No grudges allowed
Children's sermon
Object:
ask the children to fold their arms against their chests and stick out their bottom lips
And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him.... (v. 19a)
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever held a grudge against someone? (let them answer) Do you know what a grudge is? (let them answer) A grudge is something you remember a long time after you should have forgotten it. A grudge makes you unhappy just thinking about it. You may have grudges against people who may have hurt you or said something about you or forgot to invite you to their birthday party. All you have to do is see the person who forgot to invite you to the birthday party and you look like you have a grudge. Do you know what someone looks like when they have a grudge? Let me show you what you look like when you have a grudge. (ask the children to fold their arms across their chests and stick out their bottom lips) That's what a grudge looks like and you can tell someone who has a grudge every time. I know some people who have a grudge for years. The grudge may start when he/she is a child and it just gets bigger every year.
Jesus tells the story of why John the Baptist had his head cut off. It was because the wife of King Herod held a grudge against John the Baptist. John had told the crowds that she was not an honest woman and that made her husband, the king, a dishonest man. She wanted to kill John the Baptist, but King Herod would not have anything to do with it. One day, he promised his wife's daughter that he would give her anything she wanted. Her mother told the daughter to ask the king to cut off the head of John the Baptist and bring it to her on a large dish. The king was sick but he felt like he had to keep his promise because he had made it in front of others. Soldiers cut off the head of John the Baptist and brought it to the king and his wife's daughter. John the Baptist died because of a grudge.
It is not a good thing to have a grudge and we should share our grudges with Jesus and ask him to forgive us for feeling this way. We don't want to have grudges. The next time you think about one of your grudges (have the children stand up and demonstrate their grudges), I want you to say a prayer to Jesus and ask him to forgive you. Then before you know it, the grudge will turn you into a very happy and forgiven boy or girl. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever held a grudge against someone? (let them answer) Do you know what a grudge is? (let them answer) A grudge is something you remember a long time after you should have forgotten it. A grudge makes you unhappy just thinking about it. You may have grudges against people who may have hurt you or said something about you or forgot to invite you to their birthday party. All you have to do is see the person who forgot to invite you to the birthday party and you look like you have a grudge. Do you know what someone looks like when they have a grudge? Let me show you what you look like when you have a grudge. (ask the children to fold their arms across their chests and stick out their bottom lips) That's what a grudge looks like and you can tell someone who has a grudge every time. I know some people who have a grudge for years. The grudge may start when he/she is a child and it just gets bigger every year.
Jesus tells the story of why John the Baptist had his head cut off. It was because the wife of King Herod held a grudge against John the Baptist. John had told the crowds that she was not an honest woman and that made her husband, the king, a dishonest man. She wanted to kill John the Baptist, but King Herod would not have anything to do with it. One day, he promised his wife's daughter that he would give her anything she wanted. Her mother told the daughter to ask the king to cut off the head of John the Baptist and bring it to her on a large dish. The king was sick but he felt like he had to keep his promise because he had made it in front of others. Soldiers cut off the head of John the Baptist and brought it to the king and his wife's daughter. John the Baptist died because of a grudge.
It is not a good thing to have a grudge and we should share our grudges with Jesus and ask him to forgive us for feeling this way. We don't want to have grudges. The next time you think about one of your grudges (have the children stand up and demonstrate their grudges), I want you to say a prayer to Jesus and ask him to forgive you. Then before you know it, the grudge will turn you into a very happy and forgiven boy or girl. Amen.
