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Lectionary

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!

Church unity - Working as a Team! -

Paul planted Apollos watered but God made it grow  1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Basic lesson idea:  Have a pot of soil and cue up two adult helpers; one to plant a seed in the pot and another to poor water on the planted seed. Then show the children what this might look like when it grows but holding up a beautiful plant. Ask the two individuals (planter and waterer) who had the most important role. Let them argue it out. Let them do some fun boasting. Explain how each had an important part but that it was God who did the most important part in making it grow. (This could stand alone but you can make the connection to how we all work together as a team (as we grow in the church) but God is the one whole helps us to really grow as Christians.

(Alternatively you could get children to help plant the seed and water the seed and just explain how silly it would be to argue who had the most important role)

Children’s sermon:

Good morning children! Look at this small flower pot that has some soil inside. I’m going to ask Mr. Brown to help plant this seed. (Mr. Brown comes over, take the seed from your hand and pushes it into the soil) Now, Mr. Jones, would you help out by watering this seed? (Mr. Johnson pour a small amount of water on the seed).

Now children, we would have to wait a long time for this seed to grow. So, I have a beautiful plant here to show you what it might look like when it is fully grown. It is a very beautiful plant. Now, who do you think had the most important part in growing such a plant? Mr. Brown or Mr. Jones? Let’s ask them. Mr. Brown who do you think had the most important part to play in making this plant grow? Response: “Well, it’s me of course because the seed is the most important thing. Did you see my special wrist action I used when I pushed the seed in the ground?” Then ask Mr. Jones what he thinks. “No no, I had the most important role because without water…” (Let do some fun arguing) Ask the children what they think. They may say God made it grow. If not, explain how each person had an important role to play but the most important part was done by God. God made it grow! It would really be silly to argue about who was the greatest because it was God who did the miracle of making it grow!

Explain how we have pastors, youth workers, organists etc in the church. We also have gifts that we can use in building up the church. Everyone has an important role to play. However, God has the most important role to play because he the one who really makes us grow in faith as Christians. We are all part of the church team and God has the most important job in helping us grow.

Copyright 2017 Andrew Hewlett and Sundaychildrensfocus.com.  Feel free to use this at church but consider linking to this page or click the LIKE button to the left of the page.  Thanks  - A.H. 

Children’s Sermon on Interpreting the Times – Luke 12: 49-57

Idea for the kids talk on Sunday morning:  Jesus talked about interpreting the weather and interpreting the times. Bring up various items related to different weather conditions. (ie Sun glasses, umbrella, rubber boots, sweater, etc)  Describe different weather conditions and ask the children tell you what item would be appropriate for each type of weather. Give a short overview of Luke 12:9-57 and explain that interpreting the weather is important but it is even more important to understand the times and seasons of life. Conclude by telling the children that it is always the right time and season to follow Jesus.

Object lesson props:  Unbrella, sweater, rubber boots, sun glasses, sun tan lotion, jacket.

Full Children’s sermon based on the Lectionary Gospel reading: Good morning Children! Look at some of these things I brought with me this morning. (Alternately, you could come out wearing some of the items!) Do you know what all these items are? Have you ever put on any of these items? Ok, now I want to see if you know when you would wear these items. What if it was a really sunny day with no clouds in the sky? What would be good to wear? That’s right. Putting on the suntan lotion would help prevent a sun burn. Yes, wearing the sun glasses would make it easier on your eyes. Now, what if it was a little bit of cloud with cold wind blowing? Yes, I think it would be a good idea to put on this sweater or wind breaker. Ok, what would I wear before going outside if I looked out and saw big, dark clouds? What should I wear with that type of weather? That’s right, it might be wise to put on a rain jacket because the dark clouds might be a sign that it is going to rain. Well done! You are all very good at interpreting the weather and knowing how to prepare.

In our bible lesson from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talked about the importance of “understanding the times”. He said that people can look at the weather and understand how to prepare and what to do.  But for some reason the people didn’t understand Jesus and the need to follow him! They could understand what to do when the sun came out but they didn’t know what to do when God sent His son Jesus! God sent his son Jesus so we could know Him and discover his love. And we know that Jesus is alive and wants us to follow him and to discover his wonderful life.

So…When you go outside I hope you will remember to check the weather and put on the right clothing. I also hope you will remember that it is always the right time to follow Jesus (to live the way he wants us to live) and discover all we were meant to do and be!

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to be wise and understand that it is always the right time and season to follow Jesus. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright 2016 Sunday Children's Focus - Andrew Hewlett.  Feel free to use this kids lesson on Sunday Morning / Sunday School but please give credit to SundayChildrensFocus.com and consider linking to this web site. Thank you! A.H.

Widow of Nain Luke7 - Waking up the dead -

Children’s sermon idea: Have a volunteer come up, sit on a chair and pretend to be asleep (They can have some fun snoring, talking in their sleep etc.) Have the children try and wake them up. We can wake up sleeping people by speaking loudly or by touching them. Read the passage about the widow of Nain. When Jesus walked on this earth he was able to wake up the dead!

Objects needed: Chair or recliner

Full interactive kid’s story:  Good morning children! Do you find it easy to wake up in the morning? Who makes sure you wake up? How do they wake you up? Let’s look at some of the ways to wake people up. I’ve asked Mr. Jones to come up and pretend he is sleeping the way he normally sleeps. So,  Mr. Jones, please just sit here, relax and show us how you sleep. (Give some time for him to doze off, snore, etc.) Wow kids!  Do you make noises like that when you sleep?! Let’s see how easy it is to wake him up. Betty, try whispering in his ear. No, that didn’t wake him up. Mike, try saying “wake up” loudly. Hmmm. Let’s give him a shake. (Mr. Jones wakes up – give him a cheer and thank him for helping out.)  

Well, he was certainly sound asleep. It was a little hard but we were able to wake him up. It’s usually easy to wake people up. But we can still awaken people who are sound asleep. Now, listen carefully because I’m going to tell you something truly amazing. When Jesus walked on this earth he could wake up people who were sleeping but he could also wake up people who had died! It’s almost impossible for us to do something like that. But Jesus was God’s son. He could do amazing things. He could even bring dead people back to life! Listen to this account in the Gospel of Luke. (Read the story of the Widow of Nain)   Jesus just said “get up” to the widows son and he got up.  To Jesus, bringing someone back to life was as easy as waking up a sleeping person.

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to be the Saviour of the world. Thank you for the great love he has for each of us. Thank you that he even has the power to bring dead people back to life!  In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright 2016 SundayChildrensFocus  Feel free to use this on Sunday Morning but please give credit to SundayChildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this web site. Thank you!  A.H.

 Children's Sermon about the Earthquake in Nepal  

 

Showing the compassion of Jesus

 

Object lesson idea:(Overview -Adapted from a story I used when there was an earthquake in Haiti) 

Display two “houses” made of small blocks of wood or perhaps marshmallows. Have one house represent a typical house in Canada or United States. This “house” could be glued together if made by wood and if made with marshmallows it could be sewed together or held together with nails or toothpicks. The other “house” would look the same but have nothing binding the blocks together. Shake the structure like an earthquake and let the children observe what happens. Explain how poor countries like Nepal can’t afford to build houses with expensive reinforcing and other safety features. Pray for the people of Nepal and involve the children in some relief or development project.
 
Objects: Two small houses made with building blocks or marshmallows (see above). Reinforce one of the structures with tape, thread, toothpicks etc. (You could also drive reinforcing nail up through the piece of plywood and place marshmallows over the nails. Place the “houses” on a tray ready for an “earthquake.” A small world map or globe.
 
Full Children’s Sermon: Good morning Children. In our church this morning we are praying for the people who live in a country called Nepal. It is a small country and most of the people who live there are very poor. It’s this small country here on this map. (Use a globe or projected map)  Do you know what happened there recently? Yes. That’s right. There was a very big earthquake that destroyed many buildings and homes. It may be hard to understand how this happened. I want to show you one reason so many people were hurt or killed. Do you see this tray here? I made two little houses out of marshmallows. I’m pretending the marshmallows are like building blocks of cements. This house on the left will represent a typical house in the Canada / USA/ etc. I’m pretending that this house on the left is a house in Kathmandu, the main city of Nepal.
Let’s see what might happen if there was an earthquake. (Shake the try up a down, back and forth until the unsecured “building blocks” of the Nepal house fall down.) What happened here? Yes, this house that has a steel nail through the centre is standing strong. However, this house here fell completely down. This building was not nearly as strong as this building. This building is like many of the buildings in Kathmandu. The people are strong and hard working but they are very poor and they cannot afford to build houses as strong as our houses. When an earthquake shakes the country many of the houses fall down and many people are injured our killed. It’s very sad. As followers of Jesus we need to think of ways that we can help the people in Nepal as they try to recover from this tragedy. How could we possibly help out and support them in this time of need? (Let the children respond.) Those are all very good ideas. We can send doctors to help, we can send food and clothing, and we can send money so they can buy the things they don’t have. Later on we might be able to be involved in helping them rebuild some to the homes that have been destroyed. (Consider presenting a specific project that the church is involved with.
 

Children’s Prayer: Dear God. We know that there are many people who need help in the country of Nepal. Please send many doctors and other helpers to support the people. And show us what we can do to put the love of Jesus into action and help these people in need. In Jesus’ name – Amen! 

 Hidden from the wise and learned and revealed to children:  Matthew 11: 25-30

Interactive object lesson for Sunday School, Children’s Church or Jr. Youth Group  

Children’s sermon /object lesson idea:

The basic idea is to have something that young children can see easily see but is difficult for older (wiser) adults to see. Find a very small table. Using duct tape or a hook with string and hang a fun object (perhaps faith related) under the table. The children can easily see it. Have a tall adult come forward. As they look down from on high they won’t be able to see the object. Explain that some things (like God’s amazing love) seem to be easily understood by young children. To understand and see older and wiser people need to humble themselves and get down on their knees (Making themselves like small children).
 

Object lesson items needed:

-A small children’s table (preferably with legs shorter than a card table)
- A Christian symbol, toy, or picture on a string that you can hang down underneath the table
 
(I would recommend prepping your (older, wise) adult so they work with you well.)

Complete Children's sermon on Humility

Good morning children! 
In our gospel reading this morning from Matthew chapter 11 Jesus says that some things (like the amazing love of Jesus) are “Hidden from the wise and learned but revealed to children.” I thought I would bring someone forward this morning who I think is very wise and learned. Mr. Johnson, would you come forward this morning? Now Mr. Johnson, I think you are pretty smart. You are a scientist who works at the university. How many years did you go to school / university? Wow! That is a long time. Well, this morning I’m going to show you something and I want to know what you see. Ask the children not to say anything and bring out the table with the object hidden underneath. Now Mr. Johnson, I’d like you to look down at this and tell me what you see. (He will just see a blank table top. Encourage him to use all his highly scientific brainpower!) (Now ask the children, who can see under the table, if they see anything that tall and wise Mr. Johnson can’t see.) That’s right! There is a wonderful picture of Jesus with his arms outstretched in love. You could see it because you are not too tall. Mr. Johnson, you still can’t see what they see. Children, what would he need to do if he wanted to see what you see? (They will suggest that he bends down.) That’s right. If he wants to see he is going to have to get down on his knees and make himself small. Encourage Mr. Johnson to do this. (He can moan and groan a bit for effect.)
 
Jesus said that his teaching was sometimes hidden from the wise and learned but revealed to little children. Going to school and learning is important. However, you could go to school for 20 years and be the smartest person in the world and still not understand Jesus and God’s wonderful love. God will show his love to anybody who simply opens up his or her heart and turns to him. Young children sometimes understand God’s great love more than adults do!
 

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you that we don’t have to be really old or really smart to understand Jesus and his wonderful love. In Jesus’ name – Amen! 

Copyright 2014 Andrew Hewlett and Sundaychildrensfocus.com  Feel free to use this kids talk but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking your church to this sight.  Thank you! A.H.




kids sermon idea - Matthew10:24-39  "Even the hairs of your head are numbered " 

 
Kids talk idea: God knows everything about us. Get a few volunteers to come forward (Choose people with various amounts of hair.) Ask the children to guess how many hairs each person has. Have some fun with this. Discuss how difficult this is to know. Discuss the bible verse and tell them how God knows everything about us. He knows how many hairs are on head and he cares about everything in our life.

Props needed: Just a few willing people from the congregation
 
Complete Children’s message:
Good morning children! This morning I’m going to ask some people to come forward to help me with my message. Mr. Jones, Mr. Smith and Mr. Graham, would you please come forward and sit in these chairs. Thank you. Please sit down right here. Now children, which one of these men has the most hair? Yes, I would agree! Here is a harder question. How many hairs are on Mr. Jones’ head? You don’t know? Should we count them? Yes, it would take a very long time. How about Mr. Graham? How many hairs does he have on his head? You are right. Even though he doesn’t have much hair here it would still take a long time to count them all.
 
We don’t even know how many hairs are on our own head! But, believe it or not, there is someone who knows exactly how many hairs are on our head. Do you know who that is? Right! God knows everything about us and he even knows how many hairs are on our head. In the bible (Matthew 10:20) Jesus said that “even the hairs of our head are numbered.” That’s petty amazing. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows everything about us. The good news is that he loves us too. There may times when we feel alone. There may be times when we feel like nobody knows what we are feeling. However, God is knows everything we are going through and his love is always reaching out to us.
 
Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you that you love us and know everything about us. Help us to remember that we are never really alone and that you understand us when we are happy and when we are sad. Thank you that your great love will always give us strength and hope. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright 2014 Andrew Hewlett and Sundaychildrensfocus.com  Feel free to use this idea at your Sunday Service but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus can consider linking to this site. Thanks A.H.

 

 I am the Gate and I am the Good Shepherd   

 
Kids sermon idea:  John 10:1 - 10
Involve the children in acting out aspects of John 10:1- 10. Use the children to hold hands and make a sheep pen and have them experience going in and out through the gate to find pasture and to find security at night. Explain how Jesus is the gate into the Kingdom of God. You could explain how Jesus said he was like the gate and that he was also like the shepherd. (The text from John 10 includes both these ideas)
 
Object lesson props:  None / However, a makeshift shepherds crook might help identity the shepherd.
 
Children’s Sermon:  God morning children! In our bible reading this morning we read how Jesus said he was a like a Gate to a sheep pen. I want you to help me act this out so we can understand what Jesus was talking about. Now, I need some of you to make a sheep pen. (Get the children to join hands and form a square or circle.) Now, I also need to make a Gate that can open and close so that the sheep can go in and out. Thank you. Let’s open and close the gate to see how it works. (Get 2 of the children to swing their arms open and closed.) Now, we need a few of you to be sheep. I’ll pretend I am a shepherd and I will lead you in and out of the sheep pen by going through the gate. Since you are sheep, I think you should make some sheep sounds! (bah bah etc.) Let’s open the gate and go inside the sheep pen. Now I’ll close the gate so it’s safe and no wolves can come in and hurt you. Of course, in the morning you need to follow the shepherd out through the gate in order to find pasture and good grass to eat. (Open the gate and lead them out.) Then when night comes they go back in through the gate to safety.
 
Note: My understanding is that sometimes the shepherd would lie down across the sheep pen entrance make himself be a literal Gate. You could act this out too.
 
Thank the children and have them sit down. Explain how Jesus said he was the Gate to the sheep pen.
We have to go through Him. To be a part of God’s family and Kingdom we have to go through Jesus. (We believe in Him, and trust Him to be our saviour and friend.) We can’t be a part of God’s family and God’s Kingdom any other way. We have to come through Jesus the gate. (You could also explain how Jesus said he was also like the shepherd who would protect the sheep and lead them out into good pasture.)
 
Children’s prayer: Thank you God that through Jesus the Gate we can enter your wonderful Kingdom and family. Thank you that Jesus is also a good shepherd who will watch over us and lead us into good pasture. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
 
Copyright 2014 Andrew Hewlett and Sundaychildrensfocus.com   Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking to this site. Thanks – A.H.

 

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

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.


 

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