Only you
Children's sermon
Object:
a pinecone
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (v. 10)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have ever seen a pinecone? (allow answers) Do you know where pinecones come from? (allow answers) Pinecones come from pine trees! They are the seed pods of pine trees.
Now, when you look at a pinecone, does it look alive? (allow answers) Well… not really. It doesn't eat anything. It doesn't move. It doesn't grow. Looks pretty dead to me! In fact, it seems to be all locked down. This is a seed pod -- shouldn't it be open so that the seeds can come out? (allow answers)
Pinecones are seed pods, but they are very special pods. They lock pine tree seeds inside. For some pinecones, only a fire can crack the pods enough so that the seeds can get out and create new trees!
Have you heard of forest fires on the news before? (allow answers) Who can tell me what a forest fire is? (allow answers) A forest fire is just what it sounds like -- when a whole forest of trees catches fire! That sounds pretty dangerous, don't you think? (allow answers) Forest fires can cause lots of problems for people who live in or near forests. Firefighters do their best to put out the flames by dropping water from airplanes and through other methods.
Even though the fire is not good for the people who live near a forest -- and it's not very good for all the trees it burns down -- it can do good things. For example, it opens the seed pods, like this pinecone, of many trees in the forest. Thanks to forest fires, new trees have a chance to grow and reclaim the charred remains of the burned forest.
These seeds are kind of like us. Sometimes, we reach a point where we feel dead with sin. We feel like we have sinned too much, like there is no way God can forgive us. We lock the good things inside of us like a pinecone locks in its seeds. But God's love is like a cleansing fire. Sometimes when we open ourselves to God, it can hurt. Looking at the bad choices we have made and saying "I'm sorry" for each of them is not a fun thing to do. But, like the forest fire, even though it is painful, it is also good. Because when we accept God's love, we open, like the pinecone. Our Spirit -- the seeds of goodness that we locked inside -- is released, and we have a new chance to live as people who celebrate and worship God. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have ever seen a pinecone? (allow answers) Do you know where pinecones come from? (allow answers) Pinecones come from pine trees! They are the seed pods of pine trees.
Now, when you look at a pinecone, does it look alive? (allow answers) Well… not really. It doesn't eat anything. It doesn't move. It doesn't grow. Looks pretty dead to me! In fact, it seems to be all locked down. This is a seed pod -- shouldn't it be open so that the seeds can come out? (allow answers)
Pinecones are seed pods, but they are very special pods. They lock pine tree seeds inside. For some pinecones, only a fire can crack the pods enough so that the seeds can get out and create new trees!
Have you heard of forest fires on the news before? (allow answers) Who can tell me what a forest fire is? (allow answers) A forest fire is just what it sounds like -- when a whole forest of trees catches fire! That sounds pretty dangerous, don't you think? (allow answers) Forest fires can cause lots of problems for people who live in or near forests. Firefighters do their best to put out the flames by dropping water from airplanes and through other methods.
Even though the fire is not good for the people who live near a forest -- and it's not very good for all the trees it burns down -- it can do good things. For example, it opens the seed pods, like this pinecone, of many trees in the forest. Thanks to forest fires, new trees have a chance to grow and reclaim the charred remains of the burned forest.
These seeds are kind of like us. Sometimes, we reach a point where we feel dead with sin. We feel like we have sinned too much, like there is no way God can forgive us. We lock the good things inside of us like a pinecone locks in its seeds. But God's love is like a cleansing fire. Sometimes when we open ourselves to God, it can hurt. Looking at the bad choices we have made and saying "I'm sorry" for each of them is not a fun thing to do. But, like the forest fire, even though it is painful, it is also good. Because when we accept God's love, we open, like the pinecone. Our Spirit -- the seeds of goodness that we locked inside -- is released, and we have a new chance to live as people who celebrate and worship God. Amen.
