love of Jesus to all those who don’t know him. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
     
    Copyright 2010 sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this on Sunday Morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking your church web page to this site. Thank you. A.H.

  • Back to School object lesson

    Children’s Sermon: Back to School

     
    A sermon / object lesson on going back to school. At Sunday school or Children’s church bring out typical new school supplies that children take to school. Show the children the importance of putting their names on the items to show who they belong to. Remind the children we belong to God. As followers of Jesus, God has placed his seal of ownership on us. That’s important to remember when we go back to school.
     
    Objects: Various school supplies, masking tape and felt pen for writing your name on the items.
     
    Children’s Object Lesson:
    Good Morning Children. I hope you are all pretty excited about going back to school. One of the best things about going back to school is having new school supplies. Look at the wonderful new school items I have here. (Show various items to the children) I’ve got some pens. I’ve got a ruler for measuring and making straight lines. I have some nice new crayons for drawing. Do you know what this item is for? Etc.
    Did you notice anything that is on these items? Yes, you’re right. I’ve put a piece of tape with my name written on it. That way if I share it with someone else I can know it belongs to me and I can get it back when they are finished with it. It’s important for me to know what items belong to me and what items don’t belong to me. That’s petty important but here is something that is also important. When we head off to school it’s important for us to know that WE belong to God. In much the same way that we mark things that belong to us, God has marked us (his children) with the Holy Spirit. Now we can’t see the Holy Spirit but the bible makes it clear that God has placed his mark of ownership on us. If we are followers of Jesus we belong to God and are a part of his family. So children, I hope you remember to put your name on all the new school supplies that belong to you. I hope you will also remember that you belong to Jesus Christ and God has marked you with his Holy Spirit.
     
    Pray: Lord God, thank you for the many things (especially our new school supplies) that belong to us. Thank you too for the fact that we belong to you and you have marked us with your Holy Spirit. Thank you that you will watch over us and help us live for you during this new school year – In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    Copyright 2009 Andrew Hewlett Sundaychildrensfocus.com    Feel free to use this object lesson on Sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Blessings, A.H.

     

     

  • Being great - being a servant

    Lectionary 

    Sunday school lesson - Greatness - Being the Servant of all     Request of James and John

     

    Children’s Sermon idea: Invite the children to sit up front in the chairs used by the pastors, deacons or priests. Ask them if this makes them feel important, great, etc. Explain how James and John were concerned about sitting in the most important places and how Jesus told them that true greatness was about being a servant.
    servant of all
     
    Objects: Some chairs that are strategically located in a place of honour. Check this out with the pastor first!
     
    Full Children’s Sermon / object lesson:
    Good morning children. Our bible reading this morning is about the disciples James and John and how they were very concerned about sitting in the most important places. Where do you think are the most important places to sit in this church? Those ones there? O.K. Come up here and let’s see how they feel. (Let some of the children sit in the “important” chairs. Ask them how it feels. Does it make them feel important? Does it make them feel like they have lots of power? Compare chairs to see what one feels like it is the most important place.) These are nice chairs up front here. Our pastors pray and teach from up here and it is nice that they have comfortable chairs to sit in. They are not trying to be more important than others. However, James and John became very concerned about being in the most important places. So Jesus taught them about true greatness as a disciple. Jesus said that they shouldn’t worry about trying to be in the most important place. He said the real way to become great was by being the servant of all. In Gods eyes, being great is not about showing how important you are, it’s about being a servant. A servant doesn’t worry about looking important. A servant cares more about helping others in need even if it is never noticed. (You could discuss ways of being a servant, at school, at home, etc.) Of course Jesus was the greatest servant of all. He was even willing to give his life for us.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Thank you Lord for all the nice chairs we have in this church. Whether we sit in the back, up front, or over on the side, help us to care most about being a servant in our day to day lives. At school, at home, or at play help us to serve and help others following the example of Jesus. In his name we pray – Amen!
     
    Copyright Andrew Hewlett sundaychildrensfocus.com   Feel free to use this story on Sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking to this web site. Blessings, A.H.

  • Beware that no one leads you astray

    KIds sermon "Don’t Be Fooled!"

    Bible Passage: Mark 13:3-5

    false Jesus

    Main Point: Jesus warns us not to be led astray by anyone claiming to be Him. We need to know who Jesus truly is and follow only Him.

    Object lesson Materials Needed:

    • A fun wig or disguise (could include glasses, a hat, or anything that looks "sneaky")
    • A picture of Jesus (or a cross) to refer back to as the “real Jesus”
    • A simple prize (like stickers or a small treat) for children who can “see through” the disguise (optional)
    • Optional: A sign saying "The Real Jesus" to emphasize the focus of the lesson
    1. Introduce the Disguise
      • The leader puts on a disguise (like a wig and glasses) out of the children’s view and then enters, pretending to be someone else in the church (e.g., the organist, worship leader, or even a “famous person”).
      • They should dramatically say, “Hello! I’m [pretend name], and today I’m here to share something special with you!”
      • Act over-the-top and a little silly to grab the kids’ attention. Make it fun!
    2. Ask the Children
      • After a few seconds, pause and ask the children, “Do you believe that I’m [pretend name]? Or do you think I might just be your teacher in a disguise?”
      • Allow kids to giggle, talk, and eventually figure out who you really are. (Note – Make sure the person who you are pretending to is confident and wont be miffed)
    3. Reveal the Truth
      • Take off the wig and glasses and say, “You were right! I’m really [your real name], not [pretend name]. You didn’t let me fool you because you know who I am!”
      • Explain that just like today’s trick, sometimes people may try to pretend they are someone they’re not. And sometimes, people even pretend to be Jesus or say things that don’t match what Jesus taught.
    4. Read the Bible Verse
      • Open your Bible to Mark 13:3-5 and read: “Watch out that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.”
      • Explain that Jesus was warning us to be careful because some people might try to say they’re Jesus, or they might teach things that aren’t true.
    5. Explain Why We Need to Stay Close to Jesus
      • Say: “So how do we make sure we’re following the real Jesus? We can do this by learning what He really said and did in the Bible. When we know Jesus well, it’s easier to spot things that aren’t true!”
      • Show the picture of Jesus (or the cross) and explain that whenever we’re not sure, we can always look back to what Jesus said and trust what the Bible says about Him.
    6. Play a Quick “Real or Not?” Game (optional extra if you have time)
      • Tell the kids you’ll say a few things about Jesus, and they should decide if it sounds true or not. If it’s true, they should shout, “Real!” If it’s not, they should shout, “Not real!”
        • Sample statements:
          • “Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies.’” (Real!)
          • “Jesus said, ‘Take lots of money and only help yourself.’” (Not real!)
          • “Jesus healed people who were sick.” (Real!)
          • “Jesus said, ‘Be selfish!’” (Not real!)
    7. Wrap-Up and Encourage Them to Know Jesus Well
      • Say: “Great job! You’re already good at spotting what’s real about Jesus and what’s not. Remember, the best way to follow the real Jesus is by learning about Him and sticking close to His love and kindness. Let’s pray and ask Him to help us always know His truth!”
    8. Closing Prayer
      • Dear God, give us wisdom to know the real Jesus and not be lead astray. Help us to stay close to Him and follow Him daily. In Jesus’ name – Amen

    Copyright 2024 Sunday Children’s Focus. Feel free to use this on Sunday but please give credit to this site and consider sharing the website link. Blessings – A.H.

  • Build on a Rock

    Kids Gospel Sermon

     

    Build your house on a Rock – not sand (Matthew 7:21-29) 

     
    Children’s Sermon / object lesson idea: Demonstrate the difference between building on sand and building on rock.
    Get a cookie tray with high edges. Place a flat topped rock on one side and mound of damp sand on the other side. Place a small toy house on these two “foundations.” Pour water over each house. The house on sand will tip over and fall as the sand washes away. The house on the rock will stay upright.
    (When I did this I actually covered (hid) the rock with a small layer of sand.)
     
     
    Children’s sermon: Good Morning! Look what I brought in to church this morning. (Bring out your tray with the sand, the rock and the two toy houses.) Do you see these two houses? They both like nice sitting there. Wouldn’t if be fun if we could make ourselves very small and go inside…
    Look what I have here. It is a pitcher of water. Let’s pretend there is a big flood of water from a storm. I’ll pour this water over the houses and see what happens. Uh oh! One of these houses fell over and washed away. But this house is still standing. Why didn’t if wash away? That’s right. The first house here was build on top of sand and it washed away. But the second house here is sitting on a rock. It’s very strong and the water won’t wash it away.
     
    In our Bible lesson from Matthew chapter 7 Jesus said that some people listened to what he taught but never actually did it. They listened but didn’t live the way Jesus wanted them to life. Jesus said that those people were like this poor house here that was built on the sand. Jesus said that people who followed Jesus’ teaching would be like this house built on the rock. They would be strong and stand.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, with the Holy Spirit help us to learn about Jesus and also to do what he taught us to do. That way we can be strong like this house built on a rock. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
     
    Copyright 2011 Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett – Feel free to use this kid’s sermon on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site
     
    (--Note: I’ll proof read this story tomorrow. It’s 11:45pm on Saturday and I’m falling asleep at my computer. A.H. )

  • Building others up

    Build one another up

     

    Kids talk / Sunday school lesson on using words to build up and not tear down.  

     ministry prayer

    Lectionary reading from Ephesians 4:25-5:2 (Instead of the Gospel of John) -- Trinity 9

     
    Kids talk idea: Show how words can build people up or tear them down. Have someone stand in front of the children who can physically respond to words of discouragement or words of encouragement.
     
    Full Children’s talk: Good morning children! Did you know that the words that we say to people are very powerful? In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesian Christians he told them that we need to make sure we use our words for building people up and not for tearing them down. I’ll show you how that works. Betty is going to help us see just how our words can build up or tear down. (Prior to your talk make sure your volunteer cringes, wilts, and gets smaller every time something nasty is said. Make sure they know to stand up tall when they are encouraged). Children, watch how my words will affect Betty.
    Hello Betty it’s good to see you! (Betty will intuitively stand up tall).
     I really wanted to get Carol to help me but she is away so I guess you’ll do. (Betty will wilt a bit a bit).
    By the way. Why are you wearing blue today? Everybody else is wearing yellow (Betty crumples a bit more).
    Another thing Betty; you look a little bent over. Maybe you need to get some more exercise. (You get the idea. Betty should be almost knelling sadly on the floor)
     
    Look what has happened Children. I don’t think I was very kind to Betty. My words did not build her up. In fact, my words discouraged her and tore her down. How do you think we can build her up? Say some thing to her that might encourage her and build her up. (Let the children make encouraging comments and watch Betty slowly get built back up until she is standing nice and tall) That was wonderful children. You were very good at using your words to build her up. Let’s have the congregation give you a cheer for being so good at building her up. Also, thank you Betty for helping out.
     
    Betty did exaggerate a little to help with my story but all of us know how important it is to be built up and encouraged by others.
     
    Pray: God, thank you that our words have a wonderful power. Through your Holy Spirit help us to always use our words to encourage, and build others up. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen!
     
    Copyright 2009 Andrew Hewlett Sundaychildrensfocus.com Feel free to use this story on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider making a link to this page. Thank you. A.H.
     
    And please "like" this site or page on Facebook!

  • Building others Up - Encouraging others

    Building Each Other Up - Encouraging others

    Lesson:

    Gather the children around a table with a box of dominos.

    Family of God

    Good morning, Children! How are you all today?

    Today, I have a fun activity for us. Do you know what these little blocks are? Yes, they are dominos! We’re going to set up these dominos in a line. But first, I need your help. Who wants to help me set up the dominos?

    Hand out dominos to the children and guide them in setting up a long line of dominos.

    Now, as we’re setting up these dominos, notice how we have to be very careful. We need to place each one gently and make sure they’re all lined up just right. It takes time, patience, and a lot of care to get them all set up perfectly, doesn’t it? Help them out if needed.

    Wait for the children to finish setting up the dominos.

    Great job, everyone! Look at this amazing line of dominos we’ve created together. It took a lot of hard work and careful effort, didn’t it?

    Now, I’m going to ask one of you to do something special. Who would like to knock over the first domino?

    Choose a child to knock over the first domino and watch as they all fall down quickly.

    Wow! Did you see how fast all the dominos fell? It took a lot of time and effort to set them up, but it only took a second to knock them all down.

    This is a lot like how we treat each other. God wants us to build each other up with kind words and actions. It takes time, patience, and effort to encourage others and help them feel good. Just like setting up these dominos, it’s hard work, but it’s worth it. (You could get the kids to give you some examples of how you can “build others up”.)

    But, just like it was easy to knock down the dominos, it can be very easy to hurt someone with unkind words or actions. One mean word or action can quickly make someone feel sad or upset, just like knocking over the first domino made them all fall down.

    So, what can we learn from this? We need God’s help and patience to build each other up and be kind. It’s important to take our time to encourage and support our friends and family. And we should always be careful with our words and actions, because it’s easy to knock someone down. Anyone can do that.

    Let's pray and ask God to help us be kind and encouraging:

    Everyone bows their heads

    Dear God, thank you for teaching us the importance of building each other up. Help us to be patient, kind, and encouraging to everyone around us. Give us the strength to use our words and actions to lift others up and not knock them down. Amen.

    Thank the kids for participtating in your lesson.

    Alright, kids! Remember, just like setting up dominos takes care and patience, we should take care and be patient with each other. Let’s build each other up with kindness every day. Have a wonderful week!

    Copyright SundayChildrensFocus  2024

  • Caesar or God

    Resources for Sunday School / Children's Church Kids (Matt 22 sermon 

    Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar - Give to God what belongs to God 22: 15-22

    Idea for Children’s Sermon:

    Show the children a coin and demonstrate how you can “flip a coin” and make a decision by guessing “Heads” or “Tails.” Explain how you can trick a person by saying “Heads I win, Tails you loose.” Tell the children about how some religious leaders tried to trick Jesus and get him in trouble with a coin. If the children are very young you might want to simply go with the idea that it was impossible for them to out-smart Jesus.
     
    (Note: R.T France, N.T. Wright and J. Nolland all have a slightly different take on this passage. You may want to adjust the ending to fit your own theological take on things. I would be very easy to confuse the kids with a bunch of religious theo-babble.)
     
    Complete Children’s sermon: 
    Good morning children! (Show them a coin.) Do you know what this is? That’s right. It is a quarter. When I was young, I played soccer. We would flip a coin in the air like this (demonstrate) to decide what team would start with the ball. This side of the coin (show them) would be “heads.” You can see the head of George Washington (or the Queen if you are in Canada). This other side we would call “tails.” One player would chose “heads” or “tails,” and then we would flip the coin to see which side landed face up. The winner of the coin toss would get to start the game and pick which side of the field to start begin. (Ask one of the children to make a choice and then flip the coin.) Your right! When I was young, we would often flip a coin if we needed to make a decision. Sometimes we would play a little trick on each other. Perhaps there were two of us and we had only one candy. We needed to flip a coin to see who was going to get the candy. However, the person would say, (listen carefully) “Heads I win – tails you loose.” Can you see that this would mean that the other person would always loose. It was a way of tricking the person.
     
    In our bible reading today some religious leaders tried to trick Jesus with a coin. They asked him if money should go to Caesar the ruler, or to God. Some of the people there felt money should go to Caesar and some felt it should not. They really wanted to trick Jesus and get him in trouble. However, Jesus was too smart for them. He said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.” Jesus was letting them know that they could not trick him. He was the one in control. I think he was also reminding them that they had not been very faithful in offering their lives to God.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us always to use our money and everything we have to please you. We know that no one can trick you so help us to always be honest with you and your son Jesus. In Jesus’ name – Amen!


    Copyright 2011 Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett  - Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thank you! A.H.

  • Children's Sermon - God and Money

     

    Put God First!           You can’t serve God and money.    Bible talk  Luke 16:1-13

     
    Children’s Sermon / Lesson idea: Show some familiar items (eg: socks and shoes / putting on toothpaste then brushing, batteries and a flashlight) to the children and ask them “what comes first?” Stress the importance of putting things in the right order. Discuss God and Money and explain how Jesus said it was important to put God first in life.
     
    Object lessonitems: Shoes and socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, flashlight and some batteries, etc. (Use your imagination) Finally bring in some money and something to represent God (Perhaps a cross, a bible, etc.) 
     
    Short Children’s Sermon:
    Good morning children! I brought some things in this morning that you may have seen before. Look at this. I’ve got a sock and a shoe. What would you say if I put the shoe on first and then tried to put the sock on after? That’s right. That’s a silly thing to do. It doesn’t work. You have to get the order right. You need to know what comes first. Here is something else I brought with me this morning. I’ve got a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Do you brush your teeth in the morning? Good. That’s important to do. What if you brushed your teeth and then put on the tooth paste? Would that be a good idea? Of course not. It’s important to put the toothpaste on before you brush you teeth. You have to know what comes first. I have two other things with me this morning. I’ve got a flashlight and some batteries. If it was dark and I was in a hurry to get some light would it work to take the flashlight and leave the batteries behind? No, of course not. You have to put the batteries in the flashlight or else it won’t shine the light. The batteries have to go inside first. You have to get things in the right order and know what comes first. Now, I brought in two other things this morning. I’ve have a Cross that reminds us of God / Jesus and I’ve got this pot of money (Give it a jingle so they hear the money). Jesus said that it was very important to get these in the right order if life is going to work right. If we put money first in life we end up in all kinds of trouble. Jesus said that it was important to put God first and not worry too much about money. He wanted us to make sure we put things in the right order!
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to always put you ahead of money or anything else in life. Thank you that life will work when we put you first. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
     

    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett 2010. Feel free to use this talk on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thanks. A.H

  • Children's fun lesson on coming to the light of Jesus Christ

    Children's lesson - Come to the Light of Jesus Christ -

    John 3: 21 “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light…” Lent 4 

    Overview of the spontaneous drama: Ask the children if they have ever played “Hide and Seek”. Have the young children pretend to hide from God in a dark hidden place close by. (Do this up at the front of the Church or in your home. You could dim the lights to add to the effect.) Hold up a candle or other light and explain how this reminds us of Jesus who is the light of the world. Ask them to come out of hiding and walk towards the light (as you hold up the lit candle for all to see). Explain that the life and love of Jesus is like a light shining out into the world and that we need to come to that wonderful light.

    Full drama: Good morning children! Have you ever played a game called “hide and seek”? It really is a fun game where you do your best to hide from the leader. However, you might not know that some people actually try to hide from God! They might not be living the way that God wants so they think it’s best to try to hide from God. Do you think a person can hide from God? No. You are right. It’s impossible to hide from God. Now, just for fun, I want you to pretend to hide from God just up front here in our church. I’ll count to 10 to give you time to hide – just close by in this area. (If possible dim the lights a bit to make the light stand out.) Ok, I hope you can still hear me as you are pretending to hide from God. Now in a few seconds I am going to light a candle. This candle reminds us of Jesus Christ who is the light of the world. This light reminds us of his life and love that is shining out into a dark world. Now I am going to hold up the candle. I want you now to peek out from where you are hiding and look at the light. When you see that light I want you to now come out and walk to this light. That’s right, come out from your hiding place and come to the light. (When the children are all together close to you and the candle ask the congregation to give a cheer!)

    You did that very well children. (Ask them to be seated.) That little drama reminds us that we shouldn’t try to hide from God. We should come out from hiding and come to the light of Jesus Christ. His life and love is like a warm and bright light shining out into the world. We want to come close to the wonderful light and not try to hide from him. We can come close to the light of Jesus Christ by living the way he wants us to live. We can come close to Jesus by telling him (in prayer) that we want to follow him and know him more.

    Prayer: Dear God, thank you that Jesus is like a wonderful light shining out into the world. When we are tempted to hide from you, help us to remember your life and love is shining out to us like a guiding light. And help us to come near to you so we can know you better each day. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    (Later at home you might want to discuss ways that we hide from God. You might also want to discuss ways that we can draw near to Jesus and welcome him in our lives and hearts.)

    Copyright 2018 Sundaychildrensfocus  Andrew Hewlett - Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give me credit and click on the facebook "Like" on the life side of the page.  Thank you! A.H.

     

  • Children's object lesson -Watch what you say


     

    Children’s Sermon: The power of words.

     (this object lesson has been floating around in Christian circles for many years)
    Object Lesson Idea:
    What we say can hurt others and hurt ourselves. This is a well known toothpaste tube object lesson about being careful about what we say to others. Once we say something we can’t take those words back. It’s like trying to get toothpaste back in the tube after it has been squeezed out.
     
    Objects needed: Toothpaste tube(and a toothbrush)
     
    Full Children’s Object Lesson:
    Good Morning Children. What are some of the things you do when you get up in the morning? After having breakfast what do you do to make sure your teeth are nice and clean? That’s right, you brush your teeth! I brought my toothpaste and toothbrush along this morning because it can help explain something that Jesus taught. Two of the bible readings that we have today (James ch.1 & Mark ch7) talk about being careful what we say to others. Without thinking we can say things to another person that really hurts them. After saying something hurtful or mean we might realize what we have done and we would like to take those words back – but it’s too late. Once we have said something to another person we can’t take those words back. It is like this toothpaste tube. Sometimes I squeeze far too much toothpaste out of the tube (demonstrate). You can try to put it back in (demonstrate) but it just doesn’t work. It just makes a mess. Once the toothpaste is out of the tube it is too late to put it back in. Saying an unkind word to another person is pretty easy to do. It is as easy as squeezing this toothpaste out of a tube. We would like to take those words back but we can’t get them back. (You could get the children to say something and then to try to grab those words in the air and put them back in their mouths. It doesn’t work.) Perhaps you have had someone say unkind words to you and you know how that feels. Always make sure your words won’t hurt another person because once you have spoken those words it’s too late to take them back. Tomorrow morning when you squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube remember this lesson and do your best to speak kind words to whoever you talk to during the day. 
     
    Children's Prayer: Dear God, we know that our words can bless others or hurt others. We know that we can’t get our words back once we have spoken them so help us, through your Holy Spirit, to make sure our words are always spoken in love. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
     
    Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett 2009

    lightoftheworld

  • Children's object lesson on Repentance

    Children's object lesson on Repentance

  • Children's object lesson Video on Repentance

    Children's object lesson on Repentance

     

  • Children's Sermon - Always Pray and don't give up.

    Kids bible talk - Pray and don’t give up!             Luke 18:1-8   

     
     

    Children’s sermon idea: Bring in an object related to an activity that involves waiting: Fishing, bird watching, etc. Explain the importance of waiting and not giving up. Discuss how Jesus told us to always pray and not give up.

    (Note: Although I would normally talk about the elements of the text, the concept of the unjust judge is rather complex. My understanding is that it is a rabbinic “from the lesser to the greater” form of argument that westerners find hard to grasp.)
     

    Object lesson items: A pair of binoculars (for bird watching), a fishing rod (for fishing) or some other appropriate object.

     
    Full Children’s talk: Good morning children. Look what I have here. (Hold up the binoculars.) Does anyone know what these are? That’s right, they are binoculars and they are used for looking at things far away. It makes far away things look bigger. I like to use these for bird watching. Perhaps I want to find a beautiful bird like an eagle. I take up my binoculars (demonstrate to the kids) and slowly look around in the sky and through the tree tops. Sometimes I find one right away but most of the time I have to wait a while. I have to be patient and not give up. Often I make a cup of tea and sit in chair and then I wait and watch. Usually after a while I find what I was looking for. Sometimes though, I don’t find my eagle but I do see some other beautiful bird I didn’t expect! The most important thing with bird watching is that you have to wait and not give up. If you just picked up the binoculars, looked for five seconds and then gave up you would probably be disappointed. I’m telling you this because in our bible reading for today Jesus tells the disciples that they should always pray and not give up. That’s important to learn because answers to prayer don’t always happen right away. We don’t want to give up. God wants us to keep talking to him even if our prayers are not answered right away or are not answered in the way we expect.
     
    Children’s prayer: Dear God, we know that you can hear us when we pray. When there is something we are asking for help us not to give up but to keep on praying. We know that you love us and will answer our prayers in your time and in the way that is best for us. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2010 Sundaychildrensfocus.com  Andrew Hewlett    Feel free to use this lesson on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking to this site. Thank you.   A.H.



     

  • Children's Sermon - Feed my Sheep

     

    Kids object lesson: Feed my Sheep– Take care of my sheep     John 21:1-19    Easter 3  

     
    Children’s Sermon idea: Explain to the children a time when you went away and entrusted a pet animal to someone else to look after. Describe your love for the animal and how you asked them to feed your pet and look after it. Tell the children how Jesus asked Peter to “feed my sheep” and “take care of my sheep.”As Jesus’ sheep, encourage the children to think of ways they can “feed” and “take care” of one another.
     
    Object lessonProps: Items for taking cared of a household pet. (Bowl, brush, leash, treats, medicine, etc)
     
    Children’s Sermon: Feed my Sheep– Take care of my Sheep
    Good morning children. How many of you have a pet? Did you know that we once had a dog named “Deacon?” He was a very special dog and we loved him a lot. Here are some of the things we used to take care of him. Here is the brush we used to brush his hair. We would feed him by putting his food in this dog bowl. Here is the soap we would use when we would give him a bath. He was very special to us so we made sure we showed our love by taking good care of him. One day we had to go away on a trip and we had our neighbour look after Deacon. As we were preparing to go away we brought Deacon to our neighbour’s house along with all these things. We showed them how to feed Deacon. We showed them how to brush his hair. We gave our neighbour the leash and showed where Deacon enjoyed going for a walk. We wanted to make sure that our neighbour took care of our very special dog!
    In our bible reading today from John’s gospel, Jesus said to Peter, “feed my sheep” and take care of them. Jesus wasn’t talking about the kind of sheep that have wool and go bah bah bah. Who do you think these sheep were that he wanted Peter to look after? Right! He was talking about his followers. When Jesus was talking about “my sheep” he was thinking about the people who followed him and loved him. They were people like you and me. If we are followers of Jesus we part of that flock of sheep. Jesus was going to go back to his heavenly father and he wanted to make sure Peter would feed and care for that flock of people who loved and followed Jesus. Jesus wanted to know that they were going to be fed and looked after by leaders like Peter. Our Pastor is a leader like Peter and his/her job is to look after us, feed us, and lead us in the right direction. In fact, all of us need to do what we can to care for one another. If we are Jesus’ sheep how can we care for one another? (Let the children respond) Those are some good ideas. Let’s always do what we can to take care of one another. That’s something Jesus would want us to do.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to feed and take care of our pets and animals. As your sheep, help us to “feed” and take care of one another just like Jesus asked Peter to do. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com  Feel free to use this story on Sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking to this site. - Blessings, A.H.
     
     

  • Children's Sermon - Fishers of Men

     

    Children's Sermon / Sunday School lesson: Fishers of Men


    Sunday school talk/ Sermon idea: Luke 5:1-11   Fishers of Men
    Show the children a large fishing net or use a blanket as a pretend fish net. Explain how they used to fish with nets and how Jesus said his disciples were to be “fishers of men” or “fishers of people.”
    Have the children take a corner of the “net” and move about “catching” some people and bringing them in to your group. (Alternative: Consider making a “net” by having some of the kid’s link arms together.”)
     
      fisher of men
    Objects needed: a large piece of netting or a blanket that you can use as a pretend fishing net.
     
    Complete children’s sermon/ Sunday school lesson introduction: Evangelism
     
    Good morning children! The bible reading that we have for today is about Jesus telling his disciples that he is going to make them “fishers of people.” One day Jesus met some fishermen named Peter, James and John. After doing a wonderful miracle of catching many fish, Jesus called them to follow him. He said that he would change their jobs from being fishers of fish to being fisher on men /people! Instead of catching fish Jesus wanted them to start catching people! He wanted them to tell others about Jesus and bring them along as followers. Instead of bringing fish into the boat he wanted them to bring people into the church and into the Kingdom of God. I want to show you what I mean. I need a few of you to come over here. (Have some of the children stand a little ways away from the group.) Let’s pretend that you don’t know anything about Jesus and his love. OK. Now let’s have some more of you stand over here. (Have another little group stand off to the other side) Let’s pretend they don’t know about Jesus and his love either. Now the rest of us here will be the “fishers of men.”Some of you can take the corners of this blanket. Perfect! Now let’s go and do some fishing. Follow me. Hey! Look over here. These people look a little lost. I think we need to bring them into the Kingdom of God. Let’s come around them and bring them into the church. (Scoop them up and bring them front and center.) Great. However, there are still some more people over there that look like they are on the outside. Let’s go and fish for those people. (“Net” these people and bring them in so you are all together as a big group.) You did a good job being fishers of people.
    Although we don’t use a real net to bring people to Jesushe does want us to go out and “catch” people and bring them in the Kingdom. There are many things we can do to be good fishers of people. We can show love and care to other people. We can tell them about Jesus and his wonderful love. We can pray for them. And we can invite them here to church where they can experience some of the love and joy of the family of God. With the Holy Spirit’s help they just might decide to be followers of Jesus, just like the rest of us fish!
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, as followers of Jesus help us to be good fishers of men. Help us show your love by our words and by our actions so that many people would be brought into your Kingdom. Help us to be good fishers of men like Peter, James and John. Amen!

    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com  Andrew Hewlett  Feel free to use this talk on Sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Blessings, A.H.

     

  • Children's Sermon - Seek first the Kingdom of God

    Bible Lesson talk: "Seek first the kingdom of God" Matthew 6:33 - Fun and interactive about 5 minutes

     Kingdom of God

    Sermon for kids idea overview:  Show the children various activities that need to be done in the correct order (Highlight what needs to come first) Example – Brush your teeth first and then put the toothpaste on after! – Have some fun. Imagine getting up in the morning, going to school and then putting your clothes on! Letting go of the balloon and then trying to tie a string on. Put butter and jam on bread and then put it in the toaster? You get the idea.) There are things that need to come first. Then explain that there is something that needs to come first in life – seeking God’s Kingdom and putting Jesus first.

    Object lesson props: Whatever works best. Toothbrush and toothpaste, a toaster, bread and jam, schoolbooks and clothes, a balloon and string.

    Complete children’s sermon: Good morning children! Jesus said that we should “Seek first the Kingdom of God” Matthew 6:33) Let me show you what I think Jesus was trying to teach us. Do you see this toothbrush? What if I tried to brush my teeth like this and then afterwards put on the toothpaste? Would that work very well? No, it wouldn’t. The toothpaste needs to go on before brushing my teeth.

    Look at these clothes and these schoolbooks. Would it make sense to take my schoolbooks and head off to school and then put on my clothes later? No!  What about this toaster and this piece of bread. I’m going to put some butter on like this, add some strawberry jam and then I will put it in the toaster. Is this a good idea? No. We need to put the butter and jam on first!

    It’s important that we do things in the right order. In our bible verse today, Jesus said that all of us need to “seek first the kingdom of God.” If we want to find the wonderful life that God has for us, we need to put Him first. Jesus is a king, and we need to put His Kingdom first. We wouldn’t put butter and jam on our bread and then put it in the toaster! It would make a mess. Likewise, we might make a mess of our lives if we don’t make God first in our life. We can put God first by keeping in touch with God in prayer and by seeking to live the way he wants us to live. When we do that, we can trust that he will look after us and provide what we need.

    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, Help us to always put you and your kingdom first in life. Help us to entrust our lives to you, knowing that you will be with us, you will guide us, and look after our basic needs. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copywrite 2022 Andrew Hewlett and SundayChildrensFocus.com  Feel free to use this but I would be greatly blessed if you could this, subscribe to my Youtube channel or link to this site / page. Blessings – A.H.

  • Children's sermon - Temptation in the wilderness

     

    Children's Church lesson: Temptation in the Wilderness


           Luke 4:1-13 Yes to God - No to Satan / Sin  - LENT


    Basic Children's sermon idea:Tell the children about the importance of saying NO to sin. Make up YES and a NO signs on cardboard. Present some situations to the children and ask them to respond (Yes or No) in unison. Highlight the importance of firmly saying “NO!” to what we know to be wrong.
     
    Objects needed: A piece of cardboard with the word “YES.” And a piece of cardboard with the word “NO!”
     
    Full children’s sermon:
    Good morning children. Today our bible reading is about the time when Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Jesus knew it was important to say YES to God the Father’s truth in the bible but that he needed to say NO to Satan. As followers of Jesus it is important for us to say YES to God and NO to what is not of God. I’ll show you what I mean. I brought two signs with me today. What does this sign say? (Hold up the YES sign) That’s right, it says yes. I’m going to hold the sign up again and let’s say it all together loudly – YES! Good. Now, let’s use our imagination:
     
    -If you’re parents asked you to help them bring in the groceries from the car it would be good to say…(Hold up the YES sign) YES! …That’s right. Say it loudly.
    -If you felt God was asking you to help encourage your friend who was sad, it would be good to say….YES.
    (Give some more situations)
     
    Now I want to tell you about using another word. (Hold us the NO! sign) It’s the word “No.” Sometimes we are tempted to do things that are wrong. At those times it’s important to use the word NO. Let’s practice saying this word all together like we really mean it. (Hold up the sign…) NO! – That’s great.
     
    -What if you were in a candy store and someone said to steal a candy off the shelf. What should we say? (Hold up the NO sign) NO! – Good! That’s the right thing to say.
    - What if you were walking home from school and a stranger said “come into my care I have a special gift for you.” What would you say…NO! (I agree, that is the smart thing to say)
    - What if someone said, “Let’s go over there and make fun of that person over there?” What are you going to say? (Hold up the NO! sign). Well done. That’s the right word to use when we are being tempted to do something we shouldn’t do.
     
    (Get the congregation to give them a cheer for giving such wise answers)
     
    Children. I want you to know that those two words; YES and NO, are very important words. When God leading us in the way he wants us to go we always want to say YES. However, when we are tempted to do something that’s wrong we want to say NO! That word can help us stay out of trouble and can help us follow Jesus.
     
    Children’s prayer: Thank you God that Jesus always said NO to Satan and his ways, and YES to you and your ways in times of temptation. Help us to always say yes to you and to have the courage to say NO! to Satan and his ways that so often lead us into danger. In Jesus Name, Amen!

    Copyright sundaychildrensfocus.com   Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this story on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thank you -- A.H.





    Sorry - couldn't resist inserting this picture: Lead us not into temptation!