Good teasing
Children's sermon
Object:
a red cape
Have any of you ever been teased? (Let them answer.)
Usually there are people who tease and there are others who are
teased. If you are teased, what feeling do you usually have?
(Let them answer.) Often when someone is teased, he or she gets
angry. What do you think of when you think about someone trying
to get another person angry? (Let them answer.) When I think of
trying to make someone angry, I think of a red cape and how
matadors use it to make the bulls angry. Whenever someone tries
to make another angry, there's a word we often use that really
means almost the same as the word "tease" and that is the word
"provoke."
When the writer to the Hebrews wrote his letter he said, "Let us consider how to provoke one another." Do you think he wanted Christians to make one another angry? Do you think he wanted them to tease one another? (Here you can wave the red cape like a bullfighter. Then let them answer.) No, I don't think that's what he meant. Let me read the whole sentence: "Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together ... but encouraging one another...." In other words, we Christians are to do everything we can to encourage and "provoke" people to "love and good deeds."
I wonder how we could do that? How can we get people to love one another more and do more good? How can we tease people to love more and do more good deeds? (Let them answer.) Maybe we could compliment them when they do something good. Perhaps we could say "thank you" when they do something good to us. What we say and do makes a difference.
The next time you see someone teasing another, think of how many times you have had others tease you to do the right thing. Parents, grandparents, teachers -- all often try to tease us to do good. They try to "provoke" or "encourage" us in the right direction.
Dearest Lord: Thank you for giving us people who tease us in good ways. Amen.
When the writer to the Hebrews wrote his letter he said, "Let us consider how to provoke one another." Do you think he wanted Christians to make one another angry? Do you think he wanted them to tease one another? (Here you can wave the red cape like a bullfighter. Then let them answer.) No, I don't think that's what he meant. Let me read the whole sentence: "Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together ... but encouraging one another...." In other words, we Christians are to do everything we can to encourage and "provoke" people to "love and good deeds."
I wonder how we could do that? How can we get people to love one another more and do more good? How can we tease people to love more and do more good deeds? (Let them answer.) Maybe we could compliment them when they do something good. Perhaps we could say "thank you" when they do something good to us. What we say and do makes a difference.
The next time you see someone teasing another, think of how many times you have had others tease you to do the right thing. Parents, grandparents, teachers -- all often try to tease us to do good. They try to "provoke" or "encourage" us in the right direction.
Dearest Lord: Thank you for giving us people who tease us in good ways. Amen.
