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  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Children's story - Woman at the Well

     

    Kids interactive sermon: The Woman at the Well- John 4:5-42  Streams of living water  

    Woman at Well

    Children’s sermon idea:

    We get thirsty and need to keep filling up with water. God’s love / life in Jesus is like refreshing water that never runs out. Pretend to go on a hike and explain how you have to keep filling up your bottle with water when you drink it all and get thirsty. Tell them about the life and love of Jesus that never runs out. Give a short overview of the woman at the well story.
     
    Object lesson items: A backpack, water bottle and cup. (Option: a second container to “hold” God’s love)
     
    Full interactive lesson:
    Good morning children! This morning our bible reading is about a woman at the well who met Jesus and discovered his love. However, before talking about that I want you to join me on a pretend hiking trip. (You could just stand there and explain things but I think it’s more fun to get the kids to join you on a hike around the inside of the church.) Ok. Here is my back pack. One of the most important things inside is this camping cup and this bottle of water. You need water to live and if you are on a long hot hike you need to keep filling up your cup and filling up your bottle of water when it runs out. (Hike around a bit, ask the kids to pretend they are getting really hot and thirsty. Pour them some pretend water to quench their thirst and then keep going. Stress the idea that you need to find a stream or lake to keep filling up the water bottle when you run out.) When you come to a pretend rest spot pull out another container and ask them if they need to keep filling it up with the love and life of Jesus. Well, we don’t really need to keep filling up a bottle with the love and life of Jesus because his love is always with us and it never runs out. We need to keep getting more water when we are thirty but the love of Jesus never runs out. It is always there with us so we can always enjoy his refreshing life. Today’s bible verse is about a woman who met Jesus at a well where thy used to get their water. Jesus introduced himself and said that she could know his life and love. It would be like a wonderful stream of living water that that would make her life refreshing, full and complete. It would be like a stream of love and life that would never run out.
     
    Children’s prayer: Dear God, thank you that Jesus’ life and love never run out. It’s like an invisible living water this is always there for us. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
     
    Copyright 2014 Feel free to use this story at you morning worship service. Please consider putting a link on your church web site. Blessings, A.H.


    woman at the well

  • Emergency Sunday School ideas

     

    “I’m unprepared and I need to teach a Sunday School class tomorrow!” -

    Here are some quick ideas that you could use: (Or you can always just check out the stories on this website!)

    Sunday School Panic

    1. Take the kids on an outdoor thanksgiving walk. Do a walking trip and ask the children to notice things they are thankful for. As they mention things, ask them why they are thankful for those items: You are thankful for trees. Why? What good things come from trees? (Wood to build houses; Shade on a hot day; privacy etc. After discussing each item, you (or the children) could lead in a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

    2. Read out a parable or other bible story and have the children act out the story as you read out a paraphrased version. (Parables such as the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan can work well for spontaneous dramas.) Extra: Record your drama on your cell phone and show it to them.

    3. Tell you story of coming to faith in Jesus and have the children tell their story. (Be sensitive to the fact that children may not all have a polished, rehearsed testimony. When you are finished, lead in prayer, giving thanks for the many ways that people come to follow Jesus.

    4. Have one of the young people share a problem or trial and facilitate a group discussion on how to help that person. What help does Jesus provide? What help can class members provide? This exercise can help develop your group’s compassion quotient.

    5. Facilitate a discussion on the practical needs of your church and community. Is there a project you could all be involved in? How can you help people in need? Bake cookies and ask church members to donate to your good cause.

    6. Prepare a song (an action song) or a skit that you could present to the congregation the following Sunday. (Or to an elderly shut in person)

    7. Put together a quick bible trivia game and ask the kids to fill in the blanks or give the answers.

    8. Play a Bible Pictionary Game. Make up a list of cards with bible names, events, or people. Divide into two groups and have a person in the group pick a card and draw a picture in front of their group without using words. If the team guesses what the picture is about, the team gets a point.

    9. Use building blocks to build the Temple, Jerusalem or other bible scene.

    10. Have the children work together to do a puzzle. Use this as an opportunity to speak about working together as a team.

    11. Ask a member of the congregation to come and speak to the kids. If you have a young person who is a role model, all the better. Or interview them: How did you come to believe in Jesus? Do you find it hard being a Christian at school? How to you keep strong as a Christian? What are some of your favorite bible verses? Hearing a word from an older young person can be powerful.

     

  • John 3;16 For God so loved the world

    Kids Sermon: For God so Loved the World   John 3:16    valentine heart

    John 3:16  (2nd Sunday in Lent – for those who follow the revised common lectionary)
    John 3 16 Gods love
     
     
    Children’s gospel message idea:
    Bring in a large cardboard sign with JOHN 3:16 in big letters. Get a helper to hold it up and wave it around like the common sight in a football stadium. Discuss the verse and why Christians hope that they can be seen on TV.
     
    Object lesson items.  Large cardboard sign with the words “JOHN 3:16.” You could also where a toque, scarf, noisemaker and football jersey if you want to really look like a fan in the bleachers.
     
    Children’s Sermon:
    Good morning children! Tell me if this reminds you of anything you have ever seen. (Hold up and wave around the John 3:16 sign.) That’s right. If you have ever been to a football game or seen one on TV you have probably seen someone in the crowd waving this sign. Do you know what it means? John 3:16 is a bible verse. It says (show them in the bible), “for God so love the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It is a wonderful bible verse because it tells us of God’s wonderful love for the world and that Jesus has opened the way for us to have eternal life! By trusting in Jesus we can have a wonderful life now and that goes on for ever and ever! That is a wonderful message that needs to get out to the whole world. Some Christians came up with the idea that by holding up the sign at football games where there are many people. They are hoping that people at the game might become curious and look up John 3:16 in the bible. They are also hoping that it might get on the TV camera and go out to the whole world!
     
    I think it is a wonderful way of helping others discover the wonderful message of God’s in Jesus Christ. However, that may not be our way of telling others about Jesus. Each of us can tell others about Jesus and his love. If we are Christ followers, each of us is a “sign” to the rest of the world of the life and love of Jesus Christ.
     
    Children’s prayer: Dear God, thank you for your amazing love that we read about in John 3:16. Help us to get that message out to the rest of the world. That way they can believe in Jesus and discover his wonderful life that goes on for ever and ever. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2014 Andrew Hewlett and Sundaychildrensfocus.com   Feel free to use this kids talk on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking you web site to this site.  Thank you - A.H.


     

  • Sermon for kids on Running the Race set before us

    Children’s Sermon: Run the Race set before us Hebrews 11 and 12

    “Let us set aside the weight of sin and run the race set before us”    Laughing

    Children’s sermon idea:  Have someone come in dressed up like a jogger / runner. However, they are also carrying a heavy back pack, a suitcase, a bag around the neck, etc. Have a fun interview with the runner and help them realize that they need to “set aside” the things that are weighing them down. Explain to the young people that carrying around sins (explain this a bit) will weigh us down in the Christian race.  (We want to live our lives God’s way but when we do sin, and do wrong things, we can repent, ask forgiveness and “set aside” our sins so we can run in freedom.)

    Objects / People needed:  Someone willing to dress up like a jogger. A backpack, suitcase and impractical items to carry around. (Have some fun with this: some old rotten thing, something representing past sins, etc)    Option: label the various items with signs: unforgiveness, selfishness, greed, etc.

    Full Children’s lesson:   Good morning children! Look who is coming up front here. It’s Mr. Johnston. What does it look like he is doing? That’s right, by looking at his running shoes and shorts it sure seems like he is going on a race. Let’s ask him. Mr. Johnston, what are you doing today? (Have some fun with this). But why are you carrying these heavy loads? Isn’t it hard carrying those heavy things and trying to run at the same time? Why don’t you just put them down and let them go? (You could prime your runner with various responses such as, “That’s just part of who I am” or “I’m used to carrying these around everywhere” etc.) Ask the children if this makes sense. What do they think he should do if he wants to do well in the race? Your volunteer runner could put down the weights and then exclaim how much better it feels.

    Debrief with the children: Wow, I’m sure glad Mr. Johnstone got rid of all that weight. Otherwise I think he would get tired and frustrated. I don’t even think he would be able to finish the race.

    The Bible says in Hebrews 12 verse 1 that if we are going do well in our Christian lives (win the race) we need to get rid of all those bad things that weigh us down. Whenever we sin (do what we know God doesn’t want us to do) then it’s like we are carrying a heavy weight that slows us down. So let’s try to do what God wants us to do so that we are not carrying around a heavy weight of sin. Of course, the good news is that when we ask forgiveness for the things we’ve done wrong, God forgives us takes away that heavy weight.

    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to put off all those sinful things in life that just weigh us down and slow us down. Thank you that through Jesus we can be forgiven and we can walk (and run) right beside you every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2016 Sundaychildrensfocus - Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this on Sunday. If you post it on the web please give credit to Sunday Childrens Focus and consider linking to this web site. Thank you!  - A.H.