Idea for the Children’s Sermon / Sunday school lesson introduction: Here’s my angle on this text: Even little children with “small sized” faith in God can still do big and wonderful things. To illustrate this have a big and strong person go over to your church lighting switch and show how they can turn all the big lights on and off. Then bring a very young child over and show how they can do the same thing. Even “little sized” strength can turn the big lights on and off. It is the same with our faith / trust in God. Even if we are a young child with “little sized faith” God hears our small prayers and will help us to do great things for Him.

 

Object Lesson props:  Some small seed to be “mustard seed.” Light switches that turn on and off your church lighting system. (Alternatively, any switch where a small action with have a big effect: Hitting a note on the piano, speaking into a microphone, etc.) -- Another alternative would be to use a small (mustard seed size) door key and demonstrate how it can unlock doors.

 

Full Children’s Talk / Sermon: Good morning children! (Hold up your “mustard seed.”) Do you see this? You’ll have to look very hard. It’s mustard seed. In our bible reading from Luke 17:5-10 Jesus told his disciples that even if they had faith in God the size of this little mustard seed they would be able to do big and wonderful things with God’s help. I’ll try to show you how this might work. I want you all to follow me over to this spot in the wall where we have the light switches to our church. Did you know that these little switches / buttons can turn on and off all those big lights up there? I’ll get someone to help me out. There are a lot of big lights up there so I’d better get someone big and strong. Mr. Jones, you are very big and strong so I would like you to come and help me turn these big lights on. (Just for fun you could suggest he do some isometrics to pump up his muscles for the big job of turning on the lights. Then have Mr. Jones demonstrate how he can turn the lights on and off.) That’s pretty amazing that you can do that! However, I want to show you something that is even more amazing. I need someone who is very small to help me out. Yes, thank you Judith. Now, I’m going to hold you up in the air and I want you to see if you can turn these big lights on and off. You did it! That’s great. That’s pretty amazing. Even though you are very young and not strong like Mr. Jones, you can still turn all these big lights on and off. Let’s give Judith a cheer. Let’s go back to the front of the church. What Judith just did reminds me of what Jesus taught about faith and prayer. Jesus said that even if our faith was a very “small child faith” like this mustard seed (hold it up) we could still do big and wonderful things. God wants to do big and wonderful things through “little faith” people like you and me. We don’t have to wait until we have a big strong faith.

 

Children’s Prayer: Dear God. We know that you have all the power in the world and in the universe.

Thank you that even though we are small people, you hear our prayers, and together we can do amazing things. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

 

Copyright 2010 SundayChildrensFocus.com   Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this on Sunday morning by please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and consider bookmarking and / or linking your web page to this site. Blessings, A.H.