Saved to Serve
Children's sermon
Object:
none
First Thoughts: This scripture passage is a great lead-in to a conversation about need and gratitude. How do we respond when someone sees our need and responds to it? Are we embarrassed or angry? Do we refuse to receive help? Or do we open our hearts to accept the gift and with those same open hearts offer our gifts back? If we find ourselves struggling either to give or receive support, this story holds a challenge for us.
Props You Will Need: none
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 1: Hey, (name) what are your plans this afternoon?
Leader 2: (looking a bit embarrassed) I'm going to a thank-you dinner.
Leader 1: Oh, that's nice. Who are you thanking?
Leader 2: I'm not thanking anyone. They're thanking me.
Leader 1: Wow. What did you do?
Leader 2: It's no big deal. Yesterday I was at the grocery store and when I turned down the candy aisle I saw a little girl crying. She was lost from her mother.
Leader 1: Oh, I bet she was scared.
Leader 2: Yeah, she was. But I told her that things would be all right. I would take care of her. I took her to the store manager. She made an announcement on the store's speaker system, and I stayed with the little girl until her mother came to get her. It was really no big deal....
Leader 1: Yes it was! That little girl could have been hurt if she had been left on her own. I imagine she and her mother were very grateful. No wonder they wanted to invite you to dinner!
Leader 2: But I'm kinda embarrassed about it. I didn't help her because I wanted the attention!
Leader 1: No, but that's the way gratitude works. When someone does something you really appreciate, you want to do something nice in return. Like our story today. Jesus was staying at his friend Peter's house while Peter's mother-in-law was very sick. Back then they didn't have the medicine we have today, so being sick was a very scary thing.
Leader 2: Just like the lost girl was scared.
Leader 1: Right. But Jesus came to her, took her hand, and lifted her up and she was better! Do you know the first thing she did? She began fixing dinner!
Leader 2: Hey, like the little girl's mom wants to fix me dinner!
Leader 1: That's right. You know, we get a lot of help in our lives. Our parents give us food and love, our friends give us support and kindness, and God gives us life every day. When we realize how much we're cared for, it only makes sense that we want to help others too.
Leader 2: I guess that's true. I suppose there's only one thing for me to do then.
Leader 1: What?
Leader 2: Go to the dinner and let them say thanks.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey guys. I have to do something this afternoon and I'm a little embarrassed about it. See, yesterday I was at the grocery store and when I turned down the candy aisle I found a little girl crying. She had lost her mother and was scared. Have you ever been lost? But I told her not to worry because I would take care of her. I took her to the store manager, who made an announcement on the speaker system. Then I waited with the little girl until her mom came to get her. Her mom was so grateful to me that she said she wanted to give me a thank-you dinner. That's what I'm embarrassed about. I mean, I didn't help the girl because I wanted anything out of it. Then I read the scripture passage today. Jesus was staying at his friend Peter's house while Peter's mother-in-law was very sick. Back then they didn't have the medicine we have today, so being sick was a very scary thing. But Jesus came to her, took her hand, and lifted her up and she was better! Do you know the first thing she did? She began fixing dinner! That made me think. We get a lot of help in our lives. Our parents give us food and love, our friends give us support and kindness, and God gives us life every day. When we realize how much we're cared for, it only makes sense that we want to help others too. So I guess it also makes sense that the little girl's mother wants to fix me dinner and the best thing I can do is to let her say thank you!
Closing Prayer: We thank you, God, for the many gifts in our lives, including the people who help us when we need it the most. We pray that you will give us grateful hearts, willing to offer to others the same care that you give to us. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To follow up this lesson in a home or classroom setting, we will further illustrate the nature of gift-giving and gift-receiving as it is portrayed in this story. Prepare enough small gift boxes so that every child will have one. (Ring boxes work fine.) Prepare some token gift inside each one, such as a small cross or heart. Then give each child a scenario where they have a particular need (one child is sad because his dog died, one child is lonely because she's new in school, one child is afraid because she doesn't know which bus to get on at school, and so forth.) One at a time let each child present her need and then ask which child will respond to her need. Have the responding child share what he/she would do to care for the other, and then give the gift box to the child in need. Continue the exercise until each child's scenario has been shared and each child has responded to the need of another. By the end each child has a gift, but it's a different gift than what they had in the first place. Let the children open the gifts. The lesson is that each of us needs to be cared for and each of us has gifts to care for others. If we are faithful to God's call, everyone will have what they need.
Props You Will Need: none
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 1: Hey, (name) what are your plans this afternoon?
Leader 2: (looking a bit embarrassed) I'm going to a thank-you dinner.
Leader 1: Oh, that's nice. Who are you thanking?
Leader 2: I'm not thanking anyone. They're thanking me.
Leader 1: Wow. What did you do?
Leader 2: It's no big deal. Yesterday I was at the grocery store and when I turned down the candy aisle I saw a little girl crying. She was lost from her mother.
Leader 1: Oh, I bet she was scared.
Leader 2: Yeah, she was. But I told her that things would be all right. I would take care of her. I took her to the store manager. She made an announcement on the store's speaker system, and I stayed with the little girl until her mother came to get her. It was really no big deal....
Leader 1: Yes it was! That little girl could have been hurt if she had been left on her own. I imagine she and her mother were very grateful. No wonder they wanted to invite you to dinner!
Leader 2: But I'm kinda embarrassed about it. I didn't help her because I wanted the attention!
Leader 1: No, but that's the way gratitude works. When someone does something you really appreciate, you want to do something nice in return. Like our story today. Jesus was staying at his friend Peter's house while Peter's mother-in-law was very sick. Back then they didn't have the medicine we have today, so being sick was a very scary thing.
Leader 2: Just like the lost girl was scared.
Leader 1: Right. But Jesus came to her, took her hand, and lifted her up and she was better! Do you know the first thing she did? She began fixing dinner!
Leader 2: Hey, like the little girl's mom wants to fix me dinner!
Leader 1: That's right. You know, we get a lot of help in our lives. Our parents give us food and love, our friends give us support and kindness, and God gives us life every day. When we realize how much we're cared for, it only makes sense that we want to help others too.
Leader 2: I guess that's true. I suppose there's only one thing for me to do then.
Leader 1: What?
Leader 2: Go to the dinner and let them say thanks.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey guys. I have to do something this afternoon and I'm a little embarrassed about it. See, yesterday I was at the grocery store and when I turned down the candy aisle I found a little girl crying. She had lost her mother and was scared. Have you ever been lost? But I told her not to worry because I would take care of her. I took her to the store manager, who made an announcement on the speaker system. Then I waited with the little girl until her mom came to get her. Her mom was so grateful to me that she said she wanted to give me a thank-you dinner. That's what I'm embarrassed about. I mean, I didn't help the girl because I wanted anything out of it. Then I read the scripture passage today. Jesus was staying at his friend Peter's house while Peter's mother-in-law was very sick. Back then they didn't have the medicine we have today, so being sick was a very scary thing. But Jesus came to her, took her hand, and lifted her up and she was better! Do you know the first thing she did? She began fixing dinner! That made me think. We get a lot of help in our lives. Our parents give us food and love, our friends give us support and kindness, and God gives us life every day. When we realize how much we're cared for, it only makes sense that we want to help others too. So I guess it also makes sense that the little girl's mother wants to fix me dinner and the best thing I can do is to let her say thank you!
Closing Prayer: We thank you, God, for the many gifts in our lives, including the people who help us when we need it the most. We pray that you will give us grateful hearts, willing to offer to others the same care that you give to us. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To follow up this lesson in a home or classroom setting, we will further illustrate the nature of gift-giving and gift-receiving as it is portrayed in this story. Prepare enough small gift boxes so that every child will have one. (Ring boxes work fine.) Prepare some token gift inside each one, such as a small cross or heart. Then give each child a scenario where they have a particular need (one child is sad because his dog died, one child is lonely because she's new in school, one child is afraid because she doesn't know which bus to get on at school, and so forth.) One at a time let each child present her need and then ask which child will respond to her need. Have the responding child share what he/she would do to care for the other, and then give the gift box to the child in need. Continue the exercise until each child's scenario has been shared and each child has responded to the need of another. By the end each child has a gift, but it's a different gift than what they had in the first place. Let the children open the gifts. The lesson is that each of us needs to be cared for and each of us has gifts to care for others. If we are faithful to God's call, everyone will have what they need.
