Judgment
Children's sermon
Object:
a fashion magazine
It is the Lord who judges me. (v. 4b)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about judgment. How many of you have ever watched a TV show like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance? (allow answers) These TV shows are all about people performing and getting judged. They sing or dance, and then the judges tell them whether they are good at what they do or not. Sometimes the judges can be pretty mean!
Performers often get judged harshly. Musicians, actors, and dancers are used to this kind of criticism. It helps them learn what they need to improve -- and what they do well.
But judging people based on their music, dancing, or acting performance is one thing. It is another thing to judge people based on the way they look -- or even, sometimes, on the way they act. Our second reading today talks about judging others. Saint Paul writes, "It is the Lord who judges me." Paul says that he doesn't even judge himself -- much less judge other people. He leaves it up to God to decide whether even his own life was "good" or "bad."
How many of us judge ourselves? Most people probably judge themselves as good people. We like to think that we are awesome -- that we do the right thing, that people will like us. Some people judge themselves as bad -- they have done things that they know were wrong and don't think there's any hope for them. They think that it's okay to make bad choices because they've already really screwed up.
Whether we judge ourselves as good people or as bad people, though, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. We can't predict what God will say about our lives. It's not up to us to judge. It's up to God. It's our job to do the best that we can with what we have. Maybe we have made bad decisions. So? It is up to us to make every day a fresh start and to make every choice the best choice we can make. It is our job to live our life the best that we can, even if we do make some mistakes along the way. He doesn't want to give up on a single one of us!
If we don't judge ourselves, then how can we judge others? It is not our place to say who is good or bad, who is cool or uncool, who is beautiful and who is ugly. God loves all of his children. If we can't even judge ourselves, who are we to judge others?
There may be people that we don't like or people we would prefer to hang out with. That's okay. What's not okay is when we say cruel things about others or assume things about others based on our judgment of them. No matter what we think about someone else, it is important for us to always be kind to them. Let God be the judge. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about judgment. How many of you have ever watched a TV show like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance? (allow answers) These TV shows are all about people performing and getting judged. They sing or dance, and then the judges tell them whether they are good at what they do or not. Sometimes the judges can be pretty mean!
Performers often get judged harshly. Musicians, actors, and dancers are used to this kind of criticism. It helps them learn what they need to improve -- and what they do well.
But judging people based on their music, dancing, or acting performance is one thing. It is another thing to judge people based on the way they look -- or even, sometimes, on the way they act. Our second reading today talks about judging others. Saint Paul writes, "It is the Lord who judges me." Paul says that he doesn't even judge himself -- much less judge other people. He leaves it up to God to decide whether even his own life was "good" or "bad."
How many of us judge ourselves? Most people probably judge themselves as good people. We like to think that we are awesome -- that we do the right thing, that people will like us. Some people judge themselves as bad -- they have done things that they know were wrong and don't think there's any hope for them. They think that it's okay to make bad choices because they've already really screwed up.
Whether we judge ourselves as good people or as bad people, though, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. We can't predict what God will say about our lives. It's not up to us to judge. It's up to God. It's our job to do the best that we can with what we have. Maybe we have made bad decisions. So? It is up to us to make every day a fresh start and to make every choice the best choice we can make. It is our job to live our life the best that we can, even if we do make some mistakes along the way. He doesn't want to give up on a single one of us!
If we don't judge ourselves, then how can we judge others? It is not our place to say who is good or bad, who is cool or uncool, who is beautiful and who is ugly. God loves all of his children. If we can't even judge ourselves, who are we to judge others?
There may be people that we don't like or people we would prefer to hang out with. That's okay. What's not okay is when we say cruel things about others or assume things about others based on our judgment of them. No matter what we think about someone else, it is important for us to always be kind to them. Let God be the judge. Amen.
