How do you look?
Children's sermon
Object:
a mirror, floor length if possible
For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look
at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away,
immediately forget what they were like. (vv. 23-24)
Good morning, boys and girls. I have a very good question for you this morning. I want someone to tell me what he or she looks like. Do I have any volunteers? (select a couple of children) Good, we have one boy and one girl and let's first ask the girl to tell us what she looks like. (bring in the mirror and have the girl describe herself and repeat for the congregation what she says she looks like) Very good! Now let's ask our boy to describe himself. (repeat the process as you did with the girl) Very good!
How do you think they did, boys and girls? Did they leave anything out? What do you think they forgot? (let them answer -- perhaps they forgot to tell the color of their eyes or that a shoe was untied or a shirt was hanging out)
Maybe we should have them try it again only this time we won't use the mirror. Let's let our girl tell us what she looks like. (without the mirror, see if she can repeat what she said about herself and then let the boy repeat the same thing) How did they do? Did they forget anything that they said the first time? They did forget, didn't they? I wonder why? Did you forget what you looked like without the mirror? (let them answer)
This little test comes right from the Bible. A writer of one of the books of the Bible was James and he said that after people look at themselves in a mirror they forget what they look like.
James was not really interested in how people looked. James was interested in how people that call themselves followers, or Christians, act after they read the Bible or say a prayer or come to church or even after they have been blessed by another Christian. Just saying he/she is a Christian is like looking in the mirror and telling me what you look like. James said you must also live as Christians. Talking about Jesus and how wonderful he is may be all that we do. We forget to feed the hungry or give to the poor. We forget to help the people who cannot do things for themselves or people who are alone in a house or a nursing home. We must do the kind of work that Jesus would do if he were living beside us.
The next time you look in a mirror to see how you look, I want you to remember that God calls us to be Christians so that we can do Christian things and not just talk about them. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. I have a very good question for you this morning. I want someone to tell me what he or she looks like. Do I have any volunteers? (select a couple of children) Good, we have one boy and one girl and let's first ask the girl to tell us what she looks like. (bring in the mirror and have the girl describe herself and repeat for the congregation what she says she looks like) Very good! Now let's ask our boy to describe himself. (repeat the process as you did with the girl) Very good!
How do you think they did, boys and girls? Did they leave anything out? What do you think they forgot? (let them answer -- perhaps they forgot to tell the color of their eyes or that a shoe was untied or a shirt was hanging out)
Maybe we should have them try it again only this time we won't use the mirror. Let's let our girl tell us what she looks like. (without the mirror, see if she can repeat what she said about herself and then let the boy repeat the same thing) How did they do? Did they forget anything that they said the first time? They did forget, didn't they? I wonder why? Did you forget what you looked like without the mirror? (let them answer)
This little test comes right from the Bible. A writer of one of the books of the Bible was James and he said that after people look at themselves in a mirror they forget what they look like.
James was not really interested in how people looked. James was interested in how people that call themselves followers, or Christians, act after they read the Bible or say a prayer or come to church or even after they have been blessed by another Christian. Just saying he/she is a Christian is like looking in the mirror and telling me what you look like. James said you must also live as Christians. Talking about Jesus and how wonderful he is may be all that we do. We forget to feed the hungry or give to the poor. We forget to help the people who cannot do things for themselves or people who are alone in a house or a nursing home. We must do the kind of work that Jesus would do if he were living beside us.
The next time you look in a mirror to see how you look, I want you to remember that God calls us to be Christians so that we can do Christian things and not just talk about them. Amen.
