Good works
Children's sermon
Object:
spray paint
"Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you." (v. 31)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about surprises. We are going to talk about things that are not the same as they seem to be. First, I'm going to tell you a story.
Once upon a time, there were two teenagers. The first one volunteered in the community, joined a lot of clubs, and wore nice clothes. The second one hung around in the not-very-nice part of town and got in trouble with the police for painting graffiti on public buildings. Which of these teenagers do you think is a better person? (allow answers)
One evening both of these teenagers were walking through the park. There was a woman sitting on a bench. She looked like she had been crying. She was all alone. The first teenager saw her but thought "her clothes look kind of dirty and she smells like smoke." He walked right past her and didn't say anything. Then the second teenager saw her. The second teenager remembered times when he had been sad and lonely. He didn't care about her clothes. He didn't care about how she smelled. Instead, he sat down beside her. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.
Now which of these teenagers do you think is a better person? (allow answers) The second one did the right thing in this story. Even though he might not look like a very good person, he is not afraid to the right thing when it counts.
That is what our gospel is about today. Jesus tells the story of a man who has two sons. One of the sons says he will do something for his father but the son doesn't do it. The second son says he will not do something but then he does it. Which one did what his father wanted? (allow answers) The second one did. In this story, Jesus tells us that it is better to show your love for God through your actions than to just say that you love God without showing it. Actions speak louder than words, as the old saying goes.
Think about that this week. Are you worried about telling your parents what they want to hear? Or are you more worried about doing what they want you to do? And which one is better in the long run? Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about surprises. We are going to talk about things that are not the same as they seem to be. First, I'm going to tell you a story.
Once upon a time, there were two teenagers. The first one volunteered in the community, joined a lot of clubs, and wore nice clothes. The second one hung around in the not-very-nice part of town and got in trouble with the police for painting graffiti on public buildings. Which of these teenagers do you think is a better person? (allow answers)
One evening both of these teenagers were walking through the park. There was a woman sitting on a bench. She looked like she had been crying. She was all alone. The first teenager saw her but thought "her clothes look kind of dirty and she smells like smoke." He walked right past her and didn't say anything. Then the second teenager saw her. The second teenager remembered times when he had been sad and lonely. He didn't care about her clothes. He didn't care about how she smelled. Instead, he sat down beside her. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.
Now which of these teenagers do you think is a better person? (allow answers) The second one did the right thing in this story. Even though he might not look like a very good person, he is not afraid to the right thing when it counts.
That is what our gospel is about today. Jesus tells the story of a man who has two sons. One of the sons says he will do something for his father but the son doesn't do it. The second son says he will not do something but then he does it. Which one did what his father wanted? (allow answers) The second one did. In this story, Jesus tells us that it is better to show your love for God through your actions than to just say that you love God without showing it. Actions speak louder than words, as the old saying goes.
Think about that this week. Are you worried about telling your parents what they want to hear? Or are you more worried about doing what they want you to do? And which one is better in the long run? Amen.
