Bearing fruit
Children's sermon
Object:
an apple
"Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God." (v. 6b)
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you like apples? (allow answers) Today we're going to talk about a person who has a lot to do with apples. His name is Johnny Appleseed. Have you heard of Johnny Appleseed? (allow answers) What can you tell me about Johnny Appleseed? (allow answers) Johnny Appleseed lived about 200 years ago. He lived when states like Ohio and Indiana were the "new frontier." People in these states lived in log cabins and had to work very hard to make a living. They were farmers and grew crops like wheat and corn.
Johnny Appleseed knew that these settlers would like fruit. After all, fruit is good for you! Johnny Appleseed set off across the Midwest to bring apples to everyone! He planted apple trees wherever he went. This was better than handing out apples. Do you know why? (allow answers) If Johnny Appleseed had walked around handing out apples, that would have been nice -- they would have had some fruit to eat for that day. But Johnny didn't just want to feed the settlers for one day. He wanted them to have apples for a long time. So he planted trees.
When you plant a tree, you have to wait for it to grow. Sometimes it takes years! But in the end, you will have a plant that bears fruit -- in this case, apples -- for decades. It's worth the wait. Johnny Appleseed knew that if he planted apple seeds now, in a few years the settlers would have all the apples they could dream of!
Our second reading talks about sharing the word of God with others. It compares sharing God's word to growing and bearing fruit. When we share God's word, we are like Johnny Appleseed. We are planting seeds of love. It might take people some time to understand and accept God's word, but we can patiently wait. It's like the settlers of Ohio and Indiana waiting for apple trees to grow! The wait might have seemed long, but once the tree was grown up, they would reap the benefits for the rest of their lives. Like apple trees, we bear fruits of the spirit once we understand God's love. What do you think the fruits of the spirit are? (allow answers) They are things like kindness, patience, thankfulness, joy, peace, and love. The fruits of the spirit are the way we act when we know God loves us and we are trying to show God's love to everyone. Just as Johnny Appleseed shared his fruit with the settlers, we can share our fruit -- God's love -- with everyone we meet. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you like apples? (allow answers) Today we're going to talk about a person who has a lot to do with apples. His name is Johnny Appleseed. Have you heard of Johnny Appleseed? (allow answers) What can you tell me about Johnny Appleseed? (allow answers) Johnny Appleseed lived about 200 years ago. He lived when states like Ohio and Indiana were the "new frontier." People in these states lived in log cabins and had to work very hard to make a living. They were farmers and grew crops like wheat and corn.
Johnny Appleseed knew that these settlers would like fruit. After all, fruit is good for you! Johnny Appleseed set off across the Midwest to bring apples to everyone! He planted apple trees wherever he went. This was better than handing out apples. Do you know why? (allow answers) If Johnny Appleseed had walked around handing out apples, that would have been nice -- they would have had some fruit to eat for that day. But Johnny didn't just want to feed the settlers for one day. He wanted them to have apples for a long time. So he planted trees.
When you plant a tree, you have to wait for it to grow. Sometimes it takes years! But in the end, you will have a plant that bears fruit -- in this case, apples -- for decades. It's worth the wait. Johnny Appleseed knew that if he planted apple seeds now, in a few years the settlers would have all the apples they could dream of!
Our second reading talks about sharing the word of God with others. It compares sharing God's word to growing and bearing fruit. When we share God's word, we are like Johnny Appleseed. We are planting seeds of love. It might take people some time to understand and accept God's word, but we can patiently wait. It's like the settlers of Ohio and Indiana waiting for apple trees to grow! The wait might have seemed long, but once the tree was grown up, they would reap the benefits for the rest of their lives. Like apple trees, we bear fruits of the spirit once we understand God's love. What do you think the fruits of the spirit are? (allow answers) They are things like kindness, patience, thankfulness, joy, peace, and love. The fruits of the spirit are the way we act when we know God loves us and we are trying to show God's love to everyone. Just as Johnny Appleseed shared his fruit with the settlers, we can share our fruit -- God's love -- with everyone we meet. Amen.
