It fits!
Children's sermon
Object:
a jigsaw puzzle piece and box with a picture of the
puzzle on the cover
Good morning! Who can tell me what this is? (Let them answer.)
It is a puzzle piece, but that is not what I have in mind. I want
you to tell me what the puzzle is about. What is it a picture of?
(Let them answer.) You are correct, you cannot tell what it is a
picture of because we don't have enough pieces of the puzzle put
together to tell. Here is what the box tells me the picture will
look like when the puzzle is completed. (Show them the box with
the puzzle's picture on it.) Now we know.
Life can be puzzling. How many of you have ever been sick? (Let them answer.) Have any of you ever had an accident? (Let them answer.) Have any of you ever had what we call "bad luck"? (Let them answer.) It looks like all of us have had times of sickness or accident or misfortune. Are any of these fun? (Let them answer.) Of course not! It is never fun to be sick. Accidents can be very painful. We try to be careful to avoid accidents. Being unlucky isn't much fun either, is it?
Each "bad" thing that happens to us is like a piece of the puzzle of our lives. We don't know why bad things happen to people. We can't understand how our loving God can permit such things. But here is something we can understand: each sickness, accident, or bad thing that happens to us is a piece of the puzzle of our lives. When it all comes together, we know that God has used this experience of our life for our good.
It takes faith for us to believe that. It takes faith for me to believe that when I am through putting the puzzle together, it will look like the picture on the box. How do I know for sure this is the right picture? How can I know it will look like that? I have to have some faith to believe it. In the same way, I have to believe that God uses everything that is good and bad in my life for my greatest good. That is what the great apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God." We believe it because we know God's goodness and love.
Dearest Lord God: Thank you for giving us a piece of the puzzle of life each day. Give us faith to believe that everything works for good for us. Amen.
Life can be puzzling. How many of you have ever been sick? (Let them answer.) Have any of you ever had an accident? (Let them answer.) Have any of you ever had what we call "bad luck"? (Let them answer.) It looks like all of us have had times of sickness or accident or misfortune. Are any of these fun? (Let them answer.) Of course not! It is never fun to be sick. Accidents can be very painful. We try to be careful to avoid accidents. Being unlucky isn't much fun either, is it?
Each "bad" thing that happens to us is like a piece of the puzzle of our lives. We don't know why bad things happen to people. We can't understand how our loving God can permit such things. But here is something we can understand: each sickness, accident, or bad thing that happens to us is a piece of the puzzle of our lives. When it all comes together, we know that God has used this experience of our life for our good.
It takes faith for us to believe that. It takes faith for me to believe that when I am through putting the puzzle together, it will look like the picture on the box. How do I know for sure this is the right picture? How can I know it will look like that? I have to have some faith to believe it. In the same way, I have to believe that God uses everything that is good and bad in my life for my greatest good. That is what the great apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God." We believe it because we know God's goodness and love.
Dearest Lord God: Thank you for giving us a piece of the puzzle of life each day. Give us faith to believe that everything works for good for us. Amen.
