Lip service is not enough
Children's sermon
Object:
none
Good morning! In the Gospel reading today, we heard Jesus
tell us a story about two sons. Do any of you remember what
happened in that story? (Let them answer to see what they
remember of the parable.)
Well, I'd like to tell you the same kind of story about
something that might have happened quite recently. It seems there
were two children much like you, a boy and a girl. One day the
mother in this family told the girl to clean her room. The girl
told her mother she wouldn't do it. Later, however, she was sorry
that she had said that to her mother, and she went ahead and
cleaned her room. The father in this family told the boy that he
wanted him to mow the lawn. The son promised that he would, but
he didn't do it. Now let me ask you, which of these two was
obedient to the parents? (Let them answer.) Yes, it was the girl
who went ahead and cleaned her room even though she said she
wouldn't. The boy didn't do what he had promised his father he
would do.
When somebody promises to do something and then fails to do
it, we call that giving lip service. That means we are only
saying we will do something, but we don't really do it. Do you
think some people are like that with God? Do you think people
promise God that they will do something and then fail to do it?
(Let them answer.) Yes, that does happen. Do you think it's good
to give lip service to God? (Let them answer.) No, of course not.
Let's ask God to help us be obedient children who never give lip
service to God or our parents.
Dear Father God: We want to be obedient children who obey You and
our parents. Please help us be strong and faithful so that we
will never give only lip service to our duties. Amen.
tell us a story about two sons. Do any of you remember what
happened in that story? (Let them answer to see what they
remember of the parable.)
Well, I'd like to tell you the same kind of story about
something that might have happened quite recently. It seems there
were two children much like you, a boy and a girl. One day the
mother in this family told the girl to clean her room. The girl
told her mother she wouldn't do it. Later, however, she was sorry
that she had said that to her mother, and she went ahead and
cleaned her room. The father in this family told the boy that he
wanted him to mow the lawn. The son promised that he would, but
he didn't do it. Now let me ask you, which of these two was
obedient to the parents? (Let them answer.) Yes, it was the girl
who went ahead and cleaned her room even though she said she
wouldn't. The boy didn't do what he had promised his father he
would do.
When somebody promises to do something and then fails to do
it, we call that giving lip service. That means we are only
saying we will do something, but we don't really do it. Do you
think some people are like that with God? Do you think people
promise God that they will do something and then fail to do it?
(Let them answer.) Yes, that does happen. Do you think it's good
to give lip service to God? (Let them answer.) No, of course not.
Let's ask God to help us be obedient children who never give lip
service to God or our parents.
Dear Father God: We want to be obedient children who obey You and
our parents. Please help us be strong and faithful so that we
will never give only lip service to our duties. Amen.
