What do you need?
Children's sermon
Object:
a National Enquirer (if possible, with a story about Bigfoot)
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles… (vv. 22-23)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about faith. What do you need in order to believe something? Do you need to see it? Do you need to touch it? Do you need to hear about it from someone you trust? Do you have to read it in a book?
Let's use Bigfoot for an example. Lots of people say that Bigfoot does not exist; some people say he does. Do you know what Bigfoot is? (allow answers) Bigfoot is a giant creature who some people say lives in the forests of Canada. He walks on two legs like a human, but he is very tall and very hairy! What would it take for you to believe that Bigfoot exists? If your best friend told you he existed, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you read about it in a magazine or saw a documentary about it on TV, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you read about it in a scientific book, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you saw Bigfoot from a distance, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you met Bigfoot in the woods and touched his hairy arm, would you believe it? (allow answers)
For some people, all it takes is a friend telling them about Bigfoot. Some people will believe it if they see it in a magazine or on TV. Some people would believe if they saw Bigfoot from a distance. And then there are those people who would not believe unless they could touch Bigfoot's hand.
How many of you have heard the Bible story about Jesus' follower Thomas? (allow answers) Thomas did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, even though his friends told him it was so. Jesus had to appear to Thomas himself in order for Thomas to believe.
In our second reading today, Saint Paul talks about other things that people might need to believe. In Paul's time, many Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. In order for the Jews to believe, they needed miraculous signs -- they wanted Jesus to strike down the Roman army, to set Israel free from the Roman Empire, which ruled over their land. Meanwhile, the Greeks, a group of people to whom Saint Paul brought Jesus' good news, had trouble believing because Jesus' death and resurrection were not logical. The Greeks needed things to make sense in order to believe. And God sending his Son to die for sinful humans… well, that didn't make much sense to them!
To them, faith in God was like believing in Bigfoot. They didn't have proof from the sources they needed. However, sometimes we don't get the signs we need. Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith to believe. We can't touch Jesus' hands and side like Thomas did; we have to take it on faith that Jesus is our Savior and Lord. And you know what? I'll buy that. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about faith. What do you need in order to believe something? Do you need to see it? Do you need to touch it? Do you need to hear about it from someone you trust? Do you have to read it in a book?
Let's use Bigfoot for an example. Lots of people say that Bigfoot does not exist; some people say he does. Do you know what Bigfoot is? (allow answers) Bigfoot is a giant creature who some people say lives in the forests of Canada. He walks on two legs like a human, but he is very tall and very hairy! What would it take for you to believe that Bigfoot exists? If your best friend told you he existed, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you read about it in a magazine or saw a documentary about it on TV, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you read about it in a scientific book, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you saw Bigfoot from a distance, would you believe it? (allow answers) If you met Bigfoot in the woods and touched his hairy arm, would you believe it? (allow answers)
For some people, all it takes is a friend telling them about Bigfoot. Some people will believe it if they see it in a magazine or on TV. Some people would believe if they saw Bigfoot from a distance. And then there are those people who would not believe unless they could touch Bigfoot's hand.
How many of you have heard the Bible story about Jesus' follower Thomas? (allow answers) Thomas did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, even though his friends told him it was so. Jesus had to appear to Thomas himself in order for Thomas to believe.
In our second reading today, Saint Paul talks about other things that people might need to believe. In Paul's time, many Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. In order for the Jews to believe, they needed miraculous signs -- they wanted Jesus to strike down the Roman army, to set Israel free from the Roman Empire, which ruled over their land. Meanwhile, the Greeks, a group of people to whom Saint Paul brought Jesus' good news, had trouble believing because Jesus' death and resurrection were not logical. The Greeks needed things to make sense in order to believe. And God sending his Son to die for sinful humans… well, that didn't make much sense to them!
To them, faith in God was like believing in Bigfoot. They didn't have proof from the sources they needed. However, sometimes we don't get the signs we need. Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith to believe. We can't touch Jesus' hands and side like Thomas did; we have to take it on faith that Jesus is our Savior and Lord. And you know what? I'll buy that. Amen.
