Mercy
Children's sermon
Object:
a fresh flower and a wilted flower
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (v. 13)
Good morning, boys and girls! I brought two flowers with me today. (show flowers) What can you tell me about these flowers? (allow answers) This flower is happy and healthy. It looks like it has had plenty of sunlight, plant food, and was planted in good soil. This flower, on the other hand, looks kind of sad. Maybe it hasn't had enough water. Maybe it was knocked over and trampled on. This flower has seen some rough times. If you had to pick one of these flowers to display in your house or to give to someone special, which would you choose? (allow answers) I'd sure choose this healthy, beautiful flower! If I gave someone this ugly flower, they might just throw it on the floor. Flowers are supposed to be beautiful, not wilted and sad!
Sometimes people can be like flowers. Some people are energetic, optimistic, and beautiful. They have good manners, good jobs, and good friends. Everything seems to work out for them. Then there are people who are more like this wilted flower. These people are tired. Sometimes they are grumpy. Their scowling faces are frightening. If you had to pick one of these people to spend time with, who would you choose? (allow answers) I would pick one of the happy people!
Who of these people -- or which of these flowers -- do you think God would pick? (allow answers) God doesn't choose things the way we choose things. We choose flowers and people based on their good qualities. We look for kindness, joy, and strength when choosing our friends. We look for health and beauty when choosing flowers. But God has different criteria. In his mercy, God often picks exactly who -- or what -- we don't expect. He might choose someone with a stutter to lead a large group of people. He might choose a young boy with no experience to defeat a dangerous enemy. He might choose a dirty, smelly horse barn as the place for something holy to happen. In fact, God has done all those things. He chose Moses, a man who didn't like to speak in front of people, to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He chose David, a boy with no weapons except a slingshot, to kill the giant Goliath. He chose a dark stable in the tiny town of Bethlehem to be the birthplace of Jesus, God's only Son.
So although we might choose the healthy flower, we cannot forget about the wilted flowers. In God's kingdom, even the wilted flowers -- even scowling people -- have a part to play. God just hasn't called them to it yet. In his love and mercy, God hears even the saddest and loneliest of his creation. Just as he has a plan for the healthy, blooming flowers, so he also has a plan for thirsty, wilted blooms. It is our job to show the same kind of love to everyone we meet -- no matter how thirsty and wilted they may be. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! I brought two flowers with me today. (show flowers) What can you tell me about these flowers? (allow answers) This flower is happy and healthy. It looks like it has had plenty of sunlight, plant food, and was planted in good soil. This flower, on the other hand, looks kind of sad. Maybe it hasn't had enough water. Maybe it was knocked over and trampled on. This flower has seen some rough times. If you had to pick one of these flowers to display in your house or to give to someone special, which would you choose? (allow answers) I'd sure choose this healthy, beautiful flower! If I gave someone this ugly flower, they might just throw it on the floor. Flowers are supposed to be beautiful, not wilted and sad!
Sometimes people can be like flowers. Some people are energetic, optimistic, and beautiful. They have good manners, good jobs, and good friends. Everything seems to work out for them. Then there are people who are more like this wilted flower. These people are tired. Sometimes they are grumpy. Their scowling faces are frightening. If you had to pick one of these people to spend time with, who would you choose? (allow answers) I would pick one of the happy people!
Who of these people -- or which of these flowers -- do you think God would pick? (allow answers) God doesn't choose things the way we choose things. We choose flowers and people based on their good qualities. We look for kindness, joy, and strength when choosing our friends. We look for health and beauty when choosing flowers. But God has different criteria. In his mercy, God often picks exactly who -- or what -- we don't expect. He might choose someone with a stutter to lead a large group of people. He might choose a young boy with no experience to defeat a dangerous enemy. He might choose a dirty, smelly horse barn as the place for something holy to happen. In fact, God has done all those things. He chose Moses, a man who didn't like to speak in front of people, to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He chose David, a boy with no weapons except a slingshot, to kill the giant Goliath. He chose a dark stable in the tiny town of Bethlehem to be the birthplace of Jesus, God's only Son.
So although we might choose the healthy flower, we cannot forget about the wilted flowers. In God's kingdom, even the wilted flowers -- even scowling people -- have a part to play. God just hasn't called them to it yet. In his love and mercy, God hears even the saddest and loneliest of his creation. Just as he has a plan for the healthy, blooming flowers, so he also has a plan for thirsty, wilted blooms. It is our job to show the same kind of love to everyone we meet -- no matter how thirsty and wilted they may be. Amen.
