Like a dove
Children's sermon
Object:
a dove (the picture of a dove, a dove in a bird cage, or the dove as it
appears on a parament)
And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water,
suddenly the heavens were opened to him and saw the Spirit of God descending like
a dove and alighting on him. (v. 16)
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like birds? (let them answer) What is your favorite kind of bird? (let them answer) We have lots of favorites. We like eagles, red birds, robins, sparrows, hawks, and many others. All birds seem very graceful as they fly through the air. They make amazing nests for their eggs that soon hatch into babies. Some of them whistle a beautiful song and some birds, like parrots, can even talk.
Today, I want to talk about a special bird. Do you remember when Noah was in the ark? The rain never seemed to stop and Noah could not find one piece of dry land to dock the ark so that everyone could get out and stretch. One day, he had an idea and he took a bird from the ark and sent it flying out over the water to see if it could find land. At first, it was not successful but then one day it flew back to the ark with a green twig in its mouth. Noah knew the flood was over and God was keeping his promise. Do you know what kind of a bird Noah sent out that came back with the green twig? (let them answer) It wasn't an eagle and it wasn't a duck. Do you know the name of this wonderful bird? (let them try once more) It was a beautiful dove. A dove looks like this picture I have in my hand. (let them all take a close look)
The dove is a special bird to God. A dove is a sign of peace. When God wants to talk about peace, he uses the dove. There was another time when God used a dove. One day, while Jesus was walking near the Jordan River, he heard John the Baptist preaching and watched him baptize men and women. Then Jesus walked into the water and told John that he wanted John to baptize him. John was surprised and told Jesus that he should be baptized by Jesus. John did not think that he was good enough to touch the head of Jesus. But Jesus insisted and told John that this was all part of the plan. So John did it. John baptized Jesus and finished by putting Jesus' head in the water. Then it all happened. When the face of Jesus broke through the water on his way up, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove upon Jesus. Then there was a voice from heaven that told Jesus how pleased God was to call him his Son. Jesus was given God's great approval. It was a great day.
The next time you see a dove, I pray that you will remember the day that God used the dove in the baptism of Jesus. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like birds? (let them answer) What is your favorite kind of bird? (let them answer) We have lots of favorites. We like eagles, red birds, robins, sparrows, hawks, and many others. All birds seem very graceful as they fly through the air. They make amazing nests for their eggs that soon hatch into babies. Some of them whistle a beautiful song and some birds, like parrots, can even talk.
Today, I want to talk about a special bird. Do you remember when Noah was in the ark? The rain never seemed to stop and Noah could not find one piece of dry land to dock the ark so that everyone could get out and stretch. One day, he had an idea and he took a bird from the ark and sent it flying out over the water to see if it could find land. At first, it was not successful but then one day it flew back to the ark with a green twig in its mouth. Noah knew the flood was over and God was keeping his promise. Do you know what kind of a bird Noah sent out that came back with the green twig? (let them answer) It wasn't an eagle and it wasn't a duck. Do you know the name of this wonderful bird? (let them try once more) It was a beautiful dove. A dove looks like this picture I have in my hand. (let them all take a close look)
The dove is a special bird to God. A dove is a sign of peace. When God wants to talk about peace, he uses the dove. There was another time when God used a dove. One day, while Jesus was walking near the Jordan River, he heard John the Baptist preaching and watched him baptize men and women. Then Jesus walked into the water and told John that he wanted John to baptize him. John was surprised and told Jesus that he should be baptized by Jesus. John did not think that he was good enough to touch the head of Jesus. But Jesus insisted and told John that this was all part of the plan. So John did it. John baptized Jesus and finished by putting Jesus' head in the water. Then it all happened. When the face of Jesus broke through the water on his way up, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove upon Jesus. Then there was a voice from heaven that told Jesus how pleased God was to call him his Son. Jesus was given God's great approval. It was a great day.
The next time you see a dove, I pray that you will remember the day that God used the dove in the baptism of Jesus. Amen.
