Winning the game
Children's sermon
Object:
photograph of an athletic team
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you or how many of
you have brothers or sisters who have played on a sports team?
(Ask for a show of hands.) Here is a photograph of one of my
favorite teams. (Show the photo and name the team.) When you are
on a team there are many other players. Each player has a
different part to play. Each has a different skill. Without all
the players we wouldn't have a team. Our church is like a team.
We are in God's loving family in our church. Many members make up
our church. Each of us has something different to contribute.
Without each member we wouldn't have a church.
When a team plays a game, sometimes the team wins and sometimes it loses. Players try to always play fair. Sometimes a referee calls a penalty because a player makes a mistake. Sometimes the mistake is an honest one. Sometimes the mistake is made when a player isn't playing fair. In everyday life we often make mistakes, too. When the mistake is one that we do on purpose to hurt someone, it may be called a sin. Our lesson today talks about sin -- mistakes we make in life that hurt others and ourselves. These can be things we say to people that hurt them. These can be ways that we treat others when we are unkind or unsharing. Our lesson says that we should try very hard not to let sin take control of us. Our lesson also tells us some good news. It says that thanks to God, we are set free from sin. We are set free from sin when we do the things that we know God wants to us to. That means being kind to others. It means sharing with others. It means being thoughtful to others.
When our team plays a game with too many penalties -- or mistakes -- it may cause our team to lose in the end. It is like that in real life, too. When we do things that hurt others, we lose in the end. But, thanks to God's grace, which is a gift from God, we are free from sin. In the end, we are winners. It's like playing a game without penalties. God wants us to win. With God's grace, we will win when we follow God.
When a team plays a game, sometimes the team wins and sometimes it loses. Players try to always play fair. Sometimes a referee calls a penalty because a player makes a mistake. Sometimes the mistake is an honest one. Sometimes the mistake is made when a player isn't playing fair. In everyday life we often make mistakes, too. When the mistake is one that we do on purpose to hurt someone, it may be called a sin. Our lesson today talks about sin -- mistakes we make in life that hurt others and ourselves. These can be things we say to people that hurt them. These can be ways that we treat others when we are unkind or unsharing. Our lesson says that we should try very hard not to let sin take control of us. Our lesson also tells us some good news. It says that thanks to God, we are set free from sin. We are set free from sin when we do the things that we know God wants to us to. That means being kind to others. It means sharing with others. It means being thoughtful to others.
When our team plays a game with too many penalties -- or mistakes -- it may cause our team to lose in the end. It is like that in real life, too. When we do things that hurt others, we lose in the end. But, thanks to God's grace, which is a gift from God, we are free from sin. In the end, we are winners. It's like playing a game without penalties. God wants us to win. With God's grace, we will win when we follow God.
