Childrens Sermon Service

During our sermon time we discussed the lesson for today using dot-to-dot image. It's hard sometimes to see something large unless you examine different parts and begin to connect them together. Today, Jesus tells not one, but five parables to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like. Both because the idea of the kingdom is so complicated and because it's unlike anything we've ever known, it's impossible for us to grasp fully it. So, Jesus gives his listeners five separate images to pull apart.

Read the passage from Matthew with the children and examine each parable that Jesus tells:


o The kingdom of heaven is like a tiny seed that eventually grows into the greatest of trees.

Parents and Teachers: Here are two games geared to different age groups.

Going Fishing

To very young children, tell the story about the net thrown into the sea. Take a rug or blanket. Place it on the floor or outside on the grass. This will be your fishing boat. Begin this game by placing one student in the boat as the person fishing. The other students will swim outside the boat. Give a short rope or string (hands will also do) to the person in the boat. One by one, as the fish swim by the rope, they are caught and come on board. The other fish continue to swim around the boat until they are all on board. Tell the students that the goal is to get on board, not to remain in the sea. As they come on board, they enter God's kingdom.

Good morning, boys and girls. You've probably heard stories about people looking for buried treasure. When the treasure was found, sometimes there were gold coins and jewels. This morning I want to talk about a buried treasure that is different than the kind you are used to hearing about. What can you tell me about this treasure map? (Show your map and let them answer.) My treasure map shows the outline of a person. The treasure on this map is found in the person's heart.

The treasure in this map is God's kingdom. When found, it gives you God's love. This is the same thing as finding a hidden treasure.

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you love to watch television? (Let them answer.) How many of you think you watch it too much? (Let them answer.) I watch it too much, also. I watch it so much that I even brought a set to church with me. There is something on soon that I just have to watch. Do your parents ever tell you that you watch too much television? (Let them answer.) I thought so. When we watch too much television, it is called a weakness. I have a weakness for television. Some people have other weaknesses. Some people talk too much. Others eat too much. Others spend money too often. All those things are weaknesses.

Teachers or Parents: Jesus used many similes -- especially about those intangible things we cannot see -- such as the kingdom of heaven. The teller of the children's sermon may choose any or all of the similes Jesus uses in today's Gospel lesson. All seek to explain that which is best explained by object lessons or similes.

*If you planted a small bed of flowers at church last Sunday (or have an established bed going), point out how small the seeds were compared to the mature plants. Trees make wonderful object lessons. An acorn from an oak or a seed from a maple can show the dramatic difference seasons of growth make.

Jesus often used object lessons like we do here this morning. He told about the kingdom of heaven and compared it to a small seed. (Show the small seed. [Perhaps you can take a mustard seed used for flavoring and paste it on a 3x5 card using clear tape.]) How is the kingdom of heaven like a small seed? (Let them answer.) Like a small seed, the kingdom of heaven begins in small ways and then becomes quite large. Coming to Sunday school and worship, having family and personal devotions, Bible reading, and other things are small ways the kingdom of heaven begins.

Good morning! Who can tell me what this is? (Let them answer.) It is a puzzle piece, but that is not what I have in mind. I want you to tell me what the puzzle is about. What is it a picture of? (Let them answer.) You are correct, you cannot tell what it is a picture of because we don't have enough pieces of the puzzle put together to tell. Here is what the box tells me the picture will look like when the puzzle is completed. (Show them the box with the puzzle's picture on it.) Now we know.

Teachers or Parents: Jesus gave many illustrations about the
"kingdom of Heaven" and he always spoke of the kingdom here on
earth. We should be instilling in our children the concepts that
he taught about this kingdom. They should see that the kingdom is
made up of all believers. In the "visible kingdom," the church,
there will always be hypocrites and unbelievers who for reasons
of their own pretend to be members, but in the end God knows the
hearts of all and He will separate the good from the bad. Today's
Gospel reading speaks to that final separation.

*Fill a bowl with metallic and plastic items, preferably
with items that look alike. Explain to the children that these

Good morning! I want to ask you a question this morning.
What's it like in Heaven? Are there trees and grass and lakes and
rivers? What do you think it is like? (Let two or three answer
and tell what they think Heaven is like.) The truth is we really
don't know what it's like in Heaven, but we do know it will be
really wonderful. It will be so beautiful and so wonderful that
there is no way for us to describe it.

However, when Jesus was on earth, He talked a lot about the
"kingdom of Heaven" right here on earth. He wasn't talking about
the Heaven that we all go to when we die. He was talking about
the invisible kingdom of Heaven that is right here around us

Good morning! How many of you were here in church last
Sunday? (Let them answer.) Those who were here last Sunday saw me
here, but did any of you see me during the week? (Let them
answer.) So if I don't see you for some reason during the week,
we are separated from one Sunday to the next. Of course, if there
was some reason you needed to see me, you could call and I would
come to see you. But, if I were to move away for some reason,
perhaps to serve in another church in another state, or if I
should die, we might be separated for a very long time, right?
(Let them answer.)

All of our relationships with other people can be ended even
though we don't want them to be. Let me show you a way to

Hello again! (hold up the poster) Have any of you ever drawn dot-to-dot pictures? They're fun. If it's an easy picture I can figure out what it's going to look like even before I connect the dots. Some pictures, though, like the one I have today, are much harder to see. In order to see the picture we need to look at the dots and carefully connect them together. It's only when all the dots are connected that we can begin to understand what the picture really looks like. (have the children help connect the dots on your poster) Now we have a complete picture.

Welcome back! Today we're going to talk about how close to us God is. Can anyone tell me? Can you think of a way to describe how close to us God is? (listen to their ideas) It's not easy, is it? God is closer to us than a person standing next to us. God is closer than the clothes we wear. God is even closer to us than the air we breathe. What could be closer than that?

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you know what Jesus looked like? (Let them answer.) We have many paintings and drawings of Jesus created by artists. However, we really don't know what Jesus looked like. No one drew his picture while he was on earth. Instead, we have pictures of what we think he looked like. I have something very special to show you this morning. I brought along something that shows the image of Jesus today. Each of you take a look and see if you agree with me. (Hold out the mirror and let the children see their own images in it.) Tell me what you saw. (Let them answer.) Do you think each of you is an image of what Jesus looks like today? (Let them answer.)

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever been lost in a store from your mom or dad? (let them answer) Not a very good feeling, is it? You know they are searching for you and you are searching for them but you just can't find one another.

Have you ever played "hide and seek"? (let them answer) You are supposed to go somewhere and hide where no one can find you, but sometimes it seems like they will never find you. You are all by yourself and separated from your friends.

Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever been shopping with someone? (let them answer) Some people spend a long time looking at all the choices. Maybe they can't find exactly what they want, so they don't buy anything that day. But when they do find something that is just right, they can be filled with such happiness. Jesus told a story about something that fills people with happiness once they find it.

Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is the best place God ever created. It is filled with love to begin with and everyone in it is filled with love. Secondly, it is a place of no trouble. It is also a very beautiful place where everyone is healthy and without worry.

Materials:
A variety of different colors of beads (make sure that there are lots of colors for the children to choose from)
Artificial pearls
Letter beads, enough to spell out "I Love Jesus" for each child (the "Love" can be a bead with a heart on it)
Memory wire from a craft store
Needle-nose pliers
Wire cutters
Pieces of cloth or felt to lay out each design before putting them onto the wire

Directions:
1.
Give each child the beads that spell "I Love Jesus" to make sure that all can include that in their necklace or bracelet.
2.

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field. (Matthew 13:31)

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever visited the kingdom of heaven? (let them answer) Where is the kingdom of heaven? (let them answer) None of you have ever been there, but I suppose all of you want to go there some day, don't you? (let them answer)

Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven. He said that the kingdom of heaven was like a mustard seed. (show them a very small seed) This is a very small seed, but when the plant grows from the seed it is big enough for even big birds to make a nest in the branches. That is pretty big.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Romans 8:35)

Good morning, boys and girls. Do you feel close to Jesus? (let them answer) When you are in church, can you feel Jesus all around you? (let them answer) Do you feel close to Jesus when you go home from church? (let them answer) When you go to school, or take a ride in your car, or shop in a store, do you feel close to Jesus? (let them answer)

Object: A blank piece of poster paper, markers, and the attached list of numbers. See the note on the list of numbers for more details. An option is to also have a few mustard seeds to show the children.

NOTE: As mentioned in the notes on the attached page, when you come to putting the numbers on paper for the children to see, you can adapt how you do that to best fit the age and attention span of your children.

* * *

“He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (v. 33)

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree... (v. 31b, 32a)

Good morning girls and boys,

I have a couple of surprises for you this morning. But first, have you ever been surprised? (children answer) Have you been surprised lately? Tell about it. (kids share)

Have you ever attended a surprise birthday party for someone? Or received an unexpected gift? What fun!

The Point: Jesus wants us to know what the kingdom of heaven is like.

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


Materials:
Paper
Pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers
Scissors


Directions:
1. Have the children draw a "treasure map" that shows where their treasure is -- in heaven.

2. Encourage them to write or draw things that represent their faith or their journey through life on the map.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (vv. 38-39)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today, I need a volunteer. (choose a volunteer) I need you to take one end of this rope. I'll take the other end. Now, walk as far away from me as you can without letting go of this rope.

How far can (s/he) go? (allow answers) Not very far!

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (vv. 45-46)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today our gospel lesson talks about the kingdom of heaven. What do you think the kingdom of heaven is like? (allow answers)

In the gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a lot of different things. One of the things he says is this: "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."

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

Materials:
Bowl
Spoon
1/3 cup wheat flour
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons water
Scissors
3 cups rose petals
Round toothpicks
Thin jewelry wire or other string material

Directions:
1. Have a few children mix the flour, salt, and water in a bowl until it makes a stiff dough.

2. While they are mixing, have some of the other children cut the rose petals into tiny pieces, and then crush them by rolling them between their palms.

3. Slowly, mix as many rose petals as possible into the dough until it is a stiff, but not crumbly texture.