The cornerstone
Children's sermon
Object:
a tower built with Jenga/tumbling tower blocks
The stone that builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (v. 42b)
Good morning, boys and girls! Do you know what this is? (point to tower; allow answers) It's a game called Jenga. The point of this game is to take turns removing blocks from the tower until it falls down, like this. If it falls down on your turn, you're out! (while speaking, begin remove blocks until you make the tower fall down) How many of you have played this before? (allow answers) Did you think it was hard or easy to play? (allow answers) It can be pretty tricky! Some of the blocks are easy to pull out, but some of them are holding the weight of the blocks above them. If you pull one of those out, the whole tower goes down!
In our reading today, we hear this verse: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Do any of you know what a cornerstone is? (allow answers) Well, a cornerstone is like a block in Jenga, but not just any block. The cornerstone is like the block that is holding the weight of the blocks above it. If you pull out this block, the whole tower falls! Like that block, a cornerstone holds the weight of the house on top of it. In Jesus' time, the cornerstone was the most important stone in a building! We can think of the church -- everyone who believes in Jesus all around the world -- like a really gigantic house. All the parts of this house put their weight on one very important cornerstone: Jesus! How do you put your "weight" on Jesus? (allow answers each time) Do you pray to him about your problems? Do you trust in Jesus when you're worried about something? How else do you put your weight on Jesus? What are some other ways you can put your weight on Jesus? Jesus wants you to put your weight on him! When you put your weight on Jesus, you don't have to worry about falling down; he'll always hold you up.
If we pulled Jesus out from the church, like I pulled these blocks out of the Jenga tower, what do you think would happen? (allow answers) That's right -- it would all fall down! How does the church put its weight on Jesus? (allow answers) Just like you and me, the church prays about problems and trusts in Jesus to get them through hard times. Let's thank him with a prayer for holding us all up: Dear Jesus, thank you for holding me up. You are the cornerstone of my life! Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! Do you know what this is? (point to tower; allow answers) It's a game called Jenga. The point of this game is to take turns removing blocks from the tower until it falls down, like this. If it falls down on your turn, you're out! (while speaking, begin remove blocks until you make the tower fall down) How many of you have played this before? (allow answers) Did you think it was hard or easy to play? (allow answers) It can be pretty tricky! Some of the blocks are easy to pull out, but some of them are holding the weight of the blocks above them. If you pull one of those out, the whole tower goes down!
In our reading today, we hear this verse: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Do any of you know what a cornerstone is? (allow answers) Well, a cornerstone is like a block in Jenga, but not just any block. The cornerstone is like the block that is holding the weight of the blocks above it. If you pull out this block, the whole tower falls! Like that block, a cornerstone holds the weight of the house on top of it. In Jesus' time, the cornerstone was the most important stone in a building! We can think of the church -- everyone who believes in Jesus all around the world -- like a really gigantic house. All the parts of this house put their weight on one very important cornerstone: Jesus! How do you put your "weight" on Jesus? (allow answers each time) Do you pray to him about your problems? Do you trust in Jesus when you're worried about something? How else do you put your weight on Jesus? What are some other ways you can put your weight on Jesus? Jesus wants you to put your weight on him! When you put your weight on Jesus, you don't have to worry about falling down; he'll always hold you up.
If we pulled Jesus out from the church, like I pulled these blocks out of the Jenga tower, what do you think would happen? (allow answers) That's right -- it would all fall down! How does the church put its weight on Jesus? (allow answers) Just like you and me, the church prays about problems and trusts in Jesus to get them through hard times. Let's thank him with a prayer for holding us all up: Dear Jesus, thank you for holding me up. You are the cornerstone of my life! Amen.
