Great faith
Children's sermon
Object:
a good-sized rock
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
Good morning, boys and girls. (show them the rock) Does anyone have a big rock in his or her yard? (let them answer) How many of you like a good rock? (let them answer) When you think about a rock, what do you think about? Is a rock soft or hard, is a rock something to eat or not to eat, and is a rock something you can play around with like a ball or a kite? (let them answer)
Rocks can be beautiful. Some rocks are as big as our church and maybe even bigger. A rock can also be pretty small and not have much color. I have a lot of gray rocks around my house.
Jesus said that he was going to build the church on a rock. I wonder why he chose a rock? He could have said that he was going to build the church on a tree. A tree grows, it can be tall, and it has many branches and leaves and lives a long time. Jesus could have said that he was going to build his church on a lake. A lake is cool, and has all kinds of plants and fish living in it. It can hold a very big boat, and it is fun when people swim or water ski.
However, Jesus said he was going to build his church on a rock. I think he chose a rock because it was strong and did not move when the wind blew or the rain came. If you build a house on a rock like people used to do, the rock would make a great foundation for a house.
A rock is like great faith. When our faith is like a rock we know what we believe and it will be there when we need it. A rock is not like sand that will wash away or dirt that will blow away. A rock stands there and you can always find it when you are looking for it.
Jesus wants a strong church. He wants a church that is always ready to serve people that need help. The church of Jesus does not give up on anyone but will forgive today and tomorrow and forever if you ask it to.
That is why when Peter was asked who Jesus was, he answered with great faith, and "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Peter didn't say he thought he was the Messiah. Peter didn't say, we have talked it over and we kind of agree that you are the Messiah. Peter said in a very strong voice, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus told all of the disciples including Peter that it was the kind of faith Peter had that he would build his church.
The next time you see a rock, think about Jesus and the building of his church on great faith. We should all have that same kind of faith. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. (show them the rock) Does anyone have a big rock in his or her yard? (let them answer) How many of you like a good rock? (let them answer) When you think about a rock, what do you think about? Is a rock soft or hard, is a rock something to eat or not to eat, and is a rock something you can play around with like a ball or a kite? (let them answer)
Rocks can be beautiful. Some rocks are as big as our church and maybe even bigger. A rock can also be pretty small and not have much color. I have a lot of gray rocks around my house.
Jesus said that he was going to build the church on a rock. I wonder why he chose a rock? He could have said that he was going to build the church on a tree. A tree grows, it can be tall, and it has many branches and leaves and lives a long time. Jesus could have said that he was going to build his church on a lake. A lake is cool, and has all kinds of plants and fish living in it. It can hold a very big boat, and it is fun when people swim or water ski.
However, Jesus said he was going to build his church on a rock. I think he chose a rock because it was strong and did not move when the wind blew or the rain came. If you build a house on a rock like people used to do, the rock would make a great foundation for a house.
A rock is like great faith. When our faith is like a rock we know what we believe and it will be there when we need it. A rock is not like sand that will wash away or dirt that will blow away. A rock stands there and you can always find it when you are looking for it.
Jesus wants a strong church. He wants a church that is always ready to serve people that need help. The church of Jesus does not give up on anyone but will forgive today and tomorrow and forever if you ask it to.
That is why when Peter was asked who Jesus was, he answered with great faith, and "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Peter didn't say he thought he was the Messiah. Peter didn't say, we have talked it over and we kind of agree that you are the Messiah. Peter said in a very strong voice, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus told all of the disciples including Peter that it was the kind of faith Peter had that he would build his church.
The next time you see a rock, think about Jesus and the building of his church on great faith. We should all have that same kind of faith. Amen.
