Just Me!
Children's sermon
Object: Twelve baskets. Have two of the baskets out to show everyone, but keep ten of the baskets hidden until you need them in the message.
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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!
One morning, a woman gave her young son and daughter baskets and sent them to town for food. (Show the two baskets.) She told her daughter to go to the market and get bread and told her son to go down to the lake and get some fish from the fishermen there. She gave each of them a coin and said, “Buy as much food as you can with these but be careful. This is all that I have, so if you lose it we won’t have anything to eat tonight.”
The girl went to the market to buy bread and the boy went to the lake to buy fish. When they got back together, they showed each other their baskets. The boy had two fish, and his sister had five little pieces of bread. That wasn’t very much for their family to eat, was it? (Let them respond.) They were sad because they knew this wasn’t enough food for their family and that everyone would still be really hungry tonight.They started walking home, disappointed that they hadn’t been able to buy more food to take home. Then they saw the crowd of people.
And it was a big crowd, too! The little boy and girl couldn’t see what was going on, so they started to walk through the crowd so they could see better. But they were so small, they had a hard time getting through, but they finally got close enough to peek through and see what everyone was doing. The little boy turned to his sister and said, “Do you know who that is? That’s Jesus!” They had heard their mom and dad talking about Jesus, and how God had sent him to help everyone. The boy and girl moved closer so they could see and hear better. Then they heard one of Jesus’ friends say, “But the people are getting hungry. What can we do?” Another one said, “Tell them to go home and get their own food.” Someone else said, “We can’t buy them all food because we don’t have enough money. What are we going to do?” The little boy and girl looked at each other. Then they looked at the bread and fish in their baskets. They smiled and started walking to where Jesus and his friends were talking. One of Jesus’ friends saw them coming and said, “Well, here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish.” Someone else said, “What are we going to do with that? That’s not enough for everyone here.” The boy and girl knew they didn’t have enough food for everyone, but they wanted to try and do something that might help, so they gave the baskets to Jesus.
Jesus looked at the two baskets of food and said a prayer. Then he picked up the five little loaves of bread and the two little fish and broke them all into little pieces and put the pieces back in one of the baskets. Then he told his friends to ask everyone to get in a line so they could come up and get some of the food to eat from the basket. They all thought he was crazy, but the people got in line and started coming up and getting some pieces of bread and fish from the basket. Everyone was surprised because every time someone came up and reached into the basket, they found more pieces of bread and fish. Finally, everyone there had gotten enough to eat. Jesus told his friends to put all of the leftover food in a basket so the little boy and girl could take it home for their family. (Look at the two baskets on the floor.) Jesus' friends started putting the leftover food in the baskets, but there was so much left they ran out of room and needed another basket. (Set out a third basket.) And then another. (Keep repeating and setting out baskets until all twelve baskets are together on the floor.) When they collected all of the food that was left over, they gave the boy and girl twelve full baskets of food to take home. I wonder how they carried it all home? (Let them respond.) And I wonder what their mom said when she saw all of the baskets on the kitchen table. (Let them respond.)
Sometimes we believe that we can’t do a lot of things that are really important, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Sometimes, we see people who need help, and we think we can’t help because we are too small, or too young, aren’t strong enough, aren’t smart enough, or don’t have enough money. Sometimes, we see someone who needs help and we feel like the boy and girl in the big crowd and say, “But, it’s just me. What can I do?” I know I have felt that way before, have you? (Let them respond.)
All the boy and girl in our story had was five little loaves of bread and two little fish, but what happened when they gave them to Jesus? (Let them respond.) Sometimes we don’t feel like we can do very much, but when Jesus helps us we can do some really big things!Maybe all I have to give is a smile I could give to someone who is sad. Or maybe all I can do is say something nice to someone who is being picked on by other people. That’s all I have. But our story reminds me that Jesus can take my smile or my nice words, (Show the two baskets.) and make them do really big things. (Show all twelve baskets.) If I want to show people how much I care about them, I don’t have to be bigger, or older, or stronger, or smarter, or richer. All I need to do is just be me. Just me.
I hope our story will help us remember that God created us to take care of each other. 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!
One morning, a woman gave her young son and daughter baskets and sent them to town for food. (Show the two baskets.) She told her daughter to go to the market and get bread and told her son to go down to the lake and get some fish from the fishermen there. She gave each of them a coin and said, “Buy as much food as you can with these but be careful. This is all that I have, so if you lose it we won’t have anything to eat tonight.”
The girl went to the market to buy bread and the boy went to the lake to buy fish. When they got back together, they showed each other their baskets. The boy had two fish, and his sister had five little pieces of bread. That wasn’t very much for their family to eat, was it? (Let them respond.) They were sad because they knew this wasn’t enough food for their family and that everyone would still be really hungry tonight.They started walking home, disappointed that they hadn’t been able to buy more food to take home. Then they saw the crowd of people.
And it was a big crowd, too! The little boy and girl couldn’t see what was going on, so they started to walk through the crowd so they could see better. But they were so small, they had a hard time getting through, but they finally got close enough to peek through and see what everyone was doing. The little boy turned to his sister and said, “Do you know who that is? That’s Jesus!” They had heard their mom and dad talking about Jesus, and how God had sent him to help everyone. The boy and girl moved closer so they could see and hear better. Then they heard one of Jesus’ friends say, “But the people are getting hungry. What can we do?” Another one said, “Tell them to go home and get their own food.” Someone else said, “We can’t buy them all food because we don’t have enough money. What are we going to do?” The little boy and girl looked at each other. Then they looked at the bread and fish in their baskets. They smiled and started walking to where Jesus and his friends were talking. One of Jesus’ friends saw them coming and said, “Well, here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish.” Someone else said, “What are we going to do with that? That’s not enough for everyone here.” The boy and girl knew they didn’t have enough food for everyone, but they wanted to try and do something that might help, so they gave the baskets to Jesus.
Jesus looked at the two baskets of food and said a prayer. Then he picked up the five little loaves of bread and the two little fish and broke them all into little pieces and put the pieces back in one of the baskets. Then he told his friends to ask everyone to get in a line so they could come up and get some of the food to eat from the basket. They all thought he was crazy, but the people got in line and started coming up and getting some pieces of bread and fish from the basket. Everyone was surprised because every time someone came up and reached into the basket, they found more pieces of bread and fish. Finally, everyone there had gotten enough to eat. Jesus told his friends to put all of the leftover food in a basket so the little boy and girl could take it home for their family. (Look at the two baskets on the floor.) Jesus' friends started putting the leftover food in the baskets, but there was so much left they ran out of room and needed another basket. (Set out a third basket.) And then another. (Keep repeating and setting out baskets until all twelve baskets are together on the floor.) When they collected all of the food that was left over, they gave the boy and girl twelve full baskets of food to take home. I wonder how they carried it all home? (Let them respond.) And I wonder what their mom said when she saw all of the baskets on the kitchen table. (Let them respond.)
Sometimes we believe that we can’t do a lot of things that are really important, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Sometimes, we see people who need help, and we think we can’t help because we are too small, or too young, aren’t strong enough, aren’t smart enough, or don’t have enough money. Sometimes, we see someone who needs help and we feel like the boy and girl in the big crowd and say, “But, it’s just me. What can I do?” I know I have felt that way before, have you? (Let them respond.)
All the boy and girl in our story had was five little loaves of bread and two little fish, but what happened when they gave them to Jesus? (Let them respond.) Sometimes we don’t feel like we can do very much, but when Jesus helps us we can do some really big things!Maybe all I have to give is a smile I could give to someone who is sad. Or maybe all I can do is say something nice to someone who is being picked on by other people. That’s all I have. But our story reminds me that Jesus can take my smile or my nice words, (Show the two baskets.) and make them do really big things. (Show all twelve baskets.) If I want to show people how much I care about them, I don’t have to be bigger, or older, or stronger, or smarter, or richer. All I need to do is just be me. Just me.
I hope our story will help us remember that God created us to take care of each other. 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.
