Imitating Christ's Humility

Imitating Christ’s Humility Kids sermon on Philippians 2: 1-13 -

Basic kids story idea: Have fun getting the children to imitate some people in the church (How Bill plays the bass guitar, how Nic plays the drums or how Bud probably drives his car. Explain that the apostle Paul said that we should all do our best to imitate Jesus Christ. (You might highlight the way he showed loved and made himself as servant.)

Full Children's sermon: Good morning Children! Do you know what it means to imitate someone? That’s right. It means doing the same things that another person in doing. We never want to imitate someone to make fun of them or embarrass them. That would be unkind. However, this morning I asked some people if it was alright for us to imitate them. Bill said it was ok for us to imitate him playing the bass guitar. Let’s do that now. (Have some fun with this.) Great! I also asked Nic if we could imitate him playing the drums. Ok, let’s see how you can imitate him playing the drums. That’s very good. I also asked Bud if we could imitate the way Bud probably drives his car. Let’s do that. That is very good children! You really are able to imitate different people well.

This morning we have an important Bible message from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He tells Christians that they should do their best to imitate Jesus Christ! We should do what we can to live the same way Jesus did. One of the most important things about Jesus was that he showed love to people. Even though he God’s son and was a King he spent his time serving others. He would even help and serve people that were very poor or were considered by others to be unimportant.

What are some of the ways we can imitate Jesus?(Have a short discussion about things that Jesus did that we can also do to others.) Yes, those are all good ways of imitating the life of Jesus.

Children’s prayer: Dear God, thank you for the many ways Jesus loved and served others. Help us to imitate him by showing love and kindness to others. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Kids sermon - Jesus healing on the Sabbath

Children's Sermon on Luke13 Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath

What days are for helping others?

Kid’s sermon idea: Show the children a calendar and explain how it shows the days of the week. Discuss what days might be best for various activities (going to church, getting together with family members, going to school, etc.) Ask them what would be appropriate days for helping someone in need. Explain how Jesus taught that everyday was a good day to heal and to do good.

Object lesson item: A large paper calendar (Showing a week or a month / page)

You might want a felt pen to write in the calendar or draw symbols.

Full Children’s Talk: Good morning children! Do you know what this is? This is a calendar and it has a space here for each day of the week. Can you say the various days of the week? (Get them to say the various days of the week and point to the days / squares on the calendar.) That’s very good. Now, what do you think would be a good day of the week to go to church? Yes, Sunday is the day most people go to church. That’s what today is. When would be a good days to go to school? I agree, those would be good days. What would be a good day to get together for a walk in the park with some friends? Yes, Saturday might be the best day because there is no school on that day. Now, here is a tricky question. When is a day that would be good for helping others? Or, think of this: When is a day that you could not show love to others? (Let the children respond.) I think you are right. Every day is a good day to show love and help others in need. Our bible reading today from Luke 13 explains how Jesus did a wonderful miracle by healing a crippled woman. But unfortunately, some people were very upset and said that he helped and healed this woman on the wrong day. They were mad at Jesus because they felt he was showing love on the wrong day! Jesus told them that even a special day of rest was a good day to help someone in need. He let them know that every day of the week was a good day for showing love to people. Showing love to people could happen on any day. (If you have been using a felt marker you could draw in a cross or a heart in each day of the week.)

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you that Jesus showed love and helped people on every day of the week. Help us to remember that it is important to show love to people whenever there is a need. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Kids Sermon on Pride- Take a look at yourself

Children's Sermon on Spiritual Pride: Season of Lent

Children's church- message for Lent

Look at yourself –When you point at others there are three fingers pointing back at you.

Themes: sin, self awareness, self examination, repentance, finger pointing, pride, spiritual pride

(The RCL scriptures for this day (Is 55:1-9, 1 Cor.10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9) seem to all contain warnings about out tendency to presume we are on a good footing because we are more righteous than others)

Kid’s sermon idea: Explain to the children that some people love to point out the bad things that others are doing. Get the children to point with their index fingers. Examine your pointing hand and explain to them that when they point out other peoples mistakes there are always three fingers pointing back. We need to be honest with our own mistakes and failures before we point them out in others.

Full Children’s sermon: Good morning children. I want to tell you something that I learned many years ago. I used to love to criticise others who were doing bad things. I would point my finger like this and say, “Look at that boy over there. He’s not being very kind.” Or I would say, “look at that person, he is being a bad person and he is making lots of mistakes.” But one day a friend of mine showed me something very interesting. (Hold out your pointing hand) She should me that whenever I a finger at another person I have other fingers pointing back at me. When I point like this, how many fingers are pointing back at me? Right! There are these three fingers pointing back at me. Try it yourself. That should be a good reminder that we need to look at our own lives. It’s more important to make sure we are living God’s way than spending too much time pointing our fingers at others. Remember, when you point your finger at another person there are three fingers pointing back at you!

Children’s prayer: God, we know it is so easy to point fingers at other people when they do something wrong. Help us to remember that when we point at others there are three fingers pointing back at us. May that remind us to make sure we are living the way you want us to live. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett Feel free to use this story on Sunday morning but give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider putting link to this site. A.H.

Parable of the two sons - and the vineyard

The parable of the two sons and the vineyard - Matthew 21:23-32 Self-righteousness, Obedience and the importance of recognizing our need for Jesus.

Give the kids some background to the Parable:

Start by introducing the parable of the 2 sons and its context (Matthew 21:23-32). Discuss the characters and the vineyard setting. Ask the kids why they think Jesus used parables to teach important lessons.

Consider using use props, visual aids, or even act out the story with the help of the students. Make sure to emphasize the contrast between the two sons' actions.

Discuss Obedience and Repentance:

After telling the parable, lead a discussion about the behavior of the two sons. Here’s some ideas:

Why did the first son initially refuse to obey but later changed his mind?

Why did the second son agree to obey but didn't follow through?

What do these actions teach us about repentance and obedience?

Note: Highlight the idea that people who think they are righteous and have it all together don’t need God or his forgiveness. It is those who know they are broken and in need that reach out to Jesus for forgiveness and healing.

Try Role-Playing:

(for some of the more mature children) Divide the kids into small groups and assign each group one of the two sons. Ask them to create short skits or role-plays that illustrate the actions and attitudes of their assigned son. Encourage them to reflect on the importance of both initial intentions and follow-through.

Application of the Parable:

Discuss how this parable relates to our own lives at home, at church or at school. Talk about situations where we might say we will do something but don't follow through, and vice versa. Encourage students to think about how they can be more obedient and repentant in their daily lives.

Bible Journaling and Art:

Provide art supplies and encourage students to create journal entries or artwork that represents the parable's message. This creative exercise can help them internalize the lesson in a personal way.

Challenge them to memorize key verses in this passage:

Choose a key verse from this passage (e.g., Matthew 21:31b) and have the students memorize it. Discuss the verse's meaning and how it ties into the parable.

Craft Activity:

Create a simple craft activity where the children ccan make "repentance and obedience reminder cards" to take home. These cards can feature key verses or a brief summary of the parable.

Guest Speaker or Testimony from someone in the congregation (use a teen or someone they look up to:

Invite a guest speaker or share a personal testimony of someone who experienced a transformation through repentance and faith. This real-life example can emphasize the power of God's grace.

Final Closing Prayer and Reflection:

Conclude the lesson with a prayer, asking for God's guidance in living a life of true repentance and obedience. Encourage the kids to reflect on what they've learned and how they can apply it during the upcoming week.