A personal message
Children's sermon
Object:
a letter and a cell phone
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the First Sunday of Advent and that means we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Jesus. We know that Jesus is coming again; we just do not know when. But someday Jesus is coming back to our earth.
But in the meantime, people need to know about Jesus. After Jesus died and was resurrected, the disciples knew that they needed to share the story of Jesus with people everywhere. One of the ways they did this was to write everything down and send letters to people in different towns to read. Some of those letters that people wrote are in our Bible.
We can still write letters. I have a letter with me today that comes from a friend in Florida who wrote to tell me about the joy they feel in their hearts because of the love of Jesus.
I also have one of these (hold up your cell phone). I can call people and tell them how much Jesus means to me. But I can also talk to people who are worried and depressed and help them. We talk on the phone and thank Jesus for the joy he has shared with us.
But Paul told the people in Thessalonica that the best way to share Jesus is to meet with people face to face. I love Sunday mornings when we are together and we have our few minutes and I share with you and you share with me the good things that God has done for us.
We look into each other's eyes, we watch each other's lips move, and we see the expression on our faces when we speak. When I talk to you on the telephone, can you see my smile? (let them answer) When you write me a letter, can I see the love that you have for Jesus written all over your face? (let them answer) But when we are together here at church or when I visit you in your home or see you at school or work, then I know how the whole person feels.
Paul didn't have a phone or I know he would have been on it all of the time talking to people in Athens, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, Galatia, Rome, and other places. But even if he could call all over the world, he would rather see people face to face and talk about Jesus.
It is the same way with us. Write a letter or make a phone call, but most of all, see your friends face to face and tell them about how much you love Jesus and how much he loves you.
But in the meantime, people need to know about Jesus. After Jesus died and was resurrected, the disciples knew that they needed to share the story of Jesus with people everywhere. One of the ways they did this was to write everything down and send letters to people in different towns to read. Some of those letters that people wrote are in our Bible.
We can still write letters. I have a letter with me today that comes from a friend in Florida who wrote to tell me about the joy they feel in their hearts because of the love of Jesus.
I also have one of these (hold up your cell phone). I can call people and tell them how much Jesus means to me. But I can also talk to people who are worried and depressed and help them. We talk on the phone and thank Jesus for the joy he has shared with us.
But Paul told the people in Thessalonica that the best way to share Jesus is to meet with people face to face. I love Sunday mornings when we are together and we have our few minutes and I share with you and you share with me the good things that God has done for us.
We look into each other's eyes, we watch each other's lips move, and we see the expression on our faces when we speak. When I talk to you on the telephone, can you see my smile? (let them answer) When you write me a letter, can I see the love that you have for Jesus written all over your face? (let them answer) But when we are together here at church or when I visit you in your home or see you at school or work, then I know how the whole person feels.
Paul didn't have a phone or I know he would have been on it all of the time talking to people in Athens, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, Galatia, Rome, and other places. But even if he could call all over the world, he would rather see people face to face and talk about Jesus.
It is the same way with us. Write a letter or make a phone call, but most of all, see your friends face to face and tell them about how much you love Jesus and how much he loves you.
