Playing referee
Children's sermon
Object:
a red card
If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. (v. 15)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have ever been to a soccer game? (allow answers) Do you like soccer? (allow answers) How did you like the game you watched? (allow answers)
In soccer, the referee can give players a red card if they are disrespectful or break too many rules. The referee blows his whistle, stops the game, and shows the player the red card. When a player gets a red card, he or she is no longer allowed to play in that game.
During sports games like soccer, players' mistakes are broadcast so the entire audience knows that that person did something wrong. But when we are dealing with people in real life, do you think it's a good idea to shout about other people's mistakes for everyone to hear? (allow answers) When we are dealing with people in real life, we should not point out their mistakes to everyone. It's embarrassing to have someone broadcast your problems! Would you want everyone to know your mistakes? (allow answers) I sure wouldn't!
When someone makes a mistake -- when they say or do something rude, mean, or hurtful -- the best thing to do is to talk to that person quietly when no one else is listening. How would you tell someone that what they said or did was wrong? (allow answers)
Quietly helping someone understand how their words or actions are hurtful helps that person to not feel embarrassed. It shows that you want to treat that person with respect and when you treat them with respect, they will be more likely to treat you with respect and listen to what you have to say.
We are not the referees of the world. We do not have the authority to call out peoples' mistakes in front of others. But we do have the responsibility to help others know when what they say or do is hurtful. So although we can't blow the whistle or throw others out of the game of life, we can still make sure they know the "rules" of the game. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have ever been to a soccer game? (allow answers) Do you like soccer? (allow answers) How did you like the game you watched? (allow answers)
In soccer, the referee can give players a red card if they are disrespectful or break too many rules. The referee blows his whistle, stops the game, and shows the player the red card. When a player gets a red card, he or she is no longer allowed to play in that game.
During sports games like soccer, players' mistakes are broadcast so the entire audience knows that that person did something wrong. But when we are dealing with people in real life, do you think it's a good idea to shout about other people's mistakes for everyone to hear? (allow answers) When we are dealing with people in real life, we should not point out their mistakes to everyone. It's embarrassing to have someone broadcast your problems! Would you want everyone to know your mistakes? (allow answers) I sure wouldn't!
When someone makes a mistake -- when they say or do something rude, mean, or hurtful -- the best thing to do is to talk to that person quietly when no one else is listening. How would you tell someone that what they said or did was wrong? (allow answers)
Quietly helping someone understand how their words or actions are hurtful helps that person to not feel embarrassed. It shows that you want to treat that person with respect and when you treat them with respect, they will be more likely to treat you with respect and listen to what you have to say.
We are not the referees of the world. We do not have the authority to call out peoples' mistakes in front of others. But we do have the responsibility to help others know when what they say or do is hurtful. So although we can't blow the whistle or throw others out of the game of life, we can still make sure they know the "rules" of the game. Amen.
