Childrens Sermon Service

First Thoughts: In just another two weeks we will be encountering the sorrow and loss of the cross. It is difficult for children to understand the meaning of the cross, as difficult as it was for those early followers to understand and -- if we're honest -- for us too. It is a terribly painful story to hear, and it would be very easy to be overwhelmed by it, which is likely why Jesus is trying to prepare his friends with teaching them lessons, to help point beyond the obvious tragedy to the promise of hope. One way to understand the experience of the cross is to think about losses we have had in our lives: deaths, life transitions, broken relationships. When we gain some distance from these losses, we can often see that -- as hard as they were to live through, and as unwelcome as they felt -- the experience of loss shifts things around and makes room in our lives that wasn't there previously. It is indeed true that every ending is really a new beginning. This doesn't make an experience of loss any less painful, but perhaps this makes it a bit less overwhelming, knowing that the story doesn't end here. It continues on, guided by God's faithful and knowing hand, moving inexplicably and irresistibly into greater healing and abundance. Carry your reflection with you in your time with the children.

Props You Will Need: seed magazine with pictures of vegetables (optional)

Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 looking at the seed magazine, laughing and smiling)
Leader 1: Hey, what do you have there -- a comic book?
Leader 2: No, better -- a seed magazine! Spring is just around the corner, and I'm starting to think about planting my garden.
Leader 1: Wow! That seems to make you very happy.
Leader 2: Yep, I love fresh veggies -- cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. (suddenly face falls)
Leader 1: What's wrong? You suddenly look kind of sad.
Leader 2: I was just remembering my garden last year. I planted all these tomato plants, and boy, were those tomatoes yummy! But I went away for a weekend and when I came home about six of the prettiest, ripest tomatoes had fallen on the ground. By the time I found them they were turning rotten. Those yummy tomatoes were all just wasted. It was pretty sad.
Leader 1: I can see why you were sad, but they weren't really wasted, you know.
Leader 2: Why do you say that? I didn't get to eat them.
Leader 1: That's true, but have you ever really looked at a tomato? What are its parts?
Leader 2: Hmmm, let's see. There's the red skin, the juicy pulp, and the seeds.
Leader 1: Right -- the seeds! See, when those tomatoes landed on the ground, the tomato seeds got a chance to be planted in the ground. And what happens when you plant a tomato seed?
Leader 2: You get a new tomato plant!
Leader 1: That's right. That's kind of what Jesus was telling his disciples in our lesson today. They were getting closer and closer to the time when Jesus would be taken away from them. He was trying to help them understand that they would lose him for a little while, but he would return to them and be much more powerful. Like in your garden, by losing one tomato you might get several plants -- each making lots of tomatoes! I think that's what Jesus was telling his friends. Even when something sad happens, and we lose something we love a lot, we can be sure that God is with us and that will help us grow stronger with even greater blessings than before.
Leader 2: So you're saying that I might not even have to plant tomatoes this year -- that God might have done it for me?
Leader 1: Maybe. I guess you'll just have to wait until spring to find out!

Teaching On Your Own: (with magazine) You know what I have here? It's a seed catalog, full of all kinds of vegetables I can plant in my garden. You know, spring will be here before you know it, and I want to be ready! I just love fresh veggies -- cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. How about you guys -- what kind of vegetables do you love best? (suddenly face falls) You know what? I just remembered something from last year that made me sad. I planted all these tomato plants, and boy, were those tomatoes yummy! But I went away for a weekend, and when I came home about six of the prettiest, ripest tomatoes had fallen on the ground. By the time I found them they were turning rotten. Those yummy tomatoes were all just wasted. It was pretty sad. But -- wait a minute -- what's this? (holding up magazine) A seed catalog. You put seeds in the ground so the plants will grow and tomatoes have seeds inside them! So when those tomatoes landed on the ground, do you think the seeds they had might have gotten into the soil? If they did, then you know what that means -- those seeds could make new tomato plants. This summer I might have more tomatoes than ever! That's kind of what Jesus was talking about in our lesson today. Jesus and his friends were getting closer and closer to the time when Jesus would be taken away from them. He was trying to help them understand that they would lose him for a little while, but he would return to them and be much more powerful. Jesus wanted his friends to understand that, even when something sad happens, and we lose something we love a lot, we can be sure that God is with us and that will help us grow stronger with even greater blessings than before. You know, it might be that with all those seeds in the ground from last summer, I might not need to plant any new tomato seeds at all. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Closing Prayer: Gardening God, thank you for planting your seeds of love in our lives. Help us to trust you when we go through times of loss and sorrow, believing that you are with us at all times and are always working for our healing and blessing. Help us to share this faith with others who suffer loss. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

Follow-Up Lesson: A great way to follow up this lesson, in a home or classroom setting, is to continue the discussion about how seeds turn into fruit-bearing plants. Often seeds don't look anything like the plants they're going to be -- almost like God is planting little surprise packages for us. Help the children consider different scenarios in which they might lose something, and how God might turn the loss into an unexpected blessing. (Example: a friend moves away and a child realizes that they can be friends with somebody new, a child has to leave preschool but gets to learn lots of new things in kindergarten, and so on.) As an activity, gather together several different kinds of seeds. Along with typical vegetable seeds, look for more interesting ones like pumpkin seeds, apple seeds, kiwi and peach pits, and so forth. Put all the seeds in a bag together. (Make sure you put tiny seeds in their own smaller bag, so they don't get lost!) List each seed represented on slips of paper or provide coloring pictures of each plant; then invite the children to reach into the big bag and pull out the seeds one at a time. Encourage them to guess which seed goes with which slip of paper. For a craft, let each child pick the seed they want from the mix. You can either allow them to draw the corresponding fruit/vegetable on a piece of paper or allow them to color the pictures you provided. Include on the picture a paraphrase of John 12:24, "If the seed falls to the ground, it bears much fruit." Attach the picture to sturdy cardstock or cardboard and then glue the chosen seed(s) on the picture. Punch a hole in the top of your project and run a piece of yarn through the hole. If you have a Lent tree hang each child's ornament on the tree (with name on the back) or send the craft home with them.