A Cup of Water in Jesus' name

Children's gospel talk - A cup of Cold water in Christ's name

Children's Sermon or Sunday School lesson - Serving others

Object lesson idea: Small acts of kindness are important. - Show objects representative of big ways of helping others. Compare this to a simple cup of cold water and explain that even doing small things (such as giving a cup of water in the name of Jesus) are still very important to others and to God.

Objects: Some suggestions: Doctors stethoscope, Tool Box, Scientists microscope, Firefighters hat, etc.

Children’s object lesson: Mark 9:38-50 Trinity 16

Good Morning Children. This morning I’m thinking about some important ways for serving others and doing the sort things that would honour/ bless God. Do you know what this is? Yes, it’s a microscope. Scientist often use microscopes. I would love to be a scientist and find a cure for cancer or some other disease that hurts people. Do you know what this thing is? Yes, it’s called a stethoscope. Doctors and nurses us it to check up on people who have some illness. I would love to be a doctor and help people get better all over the world. Look at this here. It’s a tool box. What good things could a carpenter build? Those are good ideas. I would like to build a big school in a place where children had no school to go to. What else could we build that would help people?

We’ve have talked about some great ways of serving God and serving others. Maybe some day you will be a doctor or a scientist or a builder / carpenter. However, in the bible reading we have today Jesus said that even the small things we do for one another are important. Look at this glass of water. Jesus said that even if we “give a cup of water” to someone in need it’s important (and God will reward us). (Read out the text from Mark 9) Helping others in small way is still very important. God notices all the very small things we do for others. He even promises that in some way we will be rewarded.

Children’s Prayer -Serving others: Dear God. I pray that someday these children will help make big changes in the world. But I thank you that even when we are young we can still do important things that help others.

Help us, through your Holy Spirit, to do those small things that will bless others and bless you as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

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

Advent sermon - Magnificat

Mary's Song about the Kingdom of God- The Magnificat -

The upside down Kingdom The Song of Mary

Text for Advent 4: Luke 1: 39-45

(The following object lesson can be used for in a children's sermonor for an introduction to an Advent Sunday school lesson)

Object lesson idea: Have some pictures of very sophisticated people and very poor and humble people. Have the children arrange them in order of importance. Kings and rulers on top and poor people on bottom. Explain how the coming of Jesus turns this world order “upside down.” Get the children to look through a magnifying glass that is held out at arms length. This will make everything look upside down. Jesus shows us that the worlds system and values are upside down.

Object Lessonitems: Magnifying glass, Pictures of sophisticated people and poor people.

Children’s Sermon/ Object lesson: Good morning children! This morning’s bible reading from Luke 1 is called Mary’s song or “the magnificat.” Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Mary is saying that her son to be born (Jesus) is going to “turn the world upside down.” To show you what this is like I’ll be using this magnifying glass. But first look at these pictures. Help me arrange them from top to bottom according to importance. (Pin the pictures on a board or get the children to hold them up.) That’s right; this person in the very fancy car would go on top. Yes, this poor person would go down here. (Get all the pictures in the “right” order.”) This certainly is the way that most people see things; the rich and famous on top and the poor and helpless at the bottom. However, the bible teaches us that Jesus turned things upside down. Jesus wasn’t that impressed by rich and glamorous people and he had a love and compassion for the helpless. Jesus saw the world very differently than other people. I’ll show you what I mean. Look at this magnifying glass. It’s used for making small things look big. But if you hold it out at arms length it makes things look upside down. (Hold it about two feet in front of the children so that they can see that it makes things look upside down.) Jesus looked at people differently. (Look through the magnifying glass at the ordered pictures) Now when I look at these pictures I see the poor people at the top and the rich and sophisticated people at the bottom. Now the famous people look like they are at the bottom and the poor people are at the top. The way of Jesus and his kingdom makes the way of the world seem upside down. If you have a magnifying glass at home trying looking through it like this. When it makes things look upside down remember that this is like Jesus’ kingdom. In his kingdom many things are “upside down” compared to the world.

Children’s prayer. Dear God, we are so thankful that even though we are not rich or famous we are still very important to you. Help us to see the world the same way that you see it. Help us to follow Jesus and live the way you want us to live even when others may not understand. - In Jesus’ name. Amen!

(Note: I realize I’ve used some big words here. Please substitute words that are appropriate for your audience. I’ll fix it up when I have some time)

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

Advent: wake up to God

Being awake to God - Ready for the coming of Christ

Advent Children's Lesson: themes: John the Baptist, Advent, Wake up, Repentance, Be alive to God, Be readyfor Christmas, Be ready for the return of Christ.

Children's Sermon -- object lesson Summary: Discuss waking up in the morning and that it’s helpful to have an alarm or some other means to wake us up. As Christians we need to wake up to God too.

Objects needed: A box or bag containing various items used to wake us up. An Alarm Clock, a whistle, a paper bag that can be popped, some pot lids, a cold wet washcloth, etc.

Full Children's Sermon / object lesson: Good morning children. How are you this morning? I hope you are all wide awake, because that’s what I’m talking about this morning –being awake – awake to God! How are you when you first wake up? Do you jump right up out of bed and say “Let’s get going!” (Interact with the children about how difficult it is sometimes to wake up and get out of bed.) What do you do when you first wake up? Do you stretch? Do you yawn? Show me how you get up. Is it easy? No, it can be very hard because we are so sleepy. Here are some things you might use to help us wake up. Here is an alarm clock –listen to beep. (Option: Give the items to the children and let them give the wake up sound) Here is a whistle. Listen to how loud it is. Would that wake you up? Or if someone was really tired you could bang these pot lids together like this. Would that wake you up? That would blast me right out of bed. It’s important to have something or someone wake us up because otherwise we might sleep in and miss all kinds for fun things. Some people even “sleep walk.” They walk around while they are actually asleep. They really need to wake up! Well the Bible says that we can also be asleep to God. We can go about the day never listening to God or praying to God or thinking about what he wants us to do in our lives. It’s like we are asleep to God. The sad part about being asleep to God is that we miss out on all the wonderful things God has for us. We miss out on some wonderful adventures that God has for us. So if you feel like you are asleep to God we need to wake up. Let’s hear those wake up sounds again. Now those things will help us to wake up from bed but to wake up to God we need to do some other things. We can pray, and listen when we pray. God can also speak to us though reading the Bible. One good way to be awake to God is to start the day praying “Lord, fill me up with your Holy Spirit today and show me how I can live for you today.” Then we need watching for ways that God might be leading us through the day. (You could give some examples here). So children, I hope that you have a good way of waking up in the morning and that you also have a good way of waking up to God. That way we won’t miss out on the wonderful life adventures that God has for us through his son Jesus Christ.

Children's prayer: Lord God. Thank you for the wonderful adventures that you have for us in life. Help us always to be awake to you and to your son Jesus.

Copyright 2008 Andrew Hewlett sundaychildrensfocus.com If you use this story at your Sunday morning service please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider putting a link on your church web site. Thank you! 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

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!
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)
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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!”
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

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!

(--Note: I’ll proof read this story tomorrow. It’s 11:45pm on Saturday and I’m falling asleep at my computer. A.H. )

Children's Bible Lesson - The Real Jesus

Children's Bible talk - Don’t be fooled. Follow the real Jesus. - Bible Lesson: Don't be deceived!

Luke 21:5-19 “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name claiming, “I am He, “…do not follow them.”

Children’s Sermon idea: Have three people hidden behind a partition. Have the children listen to various responses and have them pick the real Jesus. The real Jesus would respond with well know bible texts and the other two imposters would answer with “worldly wisdom.” (Have fun with the answers.)

Object Lesson preparation: Three individuals seated behind a partition or other barrier out of site from the children. Prepare a simple script for each individual. Have the real Jesus answer the question with scripture. You may need to ask the children to hide their eyes as your actors get into place.

Children’s Sermon / Sunday school lesson introduction:

Good morning children! In the bible reading that we have for today Jesus warned his disciples that there would be many people that would pretend to be Jesus. He warned his disciples not to be fooled by them. I’ve made a little game to see if you are good at telling the difference between the real Jesus and people just pretending to be Jesus. I’m going to ask some questions to the people behind that barrier over there and I want you to guess which one sounds like the real Jesus. (Of course we don’t have Jesus actually behind the curtain but I want you to pick out which one sound closest to the real Jesus.)

Jesus number 1. If I’m feeling worried and upset what should I do?

ANS: “Sorry Bud. I can’t do much for you there. Life’s just like that sometimes. Just take some pills or something.”

Jesus number 2. If I’m feeling worried and upset what should I do?

Good question. The key is making more money. If you make more money you’ll be happy and then you won’t worry so much.

Jesus number 3. If I’m worried and upset what do you think I should do?

Trust in me. Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest

Well children. You’ve heard the responses. Put up your hand if you think Jesus number 1 was the real Jesus. Put up your hand if you think Jesus number 2 sounded like the real Jesus. Put up your hand if you think Jesus number 3 sounds like the real Jesus.

Let ask one more question…. (You get the idea)

Conclusion: You were pretty good at picking out the real Jesus. Let’s have the congregation give you a cheer! Jesus warned his followers that there would be people that would claim to be a saviour but were really just fooling people. We need to be careful not to believe everyone who claims to be sent from God. On way to help us recognize the voice of the real Jesus is to read the bible. As we read about the real Jesus in the Bible we will be able to recognize people that are trying to fool us and lead us astray.

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to know your son Jesus more and more each day as we read your Word, the bible and fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we would have your wisdom and understanding. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus 2019 Feel free to use this on Sunday - Please share this link and do whaterver you can to support this work. Thank you - A.H.

Children's Christmas sermon -object lesson

Kids sermon: The Real Meaning of Christmas

Children's Sermon for Christmas: Don’t forget the birth of Jesus. Gifts.

Lectionary

Objects needed: Small Crèche/ Nativity scene. Bag of wrapped Christmas presents.

Children's Sermon / Sunday School idea: This works best if it’s your tradition to have a small Nativity scene up at the front of the church during Advent. Gather the children in front of the nativity figures. Pull out a big bag of presents that you just received or will give to others. Place then one by one in front of the children making a large pile. As the nativity scene is now blocked from sight ask them is there is anything wrong. Sometimes all the excitement about getting of giving presents can make us forget about the real meaning of Christmas.

Full Christmas object lesson: Good morning girls and boys. Come on up front here and gather in front of the nativity scene. I want to talk about what we can see here. But first I want to show you something very exciting. (Pull out a big bag that is full of wrapped Christmas presents) Here are some presents that are under our Christmas tree that have my name on them! (Pull out the presents one by one placing them down between the children and the nativity scene) Look at this one! What do you think is inside? And this one, hmmm, I wonder what it could be? Feel how heavy it is. (Keep placing the gifts you have looked at in front on the nativity scene until there is a high wall of presents blocking the Nativity scene from the children’s view). Well, I’m excited about all these presents that I get to open soon! Now, look at all those gifts. Wow, they are piled up so high. (Let the children take a good look at what is before them.) Is anything wrong? What’s the problem here?

(Someone will notice that the nativity scene is completely obscured from view.) Yes. That’s right kids. Now we can’t see the Nativity scene! Is that right?

TRANSITION: You are right children. I was so concerned about the gifts that I covered up the nativity scene and couldn’t even see Jesus! That can happen at Christmas. The gifts we get are lots of fun but we have to remember that the most important thing at Christmas is Jesus. We don’t want to forget about him. He is the greatest gift of all.

(Get some of the children to help you move some of the gifts to the side so that you get a clear view of the Nativity scene – especially Jesus.

Children's Prayer: Thank you God for all the presents that we get a Christmas. We have been greatly blessed. Help us to remember the greatest gift of all, Jesus. May our gifts and presents never get so important to us that we forget about Jesus. Let’s always make room for Jesus because that’s what Christmas is all about. Amen!

Special request: Please LIKE this page (left side bar) if you found it helpful. That helps me - 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.)

Children's lesson on Evangelism

Witness to the Risen Lord - Kids sermon on being a Witness

Themes: Risen Christ, Being a Witness, Evangelism, Easter

Objects: None

Text: Luke 24:36-48 “…you are witnesses of these things.”

Basic Chilren's Sermon Idea: The Lectionary text seems to emphasize being a witness of the risen Christ to the rest of the world. Involve the children in showing how the good news of the risen Lord is to be passed on to the world. The children go forth into the world symbolized by the whole congregation. Each child spreads the word to two other people. Those two each share the good news with two others. Very quickly (exponentially) the whole congregation is reached with the good news that Jesus is Alive.

Full Children's Sermon:
Good Morning Children. Our Bible reading today from the Gospel of Luke tells about Jesus appearing again to his disciples. He was showing them that he really was alive! He went on to tell them that they would would be witness to the rest of the world. That means they God wanted them to share with the rest of the world that Jesus was indeed alive. Now, it seems hard to believe that this small group of disciples could be used to share that good news with the whole world. However, I want to show you how that good news is shared with others, and how it can reach so many people. Look out there at all those people in the congregation. It's a pretty big crowd. Now in a minute or two I want each of you to go to two people out there, touch them and tell them Jesus is Alive! When you do that the person has to stand up, touch two other people and tell them "Jesus is Alive!" (Make sure the children understand what they are doing and why it is a bit like what the early disciples did. Make sure the rest of the congregation knows what to do as well). Are you ready? You children will be witnesses to the Risen Lord just like the disciples were. Ok. You can go as soon as I tell you Jesus is Alive. Here we go. "Jesus is Alive - go tell the whole world this wonderful news. (Send the childrens out into the congregation).
(Get the children to come back to the front.) Wow. You did it! That was so fast. Lets give these children a clap, way to go. Isn't that amazing. When you spread the good news to just two other people, and each of them spreads it to two other people, (etc.) pretty soon the message has gone out to everybody. That's exactly how God wants us to help change the world.

Children's Prayer: Dear God, we are so thankful that we have heard the wonderful news that Jesus is Alive! Help us to spread that good news so that the whole world knows that Jesus is alive and loves us so much! In Jesus' Name - Amen!

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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.”)

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 - Healed on the Sabbath Day

Short Fun Chidrens sermon - A Crippled Woman is healed on the Sabbath Luke 13:10-17

Children’s Sermon/ Sunday school lesson idea: Bring in a wall calendar and discuss with the children the various chores you do on each day of the week. Include a day of rest. Explain that even though you like to keep to your schedule, any day (even the Sabbath) would be a good day for helping someone who was really in need. Tell the children how Jesus upset some people because he healed a crippled woman on the day of rest.

Object lesson items: A wall calendar or day timer.

Full Kids Sermon:

Good morning Children. Do you know what I have here this morning? Yes. It’s a calendar. See, it has the days of the week written across the top here. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday…Each day of the week has a little square. You might be able to see some of my writing inside some of these little boxes. On the various days of the week I’ve written in the special chores that I need to do for that day. On Monday, I’ve written in the words, “do the laundry today.” On Tuesday it says “take the dog for a walk.” (Continue to discuss the various days of the week.) Now this day here is Sunday – that’s today! It says “Go to church” and it also say “Rest and relax today.”

You might think that there should be a special day for helping people in need. What days of the week should be set aside for helping a person in need or in trouble? (Interact with the children.) Hmmm. The problem with setting aside special days for helping someone in trouble is that we don’t know when that might happen. What if someone needed to be taken to the hospital and we said, “Sorry, this is not my helping day?” That wouldn’t be very kind. Even if someone needed help on my day of rest I think it would be good to help the person.

In our bible reading today from the gospel of Luke there is a story about how Jesus healed a crippled woman on a special day of rest called the Sabbath. Some people were upset at Jesus doing this on the day of rest. But Jesus knew that everyday was a good day for helping people in trouble. Like us, Jesus needed to take time to rest, but he was always ready to help people in need or trouble.

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to be ready to support people in trouble no matter what day of the week it is. Thank you that you are always there for us. In Jesus name – Amen!

Copyright - 2010 Sundaychildrensfocus.com - Andrew Hewlett Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking your web page to this site. Thank you! A.H.

Children's sermon - Jesus turns water into wine

Children’s sermon: Jesus turns the water to wine

John 2:1-11 Epiphany 2 – Wedding at Cana

Children’s sermon/ object lesson idea: Give a paraphrased explanation of Jesus turning the water into wine. While you tell the story place 6 empty glasses (representing the six stone jars) on a bench where the children can see them. For special effect put a drop or two of red food colouring in the bottom of each cup. As you explain how Jesus turned the water into wine pour clear water into the six glasses. The water will instantly turn red. Explain how you did your visual effect with food colouring but explain how Jesus really turned in into wine.

Object lessonitems: six clear glasses, some drops of food colouring placed in the bottom of each cup, a large clear pitcher of clean water.

Children’s Sermon: Good morning children! Today’s bible reading is about a very special day when Jesus turned water into wine. It was a wonderful miracle. This showed Jesus’ wonderful power and also his concern that a wedding celebration would be a success. I’ll tell you what happened and give a little demonstration with these glasses. One day there was a wedding celebration in a place called Cana in Galilee. Jesus, his mother, and the disciples were invited to the wedding. All of a sudden they realized that they had run out of wine. The people of that day considered this to be a terrible, embarrassing mistake. When Jesus found out about this he asked the servants to fill up six jars with water. (Pick up the pitcher of water and fill up the glasses. The food colouring will make the water look like wine.)

When they had finished filling up the jars Jesus asked the servants to take some to the master of the wedding. When the master tasted the water (taste some of the water) he was amazed that it was such good tasting wine. He said that they had obviously saved this best wine until last. Not everyone knew where the wine had come from but the servants did. The disciples also knew that it was Jesus that turned the water into wine. This wonderful miracle helped them to place their trust in Jesus.

Well, that’s what happened on that special day long ago. I’ll show you how I did it. (Explain how you used food colouring.) However, Jesus really did turn the water into wine. It was a great miracle and it showed that Jesus was no ordinary person. He was the son of God!

Children’s Prayer: Dear God. Thank you for this wonderful miracle that Jesus did many years ago. Thank you that even though we can’t see him he is alive and he loves us so very much. Help us to trust in him just like the disciples did. We ask this in Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett - Feel free to use this lesson on Sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider placing a link to this site. Blessings, A.H.

Children's sermon - Show your love to Jesus

Kids object lesson - Give your best to Jesus. / Show you love to Jesus

– Children’s messagefor Sunday Schoolor Children’s church - John 12:1-8

Children’s sermon idea: Explain to the children how Mary and Martha at Bethany showed their love to Jesus by serving him and offering their best. For visual aids have a plate with a meal (representing Martha’s gift to Jesus) and a fancy bottle of perfume (representing Mary’s gift to Jesus). Discuss with the children the fact that each child can show their love for Jesus in their own unique way.

Object lessonitems: A fancy looking bottle of perfume; a tray with a dinner plate and food. (Idea: You could bake a cake and then serve it during coffee hour.)

Full Kids Sermon:

Good morning children! I want to show you some things I brought in this morning that remind us of our bible reading. First of all, look at this cake. It looks pretty tasty doesn’t it? How many of you like chocolate cake? I do too. Well, in our bible reading form John chapter 12 it says that there was a special dinner held in honour of Jesus. The passage says that Martha served the meal. It may of may not have been a cake like this but I’m sure that she was a good cook and wanted to give her very best to Jesus. This story in the bible says that Mary showed her love for Jesus with some very expensive perfume. Look at this beautiful bottle here. It has some wonderful smelling perfume. I’ll take the lid of and let you have a smell. That’s pretty nice isn’t it? The bible says Mary poured this very expensive perfume all over Jesus’ feet and the beautiful fragrance filled the whole room. Some people thought it was a waste of expensive perfume but Jesus new it was Mary’s way of showing how much she loved him. I like that story in the bible because it shows that there are different ways of showing our love for Jesus. Martha showed her love to Jesus by serving a wonderful meal in his honour. Mary showed her love by giving Jesus some very expensive perfume. I want you to think about how you could show your love for Jesus. (Sunday school lesson idea: You might want to discuss the children’s unique gifts, abilities and talents and how they might be used to serve and show love for Jesus.)

- Perhaps you could use your voice to sing a song in church.

- Perhaps you could make some beautiful drawing to honour Jesus.

- You can also show your love for Jesus by helping out others in need.

- Or, you can simply pray to Jesus and his Father and tell them how thankful you are for the great love that they have for you.

There are many different ways of showing our love for Jesus!

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, it’s wonderful to read about how Martha and Mary showed their love to Jesus. Help us to remember that we can give thanks to you and to Jesus in our own special way. 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. A.H.

Children's sermon - that the world would know

Kids sermon - Christian Unity– That the world would know John 17:20-26

“That they would be one”

Children’s sermon idea: Lead the children over to your band, choir or music team. Ask each band member to think of a song and when you say “go” begin to sing or play. It makes a terrible sound. Then ask them all to play a chorus together and let the children here the beautiful sound that comes when they play in unity.

Objects needed: None. You just need some singers or musicians.

Children’s sermon: Good morning children. This morning we have a bible reading from John’s gospel about Unity. Unity is a word that means being together or getting along together as one. Jesus said that if we got along together in peace as one then the rest of the world would know it was because of Jesus and his love. I want to show you what unity is like. Please follow me and we’ll go over to our Sunday morning praise band. Hello Cathy. I want you to think of a song that you like to play and get ready to play it in a minute or two. Frank, I really like your guitar. I want you to think of a song that you like and get ready to play it in a minute. (Continue on asking other members of the choir or band.) Ok. Are you all ready to go! Good. 1, 2. 3, go! (Let them make a terrible sound. Put your fingers in your ears for special effect.) Well children, how did that sound? That’s right. It sounded awful. They were not playing and singing in unity and it was a mess. Now, let’s ask them to play a song together in unity – all working together. Can you play the doxology for us? Great. 1, 2, 3 go! (Enjoy the beautiful sound.) How did that sound children? That’s right. It was much better. They all agreed to work together in unity and play the same song. Children, that reminds me how Christians are supposed to be when they are gathered together. They are supposed to work together in love. When they do live that way it is like a beautiful song that helps other people believe in the power and life of Jesus. However, when we only care about doing what we want to do there is no unity and it’s like a terrible noise. When that happens other people can’t see the love of Jesus at all.

Children’s prayer: Lord God, thank you for our praise team that plays in unity and makes such beautiful music. Help all of us in this church to live together and get along together in unity and love. In that way others will notice and realize that it must be because of Jesus. In his name – Amen!

Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com 2010 Andrew Hewlett - Feel free to use this kids sermon on at your Sunday morning service but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thank you. A.H.

Children's sermon - The Baptism of Jesus

Short Children's Drama on The Baptism of Jesus

Baptism of Jesus

Children’s Church idea: Spontaneous children’s drama of the baptism of Jesus. Assign roles to the children and then paraphrase the baptism events in a short narrative while the children do the acting. John baptizes Jesus. As “Jesus” comes out of the water the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove. Then a voice from heaven says “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Objects needed: Blue blanket (for water), Dove (cut out of paper) Rolled up paper cone (For affirming voice of the father)

Full Children’s drama: Good morning children. Today our bible reading is about Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist and I’m going to get you to help me show the congregation just what happened on that day. First of all, I need two people to hold up this blue blanket. We’ll pretend this is the water of the Jordan River. Thanks. Hold up the blanket at the corners like this. (Get the children to hold it about 3 feet up in the air.) Now I need someone to be Jesus. Great. I’ll have you stand behind the “water.” Now I need someone to be John the Baptist. Thank you. I’ll get you to stand next to Jesus with your hand on his shoulder as if you are getting ready to baptize him. Next, I need someone to hold this Dove up in the air above Jesus. Thank you. I’ll get you to stand on this chair to give you a little height. I just need one more person to help me. I need someone to be the voice of God the Father saying, “This is my son with whom I am well please.” Thank you. Take this paper tube and speak through it. It will make your voice sound deep and strong. You can stand back over here. OK. I think we are ready for a short practice run. Let’s have John the Baptist lower Jesus into the water and them come up again. When you come up out of the water you can put your hands in the air like you are praying. That looks good. Now, as Jesus comes up out of the water we need the Holy Spirit dove to come down to Jesus. Yes. Just like that. After that there was the voice of the Father saying, “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Let here those words. Wow. That sounded pretty powerful!

Let’s put it all together now.

(Read out a short paraphrase of the event slowly.) “When all the other people had been baptized Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (You may need to give a nod to your actors.) When Jesus came out of the water the Holy Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove. Then a voice came from heaven affirming Jesus…” So that is what happened on that day. Let’s give these children a round of applause for being such good actors.

Lead the Children in Prayer:Thank you God for sending Jesus. Though it seems like he wouldn’t need to be baptized he loved us so much he wanted to (identify with our humanity) join with us in baptism. Thank you also for so powerfully sending the Holy Spirit to be upon him and that you can fill us with that same Holy Spirit today. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

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

Children's sermon - the Lord's Prayer

Children’s sermon: the Lord’s Prayer Luke 11:1-13 Lord, teach us to pray.

Kids Sermon idea: (or Introduction to a Sunday School lesson) Lead the children around to various members of your congregation and ask them to teach you how to do some task. Point out individuals (You need to know their trade or vocation.) suggesting that they could teach us what they know. Who would be the best person to teach about prayer? Explain how the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Pray the Lord’s Prayer together and tell them that Jesus can help teach us to pray.

Preparation: Be aware of members of the congregation you can visit or point out. Pick individuals / vocations that will be understandable to children. (I.e. Cook, painter, carpenter, etc.) It’s also very helpful to use a roving microphone.

Children’s sermon: Good morning children! When you are growing up we need people to teach us how to do things. I can remember asking my mother, “Mom, please teach me how to tie my shoe laces.” Then she took the time to teach me how to do that. (Go into the congregation with a wireless microphone.) If we wanted to learn how to bake a cake we might go over here (lead the children) to Mrs. Graham who works at a bakery. We could say, “Mrs. Graham, please teach us how to bake a cake.” If we wanted to know how to paint a house we could go over here to Mr. Jacobs and say, “please teach us how to paint.” Or, we could chat with Mrs. Grace and ask if she would teach us how to speak Spanish. What if we wanted to learn how to pray? Who would we ask to teach us how to pray? Well yes, there are a lot of people here this morning that might be able to teach us to pray. But I think it would also be to learn from Jesus. In our bible reading today we are told that the disciples wanted to learn how to pray. They went to Jesus and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus then taught them a simple prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer. It’s a prayer that includes important things like giving thanks, asking forgiveness, and asking God our Father to help us live the way He wants us to live. Let’s pray that prayer together now. (Lead the children in praying the Lord’s Prayer.)

We can pray that same Lord’s Prayer but we can also ask Jesus to teach us to pray. If we ask him I’m sure he will help us.

Children’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, we know that your son Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. We pray that you, your son Jesus and the Holy Spirit will help teach us to pray too. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright 2010 Andrew Hewlett Sundaychildrensfocus.com Feel free to use this story during a Sunday morning service but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider placing a link to this site. A.H.

Children's sermon for Halloween - Don't be afraid

Lectionary

Children’s sermon for Halloween – Fear not: I am with you always (Isaiah 41:10 / Matthew 28)

(Note: Christians have different convictions regarding Halloween. Adapt this kids sermon to you own church fellowship)

Basic plan: Explain to the children that when you were young you went outside in the dark at Halloween and held your parent’s hands. You didn’t need to be afraid because they were always with you. Explain how God is always with us and we need not fear if we know we are close to him. Dramatize this by taking a child by the hand and walk past some of the children as they make scarry faces.

halloween fear not

Children sermon / interactive Sunday School lesson: Good morning children! Do you know what time of year it is? Yes, that’s right. It’s Halloween. (It’s also a time many churches celebrate the great saints of God down through the ages.)

Sometimes Halloween can seem like scary time. Some people dress up as ghosts, monsters and all kinds of evil looking creatures. When I was very young, I went outside at Halloween with my mother and saw some frightening things! But I wasn’t really that afraid because I held my mother’s hand and I knew she was right their beside me.

I will show you what it was like. Betty, will you come here and hold my hand. Now, let’s have the other kids make a scary face! (Holding the young child, walk past the children making faces.) Now Betty, was that really scary? (Most likely they will be laughing.) No? That’s good. There was no need to be afraid because I’m right here with you holding your hand.

I want you all to know that there are many places in the bible where God says he is with us always, so we don’t need to be afraid. Jesus also said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28). Although we can’t see God holding our hand, the Bible says he is right beside us. He is just like a parent holding us close. So, even at Halloween we don’t need to be afraid – God is with us!

Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you that you are with us always. When we are afraid help us to remember you are right beside us. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com 2021 Feel free to use this at your own church. Please “Like” us on social media or link to this site. Blessings, Pastor Andrew

Children's sermon Lazarus come out!

Sundaychildrensfocus - Childrens Biblical Lesson: John 11:1-45 Lazarus come out - wake up

Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead

Kids sermon idea: Explain how Jesus had the power to wake up even the dead. Demonstrate different ways of waking up people; alarm clock, clapping hands, singing, banging pots and pans, etc. We can wake up people when they are sound asleep but with the command of his voice Jesus can wake up the dead. (Explain this or act it out with a volunteer “Lazarus.”)

Object lesson props: Various noise makers: alarm clock, bell, rolled up paper megaphone, pots and pans etc.

Children’s sermon: Good morning children! Do you find it easy to wake up in the morning? Hmmm. Well, some people wake up easily and others find it hard to wake up. I have some different ways of waking people up. Many people use an alarm clock like this. Listen to the ring. That would wake up some people. Other people wake up when the birds sing outside. Can you make the sound of a bird chirping? That’s good. There are other people who sleep very soundly. They need to be woken up with something like this. (Bang the pots and pan lids.) We can wake up just about anyone if we make enough noise. However, no matter how much noise we make I don’t think we could wake up someone who had died. That would be impossible. But did you know there is someone who can even wake up the dead. His name is Jesus. In chapter 11 of John’s gospel we can read about how Jesus’ friend Lazarus died. By the time Jesus got to his house he had already been dead four days. Of course, no one else could bring him back to life. But Jesus called out, “Lazarus come out!” Let’s call that out loudly together, “Lazarus come out.” Immediately Lazarus came back to life from the dead. That’s amazing that Jesus has power to raise people from the dead.

Children’s Prayer: Dear God. Thank you the Jesus has the power to wake up people from the dead. Help us to follow him and trust that nothing can separate us from his love and power. In Jesus’ name – Amen.

Copyright 2020 Andrew Hewlett (Sunday Children's Focus) feel free to use this 5 minutes children's sermon but please "Like" this on facebook (see link top of main page) and link to this web site. Blessings, A.H.

Children's sermon Mary and Martha

Mary and Martha(Luke 10:38-42)– Spending time with Jesus

Kids talk Mary and Martha

Children’s sermon idea: Place a chair up front and ask the children to imagine that Jesus came in person to visit. Lead the children off to the side and explain all the wonderful things you could cook and prepare for Jesus. (Have kitchen items there: egg beaters, mixing bowls, etc.) Then explain that it might be even more important to just sit and be with Jesus. Lead the children back to the chair and all sit down at the feet of Jesus. Tell them the biblical account of Mary and Martha and then lead the children in prayer.

Object lesson items: A chair, some cooking implements,

(Optional: Have “robe” that you can place on one of the children in order to be Jesus.)

Full Children’s Lesson.

Good morning children. This morning I want you to imagine what we would do if Jesus actually came and sat right down in this chair. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! Think of all the things we could do for him. Follow me over here to the side to this little table. Look at these cooking tools. We could make Jesus and wonderful cake. We could mix up the eggs with this egg beater…(continue to interact with the children.) Well, this is a lot of fun but I think something is wrong. We would have left Jesus all alone in that chair. Let’s go back and sit down around this chair. (Lead the children back to the chair and sit down “at the feet of Jesus.” There, I think that’s better. It’s wonderful to do things for Jesus but I think it is even more important to just spend time with him. There is a story in Luke’s gospel about two women named Mary and Martha. Jesus came to visit and Mary sat at Jesus’ feet talking to him. Her sister Martha spent time running around preparing things for dinner. She was so busy she hardly had time to talk to Jesus. Jesus said that it was Mary who was doing the most important thing at that moment. Mary wanted to just spend time with Jesus and Jesus wanted to spend time with Mary. It was certainly nice that Martha was doing all that work preparing dinner but Jesus wanted to spend time with her too. It’s good for us do things for Jesus but sometimes it’s more important to just sit quietly and remember that he is with us and loves us. We can’t see Jesus but he promised us that he is with us wherever we go. When we read the bible it’s a bit like spending time with Jesus because the bible is God’s word or message. Praying is also like spending time with Jesus. When we pray, God the Father and his son Jesus really do listen to us. They really do love us and care for us. They can also speak to us through the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray:

Children’s Prayer: Dear God. We really do want to do many things for you. But help us not to get so busy we forget to spend time with you and forget to enjoy the wonderful love you have for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

jesus