Not surprised!
Children's sermon
Object:
a siren (perhaps a voice siren), some matches, and some medicine for burns
Good morning, boys and girls. If your mom or dad is driving very fast and they pass a police officer, what do you think may happen? (let them answer) What does a siren sound like? (let them make the sound of a siren) Oh, that was good. Do you think your parents are surprised when the police officer gives them a ticket for speeding? (let them answer) You are not surprised!
If you play with matches and burn your fingers, are you surprised? (let them answer) You can't be surprised that it hurts, because everyone has told you not to play with matches.
Surprise is something we feel when something happens that we do not expect. Speeding in a car and getting a ticket is not a surprise. Playing with matches and getting burned is not a surprise.
Peter wrote a letter to Christians and told them not to be surprised about things that happen because of their love for Jesus. Not everyone loves Jesus. There are some people who make fun of Jesus because he is filled with love. Jesus is not the kind of person who hurts with his fists and bad words. Jesus is gentle, kind, and forgiving. There are bad people who make fun of us and think that they are smarter because they just take what they want and say what they want. We should not be surprised because we saw how much Jesus suffered when he was in the world.
Jesus healed the blind and deaf. Jesus cared for children who were hungry. Jesus listened to people who had suffered grief and showed them a new way to live. But there were other people who were jealous of Jesus, and they tried to trick him. They told many lies about him, but Jesus did not get back at them. He did not have God blow them up or make them sick. Instead he tried to show them a better way to live.
That's why the Bible teaches us that when someone hits us we do not hit him back. Is that surprising? (let them answer) If our friend tells a lie about us we do not tell lies about our friend. Is this surprising?
Jesus suffered a lot for us and even died on the cross because people were jealous, full of lies, and other bad things. But Jesus not only died for people like you and me, he also died for the people who made him suffer. That is a surprise, isn't it? (let them answer)
Peter tells us in his book of the Bible that we should be like Jesus and forgive those who try to hurt us and those who do hurt us.
If you play with matches and burn your fingers, are you surprised? (let them answer) You can't be surprised that it hurts, because everyone has told you not to play with matches.
Surprise is something we feel when something happens that we do not expect. Speeding in a car and getting a ticket is not a surprise. Playing with matches and getting burned is not a surprise.
Peter wrote a letter to Christians and told them not to be surprised about things that happen because of their love for Jesus. Not everyone loves Jesus. There are some people who make fun of Jesus because he is filled with love. Jesus is not the kind of person who hurts with his fists and bad words. Jesus is gentle, kind, and forgiving. There are bad people who make fun of us and think that they are smarter because they just take what they want and say what they want. We should not be surprised because we saw how much Jesus suffered when he was in the world.
Jesus healed the blind and deaf. Jesus cared for children who were hungry. Jesus listened to people who had suffered grief and showed them a new way to live. But there were other people who were jealous of Jesus, and they tried to trick him. They told many lies about him, but Jesus did not get back at them. He did not have God blow them up or make them sick. Instead he tried to show them a better way to live.
That's why the Bible teaches us that when someone hits us we do not hit him back. Is that surprising? (let them answer) If our friend tells a lie about us we do not tell lies about our friend. Is this surprising?
Jesus suffered a lot for us and even died on the cross because people were jealous, full of lies, and other bad things. But Jesus not only died for people like you and me, he also died for the people who made him suffer. That is a surprise, isn't it? (let them answer)
Peter tells us in his book of the Bible that we should be like Jesus and forgive those who try to hurt us and those who do hurt us.
