Good soil
Children's sermon
Object:
different flower seeds
But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. (v. 23)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about seeds. How many of you have planted seeds before? (allow answers) Tell me about what you had to do to plant seeds. (allow answers) When we plant seeds, we need a lot of equipment. We need soil. We might need a shovel. We need the seeds that we are going to plant, of course! (show different seed packets) We might need a pot to plant in. We will need water and sunlight. It takes a lot of effort to plant seeds!
When we do plant seeds, what are some things we have to be careful about? (allow answers) When we plant them, we need to make sure we put them in the soil. But we also need to make sure we put them in the right place. If we plant seeds too deep, they will not feel the sun. They can't grow if they are too far underground. But if we just sprinkle the seeds on top of the earth, birds might come and gobble them up. The wind might blow them away. So we have to make sure that they are buried at just the right depth -- beneath the soil so they are safe and protected, but not so deep that they can't get the sunlight and water that they need to grow.
Our gospel lesson today tells how teaching people about God is like planting seeds. When we share God's words with others, we don't want to just read the Bible at people and let them go -- that's like tossing seeds on top of the earth. People may not understand what you have read or why it is important to them. Instead, we have to use our actions to show what it looks like to be a follower of God and build on our example as a way to show them what it means to be a Christian.
Plants need sun and water to grow, so we have to pay attention to the seeds we plant. If we leave them alone, they will not grow well. They may dry out or they may drown from too much rain. They may be eaten by rabbits or dug up by enthusiastic dogs. We have to keep watch over our seeds to make sure they grow strong and healthy. It is the same way with people that we talk to about God. We can't just tell them once and let them go. Instead, we need to build a relationship with the people to whom we are spreading God's word. We need to feed their faith with hope and understanding. We need to help them see the sunlight of God's work in the world. We need to help them deal with the problems that they encounter in their path to believing.
Next time you see someone who looks like they need God in their lives, remember Jesus' story about sowing seeds. Remember that planting the seeds of faith is not a one-time deal. It is a relationship that we build with another person to help them build a relationship with God. And it needs as much care and attention as a newly planted garden. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about seeds. How many of you have planted seeds before? (allow answers) Tell me about what you had to do to plant seeds. (allow answers) When we plant seeds, we need a lot of equipment. We need soil. We might need a shovel. We need the seeds that we are going to plant, of course! (show different seed packets) We might need a pot to plant in. We will need water and sunlight. It takes a lot of effort to plant seeds!
When we do plant seeds, what are some things we have to be careful about? (allow answers) When we plant them, we need to make sure we put them in the soil. But we also need to make sure we put them in the right place. If we plant seeds too deep, they will not feel the sun. They can't grow if they are too far underground. But if we just sprinkle the seeds on top of the earth, birds might come and gobble them up. The wind might blow them away. So we have to make sure that they are buried at just the right depth -- beneath the soil so they are safe and protected, but not so deep that they can't get the sunlight and water that they need to grow.
Our gospel lesson today tells how teaching people about God is like planting seeds. When we share God's words with others, we don't want to just read the Bible at people and let them go -- that's like tossing seeds on top of the earth. People may not understand what you have read or why it is important to them. Instead, we have to use our actions to show what it looks like to be a follower of God and build on our example as a way to show them what it means to be a Christian.
Plants need sun and water to grow, so we have to pay attention to the seeds we plant. If we leave them alone, they will not grow well. They may dry out or they may drown from too much rain. They may be eaten by rabbits or dug up by enthusiastic dogs. We have to keep watch over our seeds to make sure they grow strong and healthy. It is the same way with people that we talk to about God. We can't just tell them once and let them go. Instead, we need to build a relationship with the people to whom we are spreading God's word. We need to feed their faith with hope and understanding. We need to help them see the sunlight of God's work in the world. We need to help them deal with the problems that they encounter in their path to believing.
Next time you see someone who looks like they need God in their lives, remember Jesus' story about sowing seeds. Remember that planting the seeds of faith is not a one-time deal. It is a relationship that we build with another person to help them build a relationship with God. And it needs as much care and attention as a newly planted garden. Amen.
