God looks for you
Children's sermon
Object:
none
In today's scripture reading, Jesus tells us two short stories. In the first, a man has 100 sheep. One day, one of the sheep gets lost. The man still has 99 sheep, but he really misses the one that's gone. So, he leaves the 99 that he has to go in search of the one that's lost. When he finds his sheep, he calls all his friends to come and celebrate with him.
In the second story, a woman has 10 silver coins. When one gets misplaced, she turns the house upside down looking for it. She looks everywhere. When she finally finds it, she does the same thing the man did. She calls all her friends and neighbors to come and celebrate with her.
Now what was the big deal about the missing sheep and the lost coin? What was Jesus trying to teach by telling these stories? At first it may seem like no big deal that the man lost a sheep. He still had 99, didn't he? That's still a lot. What about the woman? Nine silver coins is still a lot. Back then, silver coins were worth a lot of money. Sure she lost one, but she still had nine left.
Here's what Jesus was trying to teach: we are like the lost sheep and the lost coin. Each of us is so special to God that nothing could ever replace us. If one of us gets lost in some way, God will not stop searching until he finds us again and brings us safely back home to him. And, like in the stories, God loves us so much that he wants to have a big party when we finally come home! You and I are just like the sheep and the coin. We are precious to God, and he is really sad when we aren't with him.
There are a lot of reasons we might get separated from God. Maybe we don't talk to him, so we don't really know him. Maybe we've gotten into some kind of trouble and we aren't close to him anymore. Or, like the sheep, maybe we've just wandered away. What we need to know and remember is that God wants to be near us. He loves us and wants to care for us.
Prayer: God, you love us so much. Thank you that each of us is special and precious to you. Help us stay with you always. Amen.
In the second story, a woman has 10 silver coins. When one gets misplaced, she turns the house upside down looking for it. She looks everywhere. When she finally finds it, she does the same thing the man did. She calls all her friends and neighbors to come and celebrate with her.
Now what was the big deal about the missing sheep and the lost coin? What was Jesus trying to teach by telling these stories? At first it may seem like no big deal that the man lost a sheep. He still had 99, didn't he? That's still a lot. What about the woman? Nine silver coins is still a lot. Back then, silver coins were worth a lot of money. Sure she lost one, but she still had nine left.
Here's what Jesus was trying to teach: we are like the lost sheep and the lost coin. Each of us is so special to God that nothing could ever replace us. If one of us gets lost in some way, God will not stop searching until he finds us again and brings us safely back home to him. And, like in the stories, God loves us so much that he wants to have a big party when we finally come home! You and I are just like the sheep and the coin. We are precious to God, and he is really sad when we aren't with him.
There are a lot of reasons we might get separated from God. Maybe we don't talk to him, so we don't really know him. Maybe we've gotten into some kind of trouble and we aren't close to him anymore. Or, like the sheep, maybe we've just wandered away. What we need to know and remember is that God wants to be near us. He loves us and wants to care for us.
Prayer: God, you love us so much. Thank you that each of us is special and precious to you. Help us stay with you always. Amen.
