Be ready!
Children's sermon
Object:
a life jacket or a picture of one
Good morning! Have any of you ever traveled on a big ship?
(Let them answer.) Well, if you do travel on a big ship, you will
have to learn how to put on one of these. (Show the life jacket
or picture.) As soon as the ship leaves port, they get all the
passengers together and show them how to put on a life jacket and
where they are to go if the ship starts to sink. They don't
expect the ship to sink, but they want everyone to be ready just
in case it does.
Now, if you were on that ship, what would you do with your
life jacket when you went to bed? Would you stuff it away in a
closet or would you keep it near your bed in case the ship began
to sink? (Let them answer.) Yes, of course, you would keep it
close so in case it is needed you would be ready.
Jesus tells us that we also need to be ready when he
returns. We don't know when he is coming, just as we don't know
when the ship might sink, but we need to keep our spiritual life
jacket close so that we can grab it if he shows up tonight. Do
you know what your spiritual life jacket is? (Let them answer.)
Our spiritual life jacket is faith. Everyone who believes in
Jesus as their Savior has a spiritual life jacket. Do all of you
believe in Jesus? (Let them answer.) Good! So you all have a
spiritual life jacket.
Dear Jesus: We thank you so much for giving us the spiritual life
jacket of faith. Help us to keep it always. Amen.
(Let them answer.) Well, if you do travel on a big ship, you will
have to learn how to put on one of these. (Show the life jacket
or picture.) As soon as the ship leaves port, they get all the
passengers together and show them how to put on a life jacket and
where they are to go if the ship starts to sink. They don't
expect the ship to sink, but they want everyone to be ready just
in case it does.
Now, if you were on that ship, what would you do with your
life jacket when you went to bed? Would you stuff it away in a
closet or would you keep it near your bed in case the ship began
to sink? (Let them answer.) Yes, of course, you would keep it
close so in case it is needed you would be ready.
Jesus tells us that we also need to be ready when he
returns. We don't know when he is coming, just as we don't know
when the ship might sink, but we need to keep our spiritual life
jacket close so that we can grab it if he shows up tonight. Do
you know what your spiritual life jacket is? (Let them answer.)
Our spiritual life jacket is faith. Everyone who believes in
Jesus as their Savior has a spiritual life jacket. Do all of you
believe in Jesus? (Let them answer.) Good! So you all have a
spiritual life jacket.
Dear Jesus: We thank you so much for giving us the spiritual life
jacket of faith. Help us to keep it always. Amen.
