Keep alert
Children's sermon
Object:
a clock
Good morning, boys and girls. I have a question for the
children who go to school. In your class, does your teacher
assign different tasks to students each day? Is one student a
leader, another assigned to clean the chalkboard, or another
assigned to take the lunch count to the office each day? (Let
them answer.) I want to tell you a story about a class of
students about your age. This class is a little different from
other classes. In this class, one person represents Jesus. All
the students represent people. See if you can tell who is Jesus.
See if you can decide who is ready for Jesus' return.
One day in this class, the teacher told the students, "I will be out of the class for a while. But, I will give each of you a task to do while I am gone." The teacher assigned a leader for the day. The teacher assigned someone to clean the chalkboard. Another was assigned to read, and another to teach math. One student was assigned to stay at the door and to watch for the teacher to return. The other students were also given assignments. Then the teacher left. (Hold up the clock.) The students did not know if the teacher would return in five minutes, before the first recess bell, after lunch or right before the end of the school day!
You can imagine what happened. Some of the students did their work. They also stayed alert. They stayed awake. They worked on their assignments. They waited patiently for the teacher's return. They were prepared for the teacher's return. Others didn't do their work. Some of the students even fell asleep during class! They were not prepared for their teacher's return. Now let me ask, who do you think represents Jesus in this story? Which students are ready for Jesus' return? (Let them answer.) Jesus told a story like this one to his disciples. Jesus said that we must all be like the students who were prepared. Be alert. Keep awake. Wait with patience. Work faithfully. We do not know when Jesus will return. But as followers of Jesus, we know that Jesus will return.
One day in this class, the teacher told the students, "I will be out of the class for a while. But, I will give each of you a task to do while I am gone." The teacher assigned a leader for the day. The teacher assigned someone to clean the chalkboard. Another was assigned to read, and another to teach math. One student was assigned to stay at the door and to watch for the teacher to return. The other students were also given assignments. Then the teacher left. (Hold up the clock.) The students did not know if the teacher would return in five minutes, before the first recess bell, after lunch or right before the end of the school day!
You can imagine what happened. Some of the students did their work. They also stayed alert. They stayed awake. They worked on their assignments. They waited patiently for the teacher's return. They were prepared for the teacher's return. Others didn't do their work. Some of the students even fell asleep during class! They were not prepared for their teacher's return. Now let me ask, who do you think represents Jesus in this story? Which students are ready for Jesus' return? (Let them answer.) Jesus told a story like this one to his disciples. Jesus said that we must all be like the students who were prepared. Be alert. Keep awake. Wait with patience. Work faithfully. We do not know when Jesus will return. But as followers of Jesus, we know that Jesus will return.
