Disasters
Children's sermon
Object:
a newspaper with a headline about some disaster (bridge collapses, car accident, airplane accident, or the like)
Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them -- do
you think that they were worse offenders than all of the others living in Jerusalem.
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did. (vv. 4-
5)
Good morning, boys and girls. Does anyone read the newspaper? (let them answer) How many of you read the comics? (let them answer) Do your parents read the comics? (let them answer) Do they read other parts of the newspaper? (let them answer) Most adults read the front page of the newspaper. They read lots of other news, but almost everyone reads the front page. On the front page there are generally several headlines like this (point to the headline) and then the story after the headline. Most of the time, the headline is about something bad that has happened.
In this newspaper, the headline reads (read your chosen story). This is bad, but did you know about it? (let them answer) You probably did not know it because it wasn't in the comics. People get hurt in many ways and sometimes they even die. Why do these kinds of bad things happen? (let them answer) Does God have anything to do with accidents like the accidents we read about in the paper? Jesus said, "No." He also said that when we hear or see these things we should repent!
When Jesus was near Jerusalem, a building named the tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on people. Eighteen people actually died. If they had had a newspaper in Jerusalem it probably would have had a headline that read, "Eighteen People Die In Tower Of Siloam Collapse" and then there would have been a story. If someone had seen Jesus on that day and asked him what he thought about the accident, he would have told them how sorry he was for the eighteen people and that he thought the rest of should see it as a sign we should repent.
I don't know if the reporter would have asked him why we should repent when eighteen people died, but I think Jesus would have said something like this: Accidents that take other people's lives should make us think about being right with God at all times. We should ask God to forgive our sins and love us at all times. If something like a building collapsed with people in it and they got seriously hurt, God would know them as his very own people.
That's a good idea. The next time you hear about some bad accident, don't be just happy that it did not happen to you, but remember to tell God how sorry you are for your sins and ask for his blessings. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. Does anyone read the newspaper? (let them answer) How many of you read the comics? (let them answer) Do your parents read the comics? (let them answer) Do they read other parts of the newspaper? (let them answer) Most adults read the front page of the newspaper. They read lots of other news, but almost everyone reads the front page. On the front page there are generally several headlines like this (point to the headline) and then the story after the headline. Most of the time, the headline is about something bad that has happened.
In this newspaper, the headline reads (read your chosen story). This is bad, but did you know about it? (let them answer) You probably did not know it because it wasn't in the comics. People get hurt in many ways and sometimes they even die. Why do these kinds of bad things happen? (let them answer) Does God have anything to do with accidents like the accidents we read about in the paper? Jesus said, "No." He also said that when we hear or see these things we should repent!
When Jesus was near Jerusalem, a building named the tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on people. Eighteen people actually died. If they had had a newspaper in Jerusalem it probably would have had a headline that read, "Eighteen People Die In Tower Of Siloam Collapse" and then there would have been a story. If someone had seen Jesus on that day and asked him what he thought about the accident, he would have told them how sorry he was for the eighteen people and that he thought the rest of should see it as a sign we should repent.
I don't know if the reporter would have asked him why we should repent when eighteen people died, but I think Jesus would have said something like this: Accidents that take other people's lives should make us think about being right with God at all times. We should ask God to forgive our sins and love us at all times. If something like a building collapsed with people in it and they got seriously hurt, God would know them as his very own people.
That's a good idea. The next time you hear about some bad accident, don't be just happy that it did not happen to you, but remember to tell God how sorry you are for your sins and ask for his blessings. Amen.
