No Junk!
Children's sermon
Object: A garbage bag.
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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! I will start by asking you a question: Can anyone think of someone who is really important or famous? (Let them respond and draw them out until they have mentioned at least three or four names.) Do you think it would be fun to be famous? (Let them respond.) Well, our story today is about someone who was really, REALLY famous. He lived a long time ago, but he was so famous then that we still talk about him today. His name was John.
John was not a famous singer or movie star and didn’t ride around in a big fancy car. But if he were here today, I’ll bet he would have his own YouTube channel and would be on TikTok. He wasn’t a famous author or politician, and he wasn’t rich; he didn’t wear fancy clothes and didn’t live in a great big mansion someplace. But everywhere John went, people came to see him and listen to him. There were big crowds of people coming to see him. People traveled from all over the country to see him and hear what he had to tell them. Even the rich and powerful people from the city came to see John and hear him talk. John liked to meet people by a river so he could baptize them. So many people came to see him that they crowded around both sides of the river.
John would stand in the river and tell the people that God was going to send them someone really special who was going to help them. When he said that, the people all shouted and cheered and waved their arms in the air. They said things like, “We know you are the one God has sent us!” and “No one is more special than you are!” and things like that. John kept telling them that God was going to send someone more important than he was, but no one believed him. The people believed that no one would ever be as special and as important as John was.
John was kind of like a superstar, wasn’t he? (Let them respond.) Have you ever done something that made you feel special or kind of famous like that? (Let them respond.) Maybe you won something or did something that everyone thought was cool. Maybe you won a race or drew a really great picture, and everyone cheered and said, “That is awesome!” Has something like that ever happened to you? (Let them respond.) How does it feel when people treat us like we are special? (Let them respond.) It feels pretty good, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) Have you ever thought it would be nice to feel that way all the time? (Let them respond.) If everyone followed you around and wanted to be with you, if everyone let you go first in line, and nobody picked on you or made fun of you. Do you think that might be pretty nice? (Let them respond.) I think we all feel that way sometimes, don’t you? (Let them respond.) I wonder if John liked being famous? He knew he was supposed to tell everyone that God was going to send someone more important than him, but I wonder if he ever wished he could just stay famous, too.
Well, one day, when John was standing in the river, he saw Jesus waiting in line to be baptized. I wonder how John felt when he saw Jesus? (Let them respond.) Do you think he was excited to see Jesus there, or do you think he felt kind of sad? It was kind of nice having everyone follow him around and say nice things about him. Do you think John had a hard time deciding if he was going to tell everyone who Jesus was? (Let them respond.) John knew that when he told everyone that Jesus was the one God was sending to help them, they would start following Jesus, and John would not be as famous anymore. Now that everyone believed that Jesus was the special one, do you think John might have felt like he was finished? (Show the trash bag.) Do you think John might have felt like he was kind of like a piece of junk that is thrown away when we are done using it? (Act like you are tossing something into the trash bag as you let them respond.) So, what do you think John did when he saw Jesus standing in line? (Let them respond.)
When John baptized Jesus, he looked at the people standing around and said, “This is the man that God is sending to you. He is more powerful than me, and he is the one you should follow!” And right after John baptized Jesus, they heard a voice that said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” The story says that God’s voice was talking about Jesus, but I think God might have been talking about John, too, don’t you? (Let them respond.) John could have just ignored Jesus and not told everyone who he was, couldn’t he? (Let them respond.) And then John would still be famous and important, wouldn’t he? (Let them respond.)
But John knew something very important. John knew that God created each one of us to be something very special. We don’t all look alike, do we? (Let them respond.) And we don’t all talk alike or eat the same kind of food, do we? (Let them respond.) Some of us might look more important than others or be more famous than others, but John knew that God created each one of us to be someone very special. No matter how different we all might be, John knew one thing. (Show the trash bag.) John knew that God does not create junk.
God sent John to tell everyone about Jesus, and that is what John did. That is what made John so special. Sometimes we may see people who look more famous than us, or we see people who look more important than us, but we know that God created each one of us to be someone very special.
If we ever feel like we aren’t all that special or important, or if we see someone who we think looks more important than we are, I hope our story about John will help us remember that one thing. Will you all say it with me? What did John remember that we need to remember, too? (Show the garbage bag and have everyone join you in saying it.) God does not create junk! Let’s say it together one more time. (Say it together as you show the garbage bag.) God does not create junk!
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! I will start by asking you a question: Can anyone think of someone who is really important or famous? (Let them respond and draw them out until they have mentioned at least three or four names.) Do you think it would be fun to be famous? (Let them respond.) Well, our story today is about someone who was really, REALLY famous. He lived a long time ago, but he was so famous then that we still talk about him today. His name was John.
John was not a famous singer or movie star and didn’t ride around in a big fancy car. But if he were here today, I’ll bet he would have his own YouTube channel and would be on TikTok. He wasn’t a famous author or politician, and he wasn’t rich; he didn’t wear fancy clothes and didn’t live in a great big mansion someplace. But everywhere John went, people came to see him and listen to him. There were big crowds of people coming to see him. People traveled from all over the country to see him and hear what he had to tell them. Even the rich and powerful people from the city came to see John and hear him talk. John liked to meet people by a river so he could baptize them. So many people came to see him that they crowded around both sides of the river.
John would stand in the river and tell the people that God was going to send them someone really special who was going to help them. When he said that, the people all shouted and cheered and waved their arms in the air. They said things like, “We know you are the one God has sent us!” and “No one is more special than you are!” and things like that. John kept telling them that God was going to send someone more important than he was, but no one believed him. The people believed that no one would ever be as special and as important as John was.
John was kind of like a superstar, wasn’t he? (Let them respond.) Have you ever done something that made you feel special or kind of famous like that? (Let them respond.) Maybe you won something or did something that everyone thought was cool. Maybe you won a race or drew a really great picture, and everyone cheered and said, “That is awesome!” Has something like that ever happened to you? (Let them respond.) How does it feel when people treat us like we are special? (Let them respond.) It feels pretty good, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) Have you ever thought it would be nice to feel that way all the time? (Let them respond.) If everyone followed you around and wanted to be with you, if everyone let you go first in line, and nobody picked on you or made fun of you. Do you think that might be pretty nice? (Let them respond.) I think we all feel that way sometimes, don’t you? (Let them respond.) I wonder if John liked being famous? He knew he was supposed to tell everyone that God was going to send someone more important than him, but I wonder if he ever wished he could just stay famous, too.
Well, one day, when John was standing in the river, he saw Jesus waiting in line to be baptized. I wonder how John felt when he saw Jesus? (Let them respond.) Do you think he was excited to see Jesus there, or do you think he felt kind of sad? It was kind of nice having everyone follow him around and say nice things about him. Do you think John had a hard time deciding if he was going to tell everyone who Jesus was? (Let them respond.) John knew that when he told everyone that Jesus was the one God was sending to help them, they would start following Jesus, and John would not be as famous anymore. Now that everyone believed that Jesus was the special one, do you think John might have felt like he was finished? (Show the trash bag.) Do you think John might have felt like he was kind of like a piece of junk that is thrown away when we are done using it? (Act like you are tossing something into the trash bag as you let them respond.) So, what do you think John did when he saw Jesus standing in line? (Let them respond.)
When John baptized Jesus, he looked at the people standing around and said, “This is the man that God is sending to you. He is more powerful than me, and he is the one you should follow!” And right after John baptized Jesus, they heard a voice that said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” The story says that God’s voice was talking about Jesus, but I think God might have been talking about John, too, don’t you? (Let them respond.) John could have just ignored Jesus and not told everyone who he was, couldn’t he? (Let them respond.) And then John would still be famous and important, wouldn’t he? (Let them respond.)
But John knew something very important. John knew that God created each one of us to be something very special. We don’t all look alike, do we? (Let them respond.) And we don’t all talk alike or eat the same kind of food, do we? (Let them respond.) Some of us might look more important than others or be more famous than others, but John knew that God created each one of us to be someone very special. No matter how different we all might be, John knew one thing. (Show the trash bag.) John knew that God does not create junk.
God sent John to tell everyone about Jesus, and that is what John did. That is what made John so special. Sometimes we may see people who look more famous than us, or we see people who look more important than us, but we know that God created each one of us to be someone very special.
If we ever feel like we aren’t all that special or important, or if we see someone who we think looks more important than we are, I hope our story about John will help us remember that one thing. Will you all say it with me? What did John remember that we need to remember, too? (Show the garbage bag and have everyone join you in saying it.) God does not create junk! Let’s say it together one more time. (Say it together as you show the garbage bag.) God does not create junk!
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
