Seeing
Children's sermon
Object: A pair of tinted glasses, like sunglasses.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for me to tell you our story today? (Let them respond.)
A long time ago, in a land far away, there was a Samaritan woman. Jesus was Jewish, and the Jews and Samaritans did not get along at all. They both believed in God, but they believed different things about God. So, instead of their belief in God making them want to take care of each other, it divided them and made them not care about each other at all. Jews didn’t like Samaritans, and Samaritans didn’t like Jews. Their faith made them believe they were enemies.
(Show glasses.) What do I have here? (Let them respond.) Why do we wear glasses like these? (Let them respond.) They change how things look to us, don’t they? (Let them respond.) Sometimes we wear glasses to help us see things more clearly, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And sometimes we wear them to help us see better when the light is really bright, don’t they? (Let them respond.) So, we wear glasses to help us see better.
But our story reminds us that, sometimes, we might need to change our glasses.
On the day of our story, the Samaritan woman went to get water from the well in the middle of town. The story says that she went to the well at noon. Most people went to get water early in the morning, but since she was a Samaritan, she went later when the others weren’t there to pick on her and make fun of her. She went at noon when the town was crowded and no one would even notice her. She was feeling very sad and alone. She felt like she didn’t matter. She felt hopeless, and like no one cared about her.
While she was getting water from the well, Jesus walked by. She had heard about a man named Jesus who was teaching people about God, so she watched him. Jesus was surrounded by a large crowd of people, and they were all trying to talk to him and get his attention. But when he saw the Samaritan woman, he stopped everything he was doing and went over to her.
"Hello, my child," Jesus said to her. "What is troubling you?"
The Samaritan woman was surprised that Jesus talked to her. No one else even seemed to see that she was there. (Show the glasses.) It was just like Jesus was wearing different glasses than everyone else. They all looked at her and saw a Samaritan woman. But Jesus looked at her and just saw one of God’s children.
Jesus and the woman sat down and talked. She explained that she had been alone for a long time, and she felt like no one cared about her. They talked for a while, and she said, “I am a Samaritan, but I do believe that one day God will send someone who cares about all of us and will help us all.” Jesus told her, “I am the one God has sent to help you.”
Jesus smiled at her and said, "Go in peace, my child. You are not alone anymore."
After they talked, the Samaritan woman picked up her water and ran home. From that day on, she was filled with joy and hope and told everyone about the wonderful man named Jesus who had come to help them all. Many other people who believed in Jesus helped him take care of each other.
(Show glasses.) What do we see when we look at other people who aren’t like us? Do we see them and just think that they are different and that we need to be afraid of them? Or do we change our glasses and see them the way God sees them; as someone God created to be very special; just like us? (Show glasses.) Do we need to change our glasses?
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us, and for forgiving us when we forget that. And 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.) Are you ready for me to tell you our story today? (Let them respond.)
A long time ago, in a land far away, there was a Samaritan woman. Jesus was Jewish, and the Jews and Samaritans did not get along at all. They both believed in God, but they believed different things about God. So, instead of their belief in God making them want to take care of each other, it divided them and made them not care about each other at all. Jews didn’t like Samaritans, and Samaritans didn’t like Jews. Their faith made them believe they were enemies.
(Show glasses.) What do I have here? (Let them respond.) Why do we wear glasses like these? (Let them respond.) They change how things look to us, don’t they? (Let them respond.) Sometimes we wear glasses to help us see things more clearly, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And sometimes we wear them to help us see better when the light is really bright, don’t they? (Let them respond.) So, we wear glasses to help us see better.
But our story reminds us that, sometimes, we might need to change our glasses.
On the day of our story, the Samaritan woman went to get water from the well in the middle of town. The story says that she went to the well at noon. Most people went to get water early in the morning, but since she was a Samaritan, she went later when the others weren’t there to pick on her and make fun of her. She went at noon when the town was crowded and no one would even notice her. She was feeling very sad and alone. She felt like she didn’t matter. She felt hopeless, and like no one cared about her.
While she was getting water from the well, Jesus walked by. She had heard about a man named Jesus who was teaching people about God, so she watched him. Jesus was surrounded by a large crowd of people, and they were all trying to talk to him and get his attention. But when he saw the Samaritan woman, he stopped everything he was doing and went over to her.
"Hello, my child," Jesus said to her. "What is troubling you?"
The Samaritan woman was surprised that Jesus talked to her. No one else even seemed to see that she was there. (Show the glasses.) It was just like Jesus was wearing different glasses than everyone else. They all looked at her and saw a Samaritan woman. But Jesus looked at her and just saw one of God’s children.
Jesus and the woman sat down and talked. She explained that she had been alone for a long time, and she felt like no one cared about her. They talked for a while, and she said, “I am a Samaritan, but I do believe that one day God will send someone who cares about all of us and will help us all.” Jesus told her, “I am the one God has sent to help you.”
Jesus smiled at her and said, "Go in peace, my child. You are not alone anymore."
After they talked, the Samaritan woman picked up her water and ran home. From that day on, she was filled with joy and hope and told everyone about the wonderful man named Jesus who had come to help them all. Many other people who believed in Jesus helped him take care of each other.
(Show glasses.) What do we see when we look at other people who aren’t like us? Do we see them and just think that they are different and that we need to be afraid of them? Or do we change our glasses and see them the way God sees them; as someone God created to be very special; just like us? (Show glasses.) Do we need to change our glasses?
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us, and for forgiving us when we forget that. And 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.
