Rule Number One!
Children's sermon
Object: A list of rules, or a book of rules. I used a “Rules of the Road” book for learning how to drive an automobile.
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have a story to tell you today. Are you ready to hear it? (Let them respond.) Great! Here we go!
But first, does anyone know what I have here? (Show the rulebook and let them respond.) It is a list of rules we need to learn to be able to drive a car. These are rules we need to follow so we are safe when we drive and don’t get into some kind of trouble. Sometimes it seems like we have a lot of rules to follow, doesn’t it? Have you ever gotten into trouble for not following a rule? (Let them respond.) Yes, I think we all have at some time, haven’t we? Did you know that Jesus even got in trouble for breaking a rule? (Let them respond.) He really did. Let me tell you the story.
It happened one day when Jesus went to the synagogue for the weekly worship service, just like we come here for our service each week. Jesus was teaching everyone when he noticed a woman sitting in the back of the crowd. She was sitting in her seat, but instead of sitting like everyone else, she was all bent over and sitting kind of sideways in her seat. She was really sick and had been sick like that for eighteen years. That’s a long time, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) It’s longer than you have been alive, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Jesus looked at her, and he looked at the people sitting around her. They were all kind of leaning away from her like they were afraid to touch her because one of the rules in the synagogue was that you were not supposed to touch anyone who was sick. The rules said that if someone was sick, it was because they had done something wrong and God was punishing them, and you were supposed to stay away from them like they had cooties or something. Can you imagine being sick for eighteen years? That means people had been staying away from her for a long time, doesn’t it? I wonder how that woman felt? (Let them respond.) She was probably pretty sad, huh?
Jesus looked at the woman, and he looked at the people around her, and do you know what Jesus did? (Let them respond.) He stopped teaching and asked the woman to come to the front of the synagogue with him. When she got there, he looked at her and told her she wasn’t sick anymore, and do you know what happened? (Let them respond.) The woman looked at him and she stood up nice and straight. For the first time in eighteen years, she was not sick anymore. Jesus had healed the sick woman. How do you think she felt after that? (Let them respond.) She was excited! She walked around the synagogue singing and thanking God for helping her.
And what do you think happened next? (Let them respond.) Did everyone in the synagogue get up and cheer for the woman and give her a big hug? (Let them respond.) Did they all pray to God to say, “Thank You!” for helping the sick woman? (Let them respond.) No, that’s not what happened. Instead, the leader of the synagogue pulled out the list of religious rules and got really angry with Jesus. The leader said, “The rules say that today is a day of rest and that no one should do any work today. But you just healed that woman, and according to the rules, healing is working. So, you just broke God’s rules and need to be punished.”
What do you think Jesus did next? (Let them respond.)
Jesus looked at the man and asked him, “Do you have a donkey?”
The man looked confused, but said, “Yes, I do.”
Jesus said, “Before you came to the synagogue this morning, did you untie your donkey so it could go get its food and water?”
The man said, “Yes, of course, I did.”
Jesus smiled. “But don’t the rules say that untying a rope is work?”
The man, said, “Well, yes. But —”
Jesus said, “Well if it is okay for you to set your donkey free to get water today, don’t you think it is okay for God to set this woman free from her illness today so she can live her life?”
The man was really embarrassed and didn’t know what to say. But all of the people in the synagogue were really excited to hear what Jesus said.
Sometimes it feels like we have a lot of rules to follow, doesn’t it? (Show the rule book again and let them respond.) But today’s story reminds us that while rules are important, it is more important that we do what we can do to help take care of each other.
Have you ever seen someone who was really lonely, or afraid, but no one would go help them because that person was somehow different than everyone else, and if you helped them you would be laughed at or picked on? (Let them respond.) Sometimes there are rules about who we should talk with or play with, aren’t there? (Let them respond.)
Let’s ask God to always remind us that Jesus said the most important rule for us to follow is to take care of each other, and that nothing is more important than that.
Let’s all pray together and ask God to help us remember how Jesus wants us to love each other and take care of each other.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. Please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have a story to tell you today. Are you ready to hear it? (Let them respond.) Great! Here we go!
But first, does anyone know what I have here? (Show the rulebook and let them respond.) It is a list of rules we need to learn to be able to drive a car. These are rules we need to follow so we are safe when we drive and don’t get into some kind of trouble. Sometimes it seems like we have a lot of rules to follow, doesn’t it? Have you ever gotten into trouble for not following a rule? (Let them respond.) Yes, I think we all have at some time, haven’t we? Did you know that Jesus even got in trouble for breaking a rule? (Let them respond.) He really did. Let me tell you the story.
It happened one day when Jesus went to the synagogue for the weekly worship service, just like we come here for our service each week. Jesus was teaching everyone when he noticed a woman sitting in the back of the crowd. She was sitting in her seat, but instead of sitting like everyone else, she was all bent over and sitting kind of sideways in her seat. She was really sick and had been sick like that for eighteen years. That’s a long time, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) It’s longer than you have been alive, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Jesus looked at her, and he looked at the people sitting around her. They were all kind of leaning away from her like they were afraid to touch her because one of the rules in the synagogue was that you were not supposed to touch anyone who was sick. The rules said that if someone was sick, it was because they had done something wrong and God was punishing them, and you were supposed to stay away from them like they had cooties or something. Can you imagine being sick for eighteen years? That means people had been staying away from her for a long time, doesn’t it? I wonder how that woman felt? (Let them respond.) She was probably pretty sad, huh?
Jesus looked at the woman, and he looked at the people around her, and do you know what Jesus did? (Let them respond.) He stopped teaching and asked the woman to come to the front of the synagogue with him. When she got there, he looked at her and told her she wasn’t sick anymore, and do you know what happened? (Let them respond.) The woman looked at him and she stood up nice and straight. For the first time in eighteen years, she was not sick anymore. Jesus had healed the sick woman. How do you think she felt after that? (Let them respond.) She was excited! She walked around the synagogue singing and thanking God for helping her.
And what do you think happened next? (Let them respond.) Did everyone in the synagogue get up and cheer for the woman and give her a big hug? (Let them respond.) Did they all pray to God to say, “Thank You!” for helping the sick woman? (Let them respond.) No, that’s not what happened. Instead, the leader of the synagogue pulled out the list of religious rules and got really angry with Jesus. The leader said, “The rules say that today is a day of rest and that no one should do any work today. But you just healed that woman, and according to the rules, healing is working. So, you just broke God’s rules and need to be punished.”
What do you think Jesus did next? (Let them respond.)
Jesus looked at the man and asked him, “Do you have a donkey?”
The man looked confused, but said, “Yes, I do.”
Jesus said, “Before you came to the synagogue this morning, did you untie your donkey so it could go get its food and water?”
The man said, “Yes, of course, I did.”
Jesus smiled. “But don’t the rules say that untying a rope is work?”
The man, said, “Well, yes. But —”
Jesus said, “Well if it is okay for you to set your donkey free to get water today, don’t you think it is okay for God to set this woman free from her illness today so she can live her life?”
The man was really embarrassed and didn’t know what to say. But all of the people in the synagogue were really excited to hear what Jesus said.
Sometimes it feels like we have a lot of rules to follow, doesn’t it? (Show the rule book again and let them respond.) But today’s story reminds us that while rules are important, it is more important that we do what we can do to help take care of each other.
Have you ever seen someone who was really lonely, or afraid, but no one would go help them because that person was somehow different than everyone else, and if you helped them you would be laughed at or picked on? (Let them respond.) Sometimes there are rules about who we should talk with or play with, aren’t there? (Let them respond.)
Let’s ask God to always remind us that Jesus said the most important rule for us to follow is to take care of each other, and that nothing is more important than that.
Let’s all pray together and ask God to help us remember how Jesus wants us to love each other and take care of each other.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. Please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
