Open your hearts
Children's sermon
Object:
a paper sack and some marbles
Good morning! I want you to play a little game with me this
morning. I'd like to see if you can toss these marbles into this
sack. (Show the sack and the marbles.) Here is a marble for each
of you. I will hold the sack and you toss the marbles into the
sack. (Give them each a marble and then hold the sack for them,
but make sure it is closed up.) How come none of you are able to
toss a marble into the sack? (Let them answer.) Yes, of course.
You can't get the marble into the sack if the sack is closed.
Let's try it again with the sack open. (Open the sack and let
them toss the marbles in.)
Saint Paul tells us in the Bible that we should "open our
hearts." What do you think he means by that? (Let them answer.)
He means that we should be open with each other by listening to
each other and sharing our own thoughts and feelings with each
other. It means being honest with each other and not dishonest.
It means always telling the truth and not lying to each other.
Just like it was easy for the marbles to go into the sack when it
was open and impossible for them to go in when it was closed, so
it is with us. If we are open with each other, we can hear what
the other person tells us and be concerned about them. Isn't that
a good thing to do? (Let them answer.)
Let's ask God to help us keep our hearts open so we can hear
what other people say to us and care about what they need.
Dear God: Help us always to have "open hearts" so we can hear
what other people say to us and be the kind of caring people that
You want us to be. Amen.
morning. I'd like to see if you can toss these marbles into this
sack. (Show the sack and the marbles.) Here is a marble for each
of you. I will hold the sack and you toss the marbles into the
sack. (Give them each a marble and then hold the sack for them,
but make sure it is closed up.) How come none of you are able to
toss a marble into the sack? (Let them answer.) Yes, of course.
You can't get the marble into the sack if the sack is closed.
Let's try it again with the sack open. (Open the sack and let
them toss the marbles in.)
Saint Paul tells us in the Bible that we should "open our
hearts." What do you think he means by that? (Let them answer.)
He means that we should be open with each other by listening to
each other and sharing our own thoughts and feelings with each
other. It means being honest with each other and not dishonest.
It means always telling the truth and not lying to each other.
Just like it was easy for the marbles to go into the sack when it
was open and impossible for them to go in when it was closed, so
it is with us. If we are open with each other, we can hear what
the other person tells us and be concerned about them. Isn't that
a good thing to do? (Let them answer.)
Let's ask God to help us keep our hearts open so we can hear
what other people say to us and care about what they need.
Dear God: Help us always to have "open hearts" so we can hear
what other people say to us and be the kind of caring people that
You want us to be. Amen.
