The Jesus Game!
Children's sermon
Object:
A video game. You could show a game on your phone, or just have a game box, disc, or cartridge to show.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (vv. 9-12)
Hi, everyone! (Let them respond.)
I have a few questions for you today. Are you ready? (Let them respond.) Do any of you like to play video games? (Let them respond.) Do you have a favorite game? (Let them respond.) Which do you like better, easier games or harder games? (Let them respond.) I have one more question: Can anyone tell me what makes a game easier or harder? (Let them respond.) Usually, when someone creates a game, how hard it is depends on how many conditions they put in the game. Can anyone tell me what a condition is? (Let them respond.) Well, have you ever heard someone say something like, “If you clean your room, then you can play some games?” (Let them respond.) Or have you heard something like, “If you do your homework without grumbling, you can stay up and have some screen-time?” (Let them respond.) Have you heard something like that? (Let them respond.) Those are conditions. You can make something happen on the condition that you do something else first. The way to make the second thing happen is to do the first thing. To make the car move forward on the screen, you have to press the button first.
Harder games usually have more conditions, don’t they? To win the game you first have to score enough points, and to score a point you first have to hit the target with the rock, and to throw the rock at the target you first have to press the correct button. The more conditions a game has, the harder it can be to win. Does your favorite game have a lot of conditions or just a few? (Let them respond.)
You know, sometimes people believe it is pretty hard to follow Jesus and do the things he said that God wants us to do. Some people say there are a lot of conditions we have to worry about to follow Jesus, and they make following Jesus sound like a pretty hard thing to do, don’t they? (Let them respond.) Well, guess what! Jesus was talking with some people one day and he told them there was only one condition they had to worry about if they wanted to follow him and do what God wanted them to do. Just one. Does anyone know what that condition is? (Let them respond.)
Jesus told them, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love!” And then he said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you!” And that’s it! One thing. There is one condition to remember if we want to follow God. We are supposed to love each other the way Jesus loves us.
So here is my question for you. If we pretend for a second that following Jesus is a game, and the way to win the game is to show people that we love them, can anyone tell us one thing we can do to show people that we love them? (Let several respond.) Excellent! Jesus said those are the things we need to do if we want to follow him and do what God wants us to do. That’s how we win the game! That’s doesn’t sound too hard, does it? (Let them respond.)
I hope you’ll remember how much God loves you, and how much God wants us to show everyone around us how much we love them, too.
Let’s have our prayer and ask God to help us remember.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. 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.
Hi, everyone! (Let them respond.)
I have a few questions for you today. Are you ready? (Let them respond.) Do any of you like to play video games? (Let them respond.) Do you have a favorite game? (Let them respond.) Which do you like better, easier games or harder games? (Let them respond.) I have one more question: Can anyone tell me what makes a game easier or harder? (Let them respond.) Usually, when someone creates a game, how hard it is depends on how many conditions they put in the game. Can anyone tell me what a condition is? (Let them respond.) Well, have you ever heard someone say something like, “If you clean your room, then you can play some games?” (Let them respond.) Or have you heard something like, “If you do your homework without grumbling, you can stay up and have some screen-time?” (Let them respond.) Have you heard something like that? (Let them respond.) Those are conditions. You can make something happen on the condition that you do something else first. The way to make the second thing happen is to do the first thing. To make the car move forward on the screen, you have to press the button first.
Harder games usually have more conditions, don’t they? To win the game you first have to score enough points, and to score a point you first have to hit the target with the rock, and to throw the rock at the target you first have to press the correct button. The more conditions a game has, the harder it can be to win. Does your favorite game have a lot of conditions or just a few? (Let them respond.)
You know, sometimes people believe it is pretty hard to follow Jesus and do the things he said that God wants us to do. Some people say there are a lot of conditions we have to worry about to follow Jesus, and they make following Jesus sound like a pretty hard thing to do, don’t they? (Let them respond.) Well, guess what! Jesus was talking with some people one day and he told them there was only one condition they had to worry about if they wanted to follow him and do what God wanted them to do. Just one. Does anyone know what that condition is? (Let them respond.)
Jesus told them, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love!” And then he said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you!” And that’s it! One thing. There is one condition to remember if we want to follow God. We are supposed to love each other the way Jesus loves us.
So here is my question for you. If we pretend for a second that following Jesus is a game, and the way to win the game is to show people that we love them, can anyone tell us one thing we can do to show people that we love them? (Let several respond.) Excellent! Jesus said those are the things we need to do if we want to follow him and do what God wants us to do. That’s how we win the game! That’s doesn’t sound too hard, does it? (Let them respond.)
I hope you’ll remember how much God loves you, and how much God wants us to show everyone around us how much we love them, too.
Let’s have our prayer and ask God to help us remember.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. 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.
