Heavenly things cannot be shaken
Children's sermon
Object:
some handfuls of sand in a bowl, a few plastic jewels in a pretty bag, an extra bowl, and a strainer
We've got a really great scripture verse today. It talks about how heaven lasts forever. The wonderful things of God will never rust, break, fall apart, or die. In heaven, good things go on forever and ever. On earth, everything falls apart, eventually. Nothing on earth lasts forever, so we shouldn't depend on earthly things. Here, let's look at this in another way.
In this bowl I have a bunch of sand. (Show the children.) Let's pretend that the sand is all earthly stuff that eventually falls apart: cars, toys, money, clothes, buildings -- even people. None of these things lasts forever, so we really shouldn't depend on them too much. (Hold up the box with the jewels in it.) In this box I have the treasures of heaven. These are the things that last forever: love, peace, friendship, forgiveness, joy, and all the other things of God. Nothing can destroy these things.
(Place the jewels into the bowl and mix them up with the sand.) I am going to mix them together. It's hard to separate the earthly things from the heavenly things, but watch. (Pour the mixture into the strainer and shake it over the extra bowl. As you explain, show the children how the sand falls through the strainer but the jewels stay behind.) When I shake this strainer, all the things of God stay. All the earthly things fall away, but God's things last forever. This is what our scripture verse is talking about. The scripture writer tells us to be happy that we love the things that last forever. Rejoice that we love a God that who will be with us always. The things of God are just like these jewels, and we will have them forever -- no matter what happens in our lives. Nothing can destroy the things of God.
Prayer: God, teach us to depend on the right things. Help us to see the things that are important to you and love the things that you love. Amen.
In this bowl I have a bunch of sand. (Show the children.) Let's pretend that the sand is all earthly stuff that eventually falls apart: cars, toys, money, clothes, buildings -- even people. None of these things lasts forever, so we really shouldn't depend on them too much. (Hold up the box with the jewels in it.) In this box I have the treasures of heaven. These are the things that last forever: love, peace, friendship, forgiveness, joy, and all the other things of God. Nothing can destroy these things.
(Place the jewels into the bowl and mix them up with the sand.) I am going to mix them together. It's hard to separate the earthly things from the heavenly things, but watch. (Pour the mixture into the strainer and shake it over the extra bowl. As you explain, show the children how the sand falls through the strainer but the jewels stay behind.) When I shake this strainer, all the things of God stay. All the earthly things fall away, but God's things last forever. This is what our scripture verse is talking about. The scripture writer tells us to be happy that we love the things that last forever. Rejoice that we love a God that who will be with us always. The things of God are just like these jewels, and we will have them forever -- no matter what happens in our lives. Nothing can destroy the things of God.
Prayer: God, teach us to depend on the right things. Help us to see the things that are important to you and love the things that you love. Amen.