Going away
Children's sermon
Object:
an airplane ticket
"Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother -- especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord." (vv. 15-16)
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have ever gone on a long trip? (allow answers) Where did you go? (allow answers) When we go on long trips, we have to leave our homes behind. Sometimes we have to leave our friends or family behind. How did it make you feel to leave behind people you care about? (allow answers) Sometimes when we are separated from people we love, we spend our time moping and wishing we weren't apart. Sometimes we are sad because we wish our family or friends could come and be with us in a wonderful place.
After being separated from those we love, how does it feel to come home? (allow answers) It feels really good! Have you ever had a homecoming party for someone who has been away for a long time? (allow answers) Maybe someone threw a party for you. A homecoming party can be a great celebration! All our friends and family gather together to welcome the traveler back. The only way you get a homecoming party is if you leave home for a long time. Even though you leave your family and friends behind, your absence is worth it -- the celebration when you come back will make you feel like you never left!
Sometimes in our lives we make choices that take us away from God and our church family. It is like going on a trip without our loved ones. When we make bad choices, we feel cut off from God and those we love. Unlike a vacation or a trip to summer camp, these journeys of bad choices are not fun trips away. There are stories in the Bible about people whose bad choices keep them from those they love -- but at the end of these Bible stories, when people change their ways and come home, the homecoming party is something so wonderful that we can't imagine it. Our Bible verse talks about people being apart from their family in Christ. It says, "Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever." This is reassuring to us. Even though we never want to have to take a journey away from our family in Christ, the Bible reminds us that, even though we might make big mistakes in our life, we can always come back. Not only can we come back, but we will be welcomed back -- with a homecoming party like only God can throw. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have ever gone on a long trip? (allow answers) Where did you go? (allow answers) When we go on long trips, we have to leave our homes behind. Sometimes we have to leave our friends or family behind. How did it make you feel to leave behind people you care about? (allow answers) Sometimes when we are separated from people we love, we spend our time moping and wishing we weren't apart. Sometimes we are sad because we wish our family or friends could come and be with us in a wonderful place.
After being separated from those we love, how does it feel to come home? (allow answers) It feels really good! Have you ever had a homecoming party for someone who has been away for a long time? (allow answers) Maybe someone threw a party for you. A homecoming party can be a great celebration! All our friends and family gather together to welcome the traveler back. The only way you get a homecoming party is if you leave home for a long time. Even though you leave your family and friends behind, your absence is worth it -- the celebration when you come back will make you feel like you never left!
Sometimes in our lives we make choices that take us away from God and our church family. It is like going on a trip without our loved ones. When we make bad choices, we feel cut off from God and those we love. Unlike a vacation or a trip to summer camp, these journeys of bad choices are not fun trips away. There are stories in the Bible about people whose bad choices keep them from those they love -- but at the end of these Bible stories, when people change their ways and come home, the homecoming party is something so wonderful that we can't imagine it. Our Bible verse talks about people being apart from their family in Christ. It says, "Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever." This is reassuring to us. Even though we never want to have to take a journey away from our family in Christ, the Bible reminds us that, even though we might make big mistakes in our life, we can always come back. Not only can we come back, but we will be welcomed back -- with a homecoming party like only God can throw. Amen.
