Who do you belong to?
Children's sermon
Object:
a pastor's collar
What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (vv. 12-13)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about pastors. Have any of you ever wanted to be a pastor? (allow answers) Pastors have important jobs. Their job is to help other people understand and listen to God's word. However, there are some parts of a pastor's job that can be hard. Pastors do not usually preach at the church they grew up in. They have to move to a new place and a new congregation. In fact, they may have to move several times! Pastors do not stay in the same place very long.
That might seem kind of strange to us. After all, many people in a congregation may have been part of that church since they were children -- they may have been members for decades! Shouldn't a pastor want to be there as long as possible? After all, the pastor grows to know all the people of a congregation. They are like his family! Nobody likes to move away from their family!
However, there are good reasons for pastors moving around. It is good for congregations to get new pastors sometimes, pastors with new ideas and new plans. Pastors who have new ways to apply scripture to our everyday lives; pastors who have a different way of looking at old problems in the church or community. It is important for a church to get this new perspective. It is also important for pastors to have new places to minister. It gives pastors a chance to meet more people and to bring different people closer to God in different ways. So the change of scenery, church, and congregation is a good thing!
When pastors move, it also reminds their congregation of something important. As Christians, we have to remember that our faith is based on our relationship with God -- not our relationship with our pastor. We may really like our pastor, but he or she should not be the only reason we come to church. Being close to your pastor is nice, but a pastor should not be the center of a church. The center of a church is God! When pastors stay in one place a long time, it is easy for people to start thinking of the pastor as the face of that church.
Our second reading today warns us about that. The second reading is a letter from Saint Paul to the early Christian churches. In these churches, some people were saying that they were followers of Paul or of other preachers, instead of saying they were followers of Jesus. Paul tells them that is the wrong attitude to have. Jesus is the one who died for our sins. Jesus is the center of our faith -- not the preachers who help us understand God's word. These preachers are an important part of our faith, but they are not its center. Only Jesus can be the center of our faith. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about pastors. Have any of you ever wanted to be a pastor? (allow answers) Pastors have important jobs. Their job is to help other people understand and listen to God's word. However, there are some parts of a pastor's job that can be hard. Pastors do not usually preach at the church they grew up in. They have to move to a new place and a new congregation. In fact, they may have to move several times! Pastors do not stay in the same place very long.
That might seem kind of strange to us. After all, many people in a congregation may have been part of that church since they were children -- they may have been members for decades! Shouldn't a pastor want to be there as long as possible? After all, the pastor grows to know all the people of a congregation. They are like his family! Nobody likes to move away from their family!
However, there are good reasons for pastors moving around. It is good for congregations to get new pastors sometimes, pastors with new ideas and new plans. Pastors who have new ways to apply scripture to our everyday lives; pastors who have a different way of looking at old problems in the church or community. It is important for a church to get this new perspective. It is also important for pastors to have new places to minister. It gives pastors a chance to meet more people and to bring different people closer to God in different ways. So the change of scenery, church, and congregation is a good thing!
When pastors move, it also reminds their congregation of something important. As Christians, we have to remember that our faith is based on our relationship with God -- not our relationship with our pastor. We may really like our pastor, but he or she should not be the only reason we come to church. Being close to your pastor is nice, but a pastor should not be the center of a church. The center of a church is God! When pastors stay in one place a long time, it is easy for people to start thinking of the pastor as the face of that church.
Our second reading today warns us about that. The second reading is a letter from Saint Paul to the early Christian churches. In these churches, some people were saying that they were followers of Paul or of other preachers, instead of saying they were followers of Jesus. Paul tells them that is the wrong attitude to have. Jesus is the one who died for our sins. Jesus is the center of our faith -- not the preachers who help us understand God's word. These preachers are an important part of our faith, but they are not its center. Only Jesus can be the center of our faith. Amen.
