Childrens Sermon Service

Teachers: The parable of the three servants can be retold with your students acting it out. Tell the students the story. You need parts for the three servants and one master. Scenes could include:

1 Master announcing that he is going on a journey. Before he goes he gives each servant a different amount of money.

2 The master leaves. The first servant goes and works to double his money. The second servant goes and works to double his money. The third servant is afraid. He buries his money.

3 The master returns. He asks each servant what became of the money. The first and second servant return a double amount. The third gives only what was given to him.

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have a wagon? (Let them answer.) I brought our family wagon in this morning. I want to tell you a story about three wagons and three grandchildren. Two of the grandchildren do the right thing with their wagons. One grandchild does the wrong thing. See if you can decide which two do the right thing.

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you know how to write your name? (Hold up the pencil and paper and let them answer.) For those who can write their names, do you remember when you learned to do it and how someone encouraged you to keep working at it?

This morning I'm going to tell you a story about a little girl about your age who was always encouraging people. That means she was always saying nice things to help someone. Those nice things helped that person to feel better or to work harder.

Teachers or Parents: One is never too young to learn faithful stewardship practices. It is never too early to teach children the concept that everything is God's and we are caretakers of the gifts God gives us. Even the concept of the tithe and first fruits giving are incorporated in this children's sermon.

*There are some excellent board games on stewardship practices. Check your church library or talk to your pastor about these. Several fraternal insurance companies make such games available at low or no charge.

*Set up your own board game using play money.

*Invite the stewardship chair of your congregation to speak to your children about stewardship.

Good morning, boys and girls. It is so good to be together. Today we are going to do something really special. We are going to encourage each other. How many of you know what I mean when I say we are going to be encouraged? (let them answer) We are going to make each other feel better about ourselves than we did before we got here. How many of you would like to be encouraged? (let them answer) Great!

Please stand up and form a circle with me. Wonderful! Now we are going to look to the person who is standing beside us and give them a big smile. We will go all around the circle and we will start with me. (look to the person at your right side and give him/her a big smile) Terrific, you did a great job of smiling.

Good morning! I brought with me this morning something that is very pretty to look at and also very good to eat. What do you call this piece of fruit? (let them answer) That's right; this is an apple. We use apples in a lot of different ways. How many of you have ever eaten applesauce? (let them answer) How many of you have ever eaten a piece of apple pie? (let them answer) How many of you have ever drunk apple cider? (let them answer) How many of you have ever eaten apple butter? How many have ever eaten baked apples or apple strudel cake? Do you ever just eat an apple like this? (take a bite) Wonderful!

Materials
1 cup ground cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup white school glue (optional)
Waxed paper
Mixing bowl and mixing spoon
Rolling pin
Apple-shaped cookie cutters
Spatula
Optional -- Curling ribbon

Instructions
1. Let's make some apple cinnamon apple ornaments to help you remember all of God's wonderful gifts.

2. Add the cinnamon to the applesauce and mix until it has a clay-like consistency. If necessary, add glue for additional thickness.

3. Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness.

4. Use apple-shaped cookie cutters to cut. Move shapes to waxed paper to dry.

Good morning! I brought something good for you this morning.
(Show the candy.) Would all of you like to have some of this?
(Let them answer.) Here's all you have to do to get some. I'm
going to put the candy over here (take it several feet away from
where they are). Now if one of you can reach the candy without
moving your feet from where you are sitting/standing, all of you
can have some. (Let them, without success, attempt to reach it.)

Okay, it's obvious that nobody can reach that far. Suppose I
make it easier by doing this. If one of you can reach the candy
without losing contact with the others, do you think you could do
it? (Let them answer.) Yes, by holding hands we can send someone

Good morning! Can anyone tell me what this is? (Show the
dollar and let them answer.) Yes, it is a dollar bill. Now, if I
take this dollar bill, hide it under my mattress, and leave it
there for ten years, how much will it be worth at the end of ten
years? (Let them answer.) It will only be worth whatever a dollar
will buy ten years from now. That will probably be a lot less
than it is worth right now. What could I do with the dollar that
would make it be worth more than it is right now? (Let them
answer.) Yes, I could put it in the bank or invest it in some way
so that it will grow and get bigger. That would certainly be
better than hiding it under my mattress.

Teachers or Parents: How early can we begin to teach
children good stewardship principles? The answer is as soon as
they can comprehend the difference between what is good and bad -
- very early! This Gospel text gives us a good chance to
emphasize the stewardship principle of using what God has given
us in the best way possible.

* Play a game where each child is given the same amount of
tokens and the object is to finish with the greatest number of
tokens within a certain time period. Each takes a turn by
throwing dice or a single die. If they get an even number, they
gain one token. If they get an odd number, they lose one token.
If they want, they can skip their turn and remain stationary with

Good morning! This morning I want to retell a story Jesus once told to teach us the importance of being faithful users of what God gives us. A boy named Freddy Faithful got ten dollars as a gift. He wanted to use his money very wisely so the first thing he did was set one dollar aside to give to church that next Sunday. This, the first dollar, he wanted to go to God. Then he took the second dollar and put it aside in his savings. This dollar was for a new bicycle he wanted to purchase someday. That only left him with eight dollars to spend -- not ten. But Freddy Faithful was happy. A girl named Suzy Cents also got ten dollars as a gift. She gave fifty cents to church to honor God and spent the nine and one-half dollars left on a CD for herself.

How many of you like to play with building blocks? (Let them answer.) I always enjoy building things and it looks like many of you like to build as well. All through life people like to build things. That is why so many buildings get built. Some people build careers. Others build the community where they live. Churches are built by people. Today, however, I want to talk about building something that most of us might not think about. I want to talk about building people.

Now God makes people, and God makes us grow and learn. But we all help add to each other or take away from each other. We can help build people or we can tear people down.

Object: Create fifteen (15) small bags by tying the tops of little pieces of cloth with a piece of string or yarn. Stuff them with a bit of cloth or paper to make them look full. For the roleplay, have each child say the words their characters speak as you come to them.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

(Pick your rich man and your three servants and have them stand.)

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. (vv 14-18)

“well done, good and trustworthy slave...” (v. 23b)

Good morning boys and girls,

Thanks for joining me today.  I love it when you come with happy eager faces to listen to God's word.

Did you know that God created you beautiful? God did. God created you and me beautiful in God's image. And one thing that being created in God's image means is that God placed one or more precious jewels inside of you. We call them gifts and talents.

The Point: God gives us the time and talents to support his kingdom.

The Lesson: Good morning, girls and boys. Thank you for joining me as we learn what Jesus wants to teach us.

Do you know that you have been given a wonderful gift? (get responses) It is the gift of time. My watch helps me to know what time it is. How we use our gift of time is important. Some of your time will be used to sleep and to eat. Some of your time will be used to learn in school and to play outside. Some of your time will be used to go to church and to say your prayers at night. Some of your time will be used to help others and to grow up. Some of your time will be used to play games and to work cleaning your room.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME
AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME


Materials:
Construction paper
Colored pencils, markers, crayons
Stickers
Scissors
Tape/glue
One can/jar for each child


Directions:
1. Each child will make a coin bank. Make sure each can, jar, or container has a lid. Before class, cut coin-sized holes in each lid.

2. Have the children select a jar or container they want to decorate and give each child a piece of construction paper. Help them cut the paper to size so that it will wrap around the container.

3. Have the children decorate the paper. Help them tape or glue it around their jar or container.

His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." (v. 21)

Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. (v. 11)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have played with Legos before? (allow answers) What do you do with Legos? (allow answers) When we play with Legos, we use them to build things. What kinds of things have you built with Legos? (allow answers) We can build all kinds of things! Boats, cars, houses, elephants: anything we can think of.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Cleaned plastic containers (margarine or Cool Whip) with lids*
Wrapping paper
Ribbons, stickers, other decorating material
Glue

Directions:

1. Have each of the children to decorate his or her container as they desire.

2. Tell the children these containers will be their offering jars, to be kept in their rooms to put their spare change in during the week. The coins they put into their containers can be brought to church each Sunday for offering.

*Have someone cut the slots in the container lids before class begins.

You have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. (v. 23b)

Object: a $5 bill

Put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. (v. 8b)