Rejoice
Children's sermon
Object:
a wrapped gift
"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance." (v. 7)
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have had a new baby born in your family? (allow answers) Maybe it's your parents' baby, or maybe an aunt and uncle's baby. What happens when a baby is born? (allow answers) Usually we have a party, right? (allow answers) People come over to visit the new parents. They bring lots of gifts for the baby. What kinds of gifts do you think you should give to a new baby? (allow answers) People often give toys, blankets, diapers, and clothing.
If you were the big brother or sister of a new baby -- or if you already are the big brother or sister of a new baby -- how would you feel about all the gifts that the baby was getting? Would you be jealous? (allow answers) You might feel like you should get some presents, too! You might say, "Hey! I'm older! I help my mom and dad. I behave when we have guests over. Shouldn't I get presents for being good? This baby doesn't deserve any presents -- he or she can't even do anything yet!" You might say, "It's not fair!"
When you think about it, it doesn't seem fair that we give all those presents to a new baby. We don't even know if we're going to like that baby when it grows up. The baby might grow up to be someone who is rude or mean or doesn't get along with you. Maybe we should stop giving babies gifts altogether! What do you think? (allow answers) We should stop celebrating births. Sure, a new person was just born, but they might not turn out to be the kind of person we want to hang around with. So we'll just hold off on the celebration, thanks very much.
Well… I don't know about that. Even though these newborn babies may grow up to make mistakes, break our hearts, or make us cry, we have hope that they will grow up to do other things, too. They may become someone's friend; to share God's word; to volunteer; to make others happy; to make a child laugh. Just like this present, which looks like one you might give a newborn, the person that a baby will grow up to become is a surprise wrapped in a blanket.
Our Bible verse does not deal with newborns; rather, it deals with new believers in Jesus. It says, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance." We should welcome new believers in the same way that we welcome new babies: with joy and without jealousy. We don't know what kind of Christians they will become, but we are excited to be able to watch them grow. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have had a new baby born in your family? (allow answers) Maybe it's your parents' baby, or maybe an aunt and uncle's baby. What happens when a baby is born? (allow answers) Usually we have a party, right? (allow answers) People come over to visit the new parents. They bring lots of gifts for the baby. What kinds of gifts do you think you should give to a new baby? (allow answers) People often give toys, blankets, diapers, and clothing.
If you were the big brother or sister of a new baby -- or if you already are the big brother or sister of a new baby -- how would you feel about all the gifts that the baby was getting? Would you be jealous? (allow answers) You might feel like you should get some presents, too! You might say, "Hey! I'm older! I help my mom and dad. I behave when we have guests over. Shouldn't I get presents for being good? This baby doesn't deserve any presents -- he or she can't even do anything yet!" You might say, "It's not fair!"
When you think about it, it doesn't seem fair that we give all those presents to a new baby. We don't even know if we're going to like that baby when it grows up. The baby might grow up to be someone who is rude or mean or doesn't get along with you. Maybe we should stop giving babies gifts altogether! What do you think? (allow answers) We should stop celebrating births. Sure, a new person was just born, but they might not turn out to be the kind of person we want to hang around with. So we'll just hold off on the celebration, thanks very much.
Well… I don't know about that. Even though these newborn babies may grow up to make mistakes, break our hearts, or make us cry, we have hope that they will grow up to do other things, too. They may become someone's friend; to share God's word; to volunteer; to make others happy; to make a child laugh. Just like this present, which looks like one you might give a newborn, the person that a baby will grow up to become is a surprise wrapped in a blanket.
Our Bible verse does not deal with newborns; rather, it deals with new believers in Jesus. It says, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance." We should welcome new believers in the same way that we welcome new babies: with joy and without jealousy. We don't know what kind of Christians they will become, but we are excited to be able to watch them grow. Amen.
