Getting Ready!
Children's sermon
Object: Building blocks for the children to use to build something. You could use small pieces like the plastic building blocks, but my best experience was using a ten-foot 2x4 that was cut into one-foot-long pieces so everyone could easily see what the children were doing.
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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have a question for you. Are you ready to hear it? (Let them respond.) Great! Did you hear the scripture for today? (Let them respond.) Do you think Jesus really wants us to hate everybody? Even our moms and dads? Do you think Jesus really meant we are supposed to hate our moms and dads? (Let them respond.) No, I don’t think so either. If you will help me, I think we can show everyone what Jesus meant when he said that. Will you help me? (Let them respond.) Great!
(Get out the building blocks.) Okay, I brought some pieces we can use to build something this morning. I want you to all work together and use them to build a house. The one rule is that everyone has to help out, okay? (Let them respond.) Okay. Everyone work together and start building!
[Let the group start working. Have fun with them and encourage all of the children to take part. It may get a bit confusing and frustrating, but your goal is to just see that no one is treated poorly. Stop them at some point, before any frustration gets too high, and continue your message.]
Okay, let’s try it again, only this time lets do it a bit differently. Before you start building, let’s talk a minute and see if we can plan what we are going to build and how everyone is going to help. (Help them talk through a plan to try to build a second house.) Okay, let’s start building again!
[Let the group start working again. As before, have fun and help them follow their building plan. You can let them complete the house or stop them when it is clear they are having a better experience than the unplanned version.]
Okay, nice job everyone! It helped a bit when you made the plan for working together, didn’t it? (Let them respond.) Everyone knew what they were going to do, and that helped everyone work together. And I think that is what Jesus meant when he said we should hate other people. He didn’t mean we should actually hate them, but that if we are going to work with Jesus, we need to plan how we are going to do our work with him, and not just wait for our parents or someone else to do it for us. We need to plan ahead so we can do our own work for Jesus.
For example, imagine you are at school and see someone sitting all by themselves looking really sad or even maybe crying. What are we going to do? (Let them respond.) We might go over and ask if they are okay, or if they are hurt, right? (Let them respond.) Or, what if a new boy or girl comes to your school and other kids start laughing at them or won’t talk with them, what are we going to do? (Let them respond.) We might talk with them or even sit by them, right? (Let them respond.) Or let me ask you this: what is your very favorite cookie? (Let them respond.) What if you are walking along with a bag full of your very favorite cookies and you see someone who doesn’t have anything at all to eat? What are we going to do? (Let them respond.) We’ll give them a cookie! Yes!
Jesus doesn’t want us to hate everyone, but he wants us to think about how we are going to do things we will do, so we can be ready to do them when they happen. And he wants us to do things to show other people that we love them, not hate them.
Let’s all pray together and ask God to help us remember that Jesus wants us to love each other and take care of each other the way God loves and takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. Please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have a question for you. Are you ready to hear it? (Let them respond.) Great! Did you hear the scripture for today? (Let them respond.) Do you think Jesus really wants us to hate everybody? Even our moms and dads? Do you think Jesus really meant we are supposed to hate our moms and dads? (Let them respond.) No, I don’t think so either. If you will help me, I think we can show everyone what Jesus meant when he said that. Will you help me? (Let them respond.) Great!
(Get out the building blocks.) Okay, I brought some pieces we can use to build something this morning. I want you to all work together and use them to build a house. The one rule is that everyone has to help out, okay? (Let them respond.) Okay. Everyone work together and start building!
[Let the group start working. Have fun with them and encourage all of the children to take part. It may get a bit confusing and frustrating, but your goal is to just see that no one is treated poorly. Stop them at some point, before any frustration gets too high, and continue your message.]
Okay, let’s try it again, only this time lets do it a bit differently. Before you start building, let’s talk a minute and see if we can plan what we are going to build and how everyone is going to help. (Help them talk through a plan to try to build a second house.) Okay, let’s start building again!
[Let the group start working again. As before, have fun and help them follow their building plan. You can let them complete the house or stop them when it is clear they are having a better experience than the unplanned version.]
Okay, nice job everyone! It helped a bit when you made the plan for working together, didn’t it? (Let them respond.) Everyone knew what they were going to do, and that helped everyone work together. And I think that is what Jesus meant when he said we should hate other people. He didn’t mean we should actually hate them, but that if we are going to work with Jesus, we need to plan how we are going to do our work with him, and not just wait for our parents or someone else to do it for us. We need to plan ahead so we can do our own work for Jesus.
For example, imagine you are at school and see someone sitting all by themselves looking really sad or even maybe crying. What are we going to do? (Let them respond.) We might go over and ask if they are okay, or if they are hurt, right? (Let them respond.) Or, what if a new boy or girl comes to your school and other kids start laughing at them or won’t talk with them, what are we going to do? (Let them respond.) We might talk with them or even sit by them, right? (Let them respond.) Or let me ask you this: what is your very favorite cookie? (Let them respond.) What if you are walking along with a bag full of your very favorite cookies and you see someone who doesn’t have anything at all to eat? What are we going to do? (Let them respond.) We’ll give them a cookie! Yes!
Jesus doesn’t want us to hate everyone, but he wants us to think about how we are going to do things we will do, so we can be ready to do them when they happen. And he wants us to do things to show other people that we love them, not hate them.
Let’s all pray together and ask God to help us remember that Jesus wants us to love each other and take care of each other the way God loves and takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. Please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
