Childrens Sermon Service

There are many things in faith that only make sense if we understand the connection. Things like loving one another is the same as loving God, or God’s voice may come to us through the physical voice of a parent or close friend. Making connections in faith is important.

In these verses before Jesus’ death we see the connection between God and Jesus pulled tightly together. Jesus is clear that to accept him means accepting God. Kids may wonder from time to time why Jesus is so important in the story of God. We talk about the Trinity, but do we check in with the kids often enough to make sure they are making the connections that need to be made. We can all acknowledge the Trinity is tricky and taking extra time to plant the seeds of understanding will make faith easier for our children. These verses show why Jesus is important to us. Jesus is God. We love and follow Jesus because we love and follow God. This connection can also help kids start to understand how loving each other is also loving God.

This lesson will work online for livestream services too. As a demonstration, you will show how one can not put their pinky finger down without their ring finger following. To do this hold your hands in front of you like you are going to pray with your palms facing each other. Then move your hands apart from one another so you have room to bend your fingers down. Practice by slowly bending your pinky down to touch your palm. Do not use your other hand to help. Only move your pinky down with the muscles on one hand. You will notice how your ring finger follows closely behind. When you demonstrate this for the kids do this a few times and encourage them to try too.

In the message say something like:

Have you ever noticed how your pinky finger and your ring finger often move together? Look at this (do the demonstration, slowly bending your pinky down and letting your ring finger follow naturally. Encourage the kids to try too. Remind them they can’t use their other hand to help, they can only do this using one hand.) That happens because the ligaments that move our pinky finger and our ring finger are connected. That must be a really strong connection to make our ring finger move even when we aren’t trying to move it.

In today’s lesson Jesus talks about another connection. He tells the disciples that if they love Jesus then they also love God because Jesus and God are so tightly connected, they are the same. What an amazing thing! We all have close relationships with family or friends but no matter how close we are to these people Jesus and God are even closer. They are the same being, Jesus is God, and God is Jesus. That may sound funny to our brains but that is what the Bible tells us about Jesus. The Bible talks about God in three ways as a creator, as Jesus, and as the Holy Spirit. It might sound less funny to say God is a Trinity. God is three things in one thing. If it still sounds funny that is okay, lots of adults are still learning about the Trinity.

What I want you to hear though is that in faith there are lots of connections.” Jesus is God” is one connection that is important. Another connection is that when we love each other we are also loving God. That might sound funny at first too. How can loving this person over here be the same as loving God over there? Well it’s like our fingers! They are so closely connected that when we make do one the other action follows. When we love other people the loving God part follows closely behind. We don’t even have to work harder to make it happen, it just happens.

I am very thankful that by loving people here I am also loving God. Let’s say a prayer to help us remember these connections.

Trinity God, we may not always understand you 100% but we can understand that love is important. Help us show more love to the people around us, and by doing so show our love to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.