Growing strong in body and spirit
Children's sermon
Object:
some small exercise weights, some gym shoes, a book of exercises, some vitamins, some healthy looking vegetables, a Bible, a hymnal, a book of prayers
Good morning, boys and girls. The Bible tells us that Jesus gives us strength. How many of you feel stronger because you know Jesus? (let them answer) Can I see your muscles? (check their arm muscles) Wow!
Does Jesus tell you to put on your workout shoes and do your exercises? (let them answer) Does Jesus tell you to take your vitamins and eat lots of vegetables? (let them answer) It is very important that we take good care of our bodies. We stay strong by exercising and eating good foods.
But I think the Bible teaches us another kind of strength. Saint Paul tells us that God gives us spiritual gifts to make us strong while we wait for Jesus to return to us. What kind of spiritual gifts do you think God gives us? (let them answer)
God gives us the Word in the Bible. We read the truth and we get great strength from the Bible. God also gives us the gift of worship. We come together to read scripture and sing hymns, and to listen to the choir and the children's sermon.
God also gives us prayer. This is so we can talk things over with God. Sometimes I pray that God will speak to me while I am very quiet and other times I ask God to listen to me while I thank him for such a great family and friends. Sometimes I ask for help and other times I just want him to know how bad I feel. I always feel better after praying.
I really like to help and care for other people. Sometimes I visit people who can't come to church. Sometimes I give my clothes that are clean and still in pretty good shape to organizations that share them with the poor. Once in a while I bring food to the church pantry so that the hungry will have something to eat. I can find a lot of ways to help people and whenever I do I feel strong in my service to God. Maybe sometime your mom or dad will take you to visit people who are lonely. You can take them a gift if you want to or maybe just share something that you did in school or at home.
Being strong doesn't mean just having big muscles. Growing strong spiritually means worshiping Jesus and caring for people who really need us. It is great to be strong in Jesus and share the wonderful ways that he makes us strong. The next time you are working on your muscles I hope you will think about the ways you grow in strength with faith in Jesus.
Does Jesus tell you to put on your workout shoes and do your exercises? (let them answer) Does Jesus tell you to take your vitamins and eat lots of vegetables? (let them answer) It is very important that we take good care of our bodies. We stay strong by exercising and eating good foods.
But I think the Bible teaches us another kind of strength. Saint Paul tells us that God gives us spiritual gifts to make us strong while we wait for Jesus to return to us. What kind of spiritual gifts do you think God gives us? (let them answer)
God gives us the Word in the Bible. We read the truth and we get great strength from the Bible. God also gives us the gift of worship. We come together to read scripture and sing hymns, and to listen to the choir and the children's sermon.
God also gives us prayer. This is so we can talk things over with God. Sometimes I pray that God will speak to me while I am very quiet and other times I ask God to listen to me while I thank him for such a great family and friends. Sometimes I ask for help and other times I just want him to know how bad I feel. I always feel better after praying.
I really like to help and care for other people. Sometimes I visit people who can't come to church. Sometimes I give my clothes that are clean and still in pretty good shape to organizations that share them with the poor. Once in a while I bring food to the church pantry so that the hungry will have something to eat. I can find a lot of ways to help people and whenever I do I feel strong in my service to God. Maybe sometime your mom or dad will take you to visit people who are lonely. You can take them a gift if you want to or maybe just share something that you did in school or at home.
Being strong doesn't mean just having big muscles. Growing strong spiritually means worshiping Jesus and caring for people who really need us. It is great to be strong in Jesus and share the wonderful ways that he makes us strong. The next time you are working on your muscles I hope you will think about the ways you grow in strength with faith in Jesus.
