The laying on of hands
Children's sermon
Object:
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands. (vv. 5-6)
Object: your hands
Good morning, boys and girls. What has two thumbs, eight fingers, and two palms? (let them answer) That's right, your hands. What do you use your hands for? (let them answer) You use them to eat, brush your hair, tie your shoes, draw pictures, and many other things.
Let me share with you some other ways to use our hands. Some people use them to beg for things. They turn them over with the palms up and say, "Give me some food, or something to drink, or some money."
Another way to use our hands is to clap when we want to tell people how well they've played an instrument or sung a song.
We can also fold our hands in prayer and thank God for all of his gifts, especially for our Savior Jesus Christ. We thank him for forgiving us for our sins, for loving us as a member of his family, and for giving us a wonderful world to live in.
There is one more way that hands are used and it is very special. I'd like to talk about this special use of hands. In the Bible reading for today, Saint Paul reminded Timothy that he had once shared a very special gift with him. Timothy was taught the Christian faith from the time he was very young. He was a real believer in Jesus Christ, but he was not doing anything with this wonderful gift besides going to church and living a good life. Do you know what Saint Paul gave Timothy? (let them answer)
Let me show you what Paul shared with Timothy, (select a volunteer and put your hands on the volunteer's head) In the Bible we call this the "laying on of hands" and it means something special. Someone who has dedicated his life to God, like a minister, lays his hands upon people. We pray that these people will receive the Holy Spirit and then share their love of God with others. God asks the people who receive the hands to dedicate their lives to his ministry.
So hands are very important, aren't they? They can do many things for us including the sharing of the Holy Spirit to do ministry.
Let's all take a look at our hands and see how wonderful they are. I pray that someday I may have the opportunity to lay my hands on your head when you dedicate your life to serving Jesus. What do we call this special use of hands? (let them answer) That's right, we call it the "laying on of hands."
Object: your hands
Good morning, boys and girls. What has two thumbs, eight fingers, and two palms? (let them answer) That's right, your hands. What do you use your hands for? (let them answer) You use them to eat, brush your hair, tie your shoes, draw pictures, and many other things.
Let me share with you some other ways to use our hands. Some people use them to beg for things. They turn them over with the palms up and say, "Give me some food, or something to drink, or some money."
Another way to use our hands is to clap when we want to tell people how well they've played an instrument or sung a song.
We can also fold our hands in prayer and thank God for all of his gifts, especially for our Savior Jesus Christ. We thank him for forgiving us for our sins, for loving us as a member of his family, and for giving us a wonderful world to live in.
There is one more way that hands are used and it is very special. I'd like to talk about this special use of hands. In the Bible reading for today, Saint Paul reminded Timothy that he had once shared a very special gift with him. Timothy was taught the Christian faith from the time he was very young. He was a real believer in Jesus Christ, but he was not doing anything with this wonderful gift besides going to church and living a good life. Do you know what Saint Paul gave Timothy? (let them answer)
Let me show you what Paul shared with Timothy, (select a volunteer and put your hands on the volunteer's head) In the Bible we call this the "laying on of hands" and it means something special. Someone who has dedicated his life to God, like a minister, lays his hands upon people. We pray that these people will receive the Holy Spirit and then share their love of God with others. God asks the people who receive the hands to dedicate their lives to his ministry.
So hands are very important, aren't they? They can do many things for us including the sharing of the Holy Spirit to do ministry.
Let's all take a look at our hands and see how wonderful they are. I pray that someday I may have the opportunity to lay my hands on your head when you dedicate your life to serving Jesus. What do we call this special use of hands? (let them answer) That's right, we call it the "laying on of hands."
