If You Do Them!
Children's sermon
Object: A bowl and a towel.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent
Have you ever gotten in trouble for not doing what you were supposed to do? (Let them respond.) Maybe it was something you were supposed to do at home, or maybe it was something you were supposed to do for someone else. Well, our story today is about the time Jesus’ friends didn’t do what Jesus told them they were supposed to do.
Jesus and his friends had all gotten together to eat a big dinner to celebrate Passover, one of the most special holidays. (Show the bowl and towel.) When the dinner began, one of the servants came into the room carrying a bowl of water and a towel and started to go around to wash everyone’s feet. That was one of the things they did to make everyone feel welcome. But when the servant came in, Jesus got up, took off his nice robe, put on the servant’s apron, and then took the bowl and towel and started to wash their feet instead of the servant.
Everyone started shouting, “Hey, what are you doing? A servant is supposed to do that and you are a lot more important than a servant, so stop it!” But Jesus didn’t stop until he had washed everyone’s feet. (Put down the bowl and towel.) Then Jesus sat back down and said, “From now on, I want you to show each other that you love each other, just like I showed you that I loved you by washing your feet. I want you to show everyone that you love them by helping them, just like a servant would help them. If you do this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And then he told them, “And now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
So, what did Jesus tell his friends they should do? (Let them respond.) He said they should love and help each other, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) After dinner, Jesus and his friends went to a little garden to rest. Jesus told his friends, “I really need your help tonight, so please stay awake with me and pray for me.” (Show the bowl.) Does anyone know what his friends did when Jesus asked them to help him? (Let them respond.) instead of helping Jesus, they all fell asleep, didn’t they? (Let them respond as you put down the bowl.) And while they were sleeping, a bunch of people came to get Jesus and take him away. When that happened, one of Jesus’ friends tried to fight them, but the rest of his friends stayed quiet and tried to hide while the people took Jesus away from them. Jesus had just told them that if they remembered to always help each other God would bless them, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) So, a few of Jesus’ friends followed the people to see if they might be able to find a way to help him.
While they were going, someone looked at one of Jesus’ friends and said, “You were with him!” But Jesus’ friend said, “No, it wasn’t me.”
Then someone else saw Jesus’ friend and asked, “Weren’t you with Jesus?”, but Jesus’ friend shook his head and said, “I don’t even know him.”
Then another person saw Jesus’ friend and said, “You were one of Jesus’ friends, weren’t you?”, but Jesus’ friend shook his head and said, “I never even met him!”
That’s how scared Jesus’ friends were. They wanted to help Jesus, but they were just too afraid to do anything. They followed Jesus, but did they do those things to help him? (Let them respond.) No, they wanted to help him, but they were too afraid to do anything to try and help him.
Sometimes it can be really scary if we try to help someone, can’t it? (Let them respond.) Some people might try to say things to scare us. Some people might laugh at us. And some people might even threaten to do something to hurt us if we try to help someone they don’t want us to help.
That’s what bullies do. Those bullies knew that if they scared Jesus’ friends enough, they wouldn’t do the right thing and try to help Jesus. So, what did those bullies do?
They waited until it was dark, so there weren’t other people around who might try to help Jesus’ friends.
They sent a bunch of people with weapons.
They ignored the laws and were just being bullies.
And did the bullies’ plan work? It sure looked like it did. Jesus’ friends were too afraid to try and help, so they just hid in the garden and watched. It looked like Jesus’ friends didn’t do what they were supposed to do, didn’t it? (Let them respond.)
But I have a question for you. Was God angry with Jesus’ friends for not helping? Did God punish them for not helping Jesus? No, that didn’t happen, did it? (Let them respond.) God was not angry because God knew it was not over yet.
The bullies thought they had won when they took Jesus away, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) But who remembers what big surprise God had for all of them on Easter morning? (Let them respond.) That’s when God said to the bullies, “NO! You did not win!” And that’s when God said to Jesus’ friends, “Don’t be afraid. I have brought Jesus back again, so now, you guys can try again to do what he wants you to do. Don’t ever give up trying to help others.”
Sometimes we don’t do what we are supposed to do, don’t we? We want to do what we are supposed to do, but it is just really, really hard to do, like being nice to someone other people always pick on, or like helping no one else wants to help.
I hope our story will help remind us that Jesus knows how hard it can be sometimes for us to do what we are supposed to do, so sometimes we just don’t do it. But Jesus knows that doesn’t mean we are bad, or that we can’t do the right thing. It just means that we should always remember to never stop trying to care for each other, because if we keep trying, God will help us do it and the bullies will lose.
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent
Have you ever gotten in trouble for not doing what you were supposed to do? (Let them respond.) Maybe it was something you were supposed to do at home, or maybe it was something you were supposed to do for someone else. Well, our story today is about the time Jesus’ friends didn’t do what Jesus told them they were supposed to do.
Jesus and his friends had all gotten together to eat a big dinner to celebrate Passover, one of the most special holidays. (Show the bowl and towel.) When the dinner began, one of the servants came into the room carrying a bowl of water and a towel and started to go around to wash everyone’s feet. That was one of the things they did to make everyone feel welcome. But when the servant came in, Jesus got up, took off his nice robe, put on the servant’s apron, and then took the bowl and towel and started to wash their feet instead of the servant.
Everyone started shouting, “Hey, what are you doing? A servant is supposed to do that and you are a lot more important than a servant, so stop it!” But Jesus didn’t stop until he had washed everyone’s feet. (Put down the bowl and towel.) Then Jesus sat back down and said, “From now on, I want you to show each other that you love each other, just like I showed you that I loved you by washing your feet. I want you to show everyone that you love them by helping them, just like a servant would help them. If you do this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And then he told them, “And now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
So, what did Jesus tell his friends they should do? (Let them respond.) He said they should love and help each other, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) After dinner, Jesus and his friends went to a little garden to rest. Jesus told his friends, “I really need your help tonight, so please stay awake with me and pray for me.” (Show the bowl.) Does anyone know what his friends did when Jesus asked them to help him? (Let them respond.) instead of helping Jesus, they all fell asleep, didn’t they? (Let them respond as you put down the bowl.) And while they were sleeping, a bunch of people came to get Jesus and take him away. When that happened, one of Jesus’ friends tried to fight them, but the rest of his friends stayed quiet and tried to hide while the people took Jesus away from them. Jesus had just told them that if they remembered to always help each other God would bless them, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) So, a few of Jesus’ friends followed the people to see if they might be able to find a way to help him.
While they were going, someone looked at one of Jesus’ friends and said, “You were with him!” But Jesus’ friend said, “No, it wasn’t me.”
Then someone else saw Jesus’ friend and asked, “Weren’t you with Jesus?”, but Jesus’ friend shook his head and said, “I don’t even know him.”
Then another person saw Jesus’ friend and said, “You were one of Jesus’ friends, weren’t you?”, but Jesus’ friend shook his head and said, “I never even met him!”
That’s how scared Jesus’ friends were. They wanted to help Jesus, but they were just too afraid to do anything. They followed Jesus, but did they do those things to help him? (Let them respond.) No, they wanted to help him, but they were too afraid to do anything to try and help him.
Sometimes it can be really scary if we try to help someone, can’t it? (Let them respond.) Some people might try to say things to scare us. Some people might laugh at us. And some people might even threaten to do something to hurt us if we try to help someone they don’t want us to help.
That’s what bullies do. Those bullies knew that if they scared Jesus’ friends enough, they wouldn’t do the right thing and try to help Jesus. So, what did those bullies do?
They waited until it was dark, so there weren’t other people around who might try to help Jesus’ friends.
They sent a bunch of people with weapons.
They ignored the laws and were just being bullies.
And did the bullies’ plan work? It sure looked like it did. Jesus’ friends were too afraid to try and help, so they just hid in the garden and watched. It looked like Jesus’ friends didn’t do what they were supposed to do, didn’t it? (Let them respond.)
But I have a question for you. Was God angry with Jesus’ friends for not helping? Did God punish them for not helping Jesus? No, that didn’t happen, did it? (Let them respond.) God was not angry because God knew it was not over yet.
The bullies thought they had won when they took Jesus away, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) But who remembers what big surprise God had for all of them on Easter morning? (Let them respond.) That’s when God said to the bullies, “NO! You did not win!” And that’s when God said to Jesus’ friends, “Don’t be afraid. I have brought Jesus back again, so now, you guys can try again to do what he wants you to do. Don’t ever give up trying to help others.”
Sometimes we don’t do what we are supposed to do, don’t we? We want to do what we are supposed to do, but it is just really, really hard to do, like being nice to someone other people always pick on, or like helping no one else wants to help.
I hope our story will help remind us that Jesus knows how hard it can be sometimes for us to do what we are supposed to do, so sometimes we just don’t do it. But Jesus knows that doesn’t mean we are bad, or that we can’t do the right thing. It just means that we should always remember to never stop trying to care for each other, because if we keep trying, God will help us do it and the bullies will lose.
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
