Login / Signup

Free Access

The Funnel Of God

Children's sermon
The Giant Book Of Children's Sermons
Matthew To Revelation
Object: a funnel


Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever tried to pour something from one bottle into another bottle? (let them answer) Do you usually spill some of it when you try to do this? (let them answer) Do you know how to keep from spilling whatever you have in the bottle? (let them answer) You can be extra careful, but I have a better way.

How many of you have ever used a funnel? (let them answer) Tell me how you use one of these things that we call a funnel. (allow someone to give an explanation) That's right, you put the funnel into one of the bottles and then pour whatever you have into that bottle. The funnel acts like a guide, and it puts whatever you are pouring in just the right place so nothing is spilled or lost. A funnel is a very helpful tool.

I would like us to think that the funnel is like the Spirit of God. We can try to do things on our own. We can look at the trees and the birds and bees, and see how God has made them, and the way that he takes care of them, and we can try to understand how God wants us to live. We can read books and talk to other people, but that does not really tell us how God loves us as people. We want to feel love from God, and not find it out in any other way.

The Bible tells us that the Spirit of God is like a funnel. The Spirit is a guide who brings the love of God right to us without spilling one drop. The Spirit does not change a word of what he hears when he speaks to us. He is really like a funnel. Whatever God wants us to know, the Spirit of God tells us. The Spirit of God works with us as children of God to help us learn every day something new about God and God's church. The Spirit teaches us how to forgive and how to be honest with each other. The Spirit does not make this up, but rather he brings it to us from God, without losing one part of what God wanted us to know. This is why I tell you that the Spirit is like a funnel.

The next time that you see someone filling the gas tank on their mower with a funnel, or you see your father or mother using a funnel in the kitchen, I want you to think about all of the different ways that a funnel is used. Then I want you to think about the way that the Spirit of God is like a funnel, and the very many ways that the Spirit is used by God in teaching us. You must remember that the funnel does not make the stuff that it helps to pour. It comes from somewhere else. The same thing is true of the Spirit. The Spirit does not make up what he teaches us. The things that the Spirit pours into us are the good stuff that comes from God. The Spirit is like a funnel carrying the good news from God to us.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Easter 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 3
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 4
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
33 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message is a role-play for your children and requires no additional objects.

Note: You can use this role-play with a large or very small group. You will want one child to play Thomas, one child to play Jesus, and the rest of the children to play the disciples. When I have had only had one or two children, I have “volunteered” an adult or two to help out.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! Let’s get started!

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For April 27, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Bonnie Bates
Acts 5:27-32
The Acts of the Apostles begins with the ascension of Jesus, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit who galvanizes them to begin the spread of the Good News of Jesus the Christ. It is not long, despite signs and wonders, that the apostles find themselves facing real opposition. Arrest and threats. However, in the leadup to this passage, they ignore these threats and continue to share the Good News. The news about this comes to the religious leaders while they’re debating what to do about them.
Frank Ramirez
Sometimes movies end with the “happily ever after moment.” Finally — Hooray! Sometimes movies begin with the “happily ever after moment.” Roll up your sleeves. The real fun is just beginning.

Acts 5:27-32

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
Every eye will see him…. (v. 7)

The speed of news is not quite instantaneous. There’s this traffic cop called the speed of light that strictly enforces that 186, 242 mile per second speed limit built into our universe. If there’s a way around that limitation it remains the stuff of speculation — out of this world speculation.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Thomas had never seen his friends so excited. Peter's eyes were shining, and he could hardly contain his impatience. John was always quieter than Peter, but even he seemed full of barely suppressed eagerness. They were both tugging at Thomas, while at the same time dancing round him.

Thomas reluctantly agreed to go to the cave with them, although he continued to think they were mad. "If there was nothing there last week, how can it have changed now?" he kept asking.

SermonStudio

Schuyler Rhodes
Anyone can throw a party. It's easy to jump up and down and shout loud "alleluias." Pay the DJ, set out the drinks and the buffet table, and that's about it. At first, it's a blast! Whirling bodies and pulsing rhythms fill the night. Laughter and clinking glasses seem like an endless and joyful dialogue. But, by midnight it all starts to get a little old. People get tired of shouting and dancing and head home because they have to work the next day. The DJ was only hired for a few hours and he, perhaps, has another gig at an after-hours club across town.
Richard E. Zajac
... Unless I see... I will not believe...

I must credit the Reverend R. Maurice Boyd for this talk. Many of its ideas stemmed from "Consequences of Candor," a chapter in his book Corridors of Light.1

__________
David Kalas
When the curtain opens on Scene Two, we see a familiar scene. It is the austere, official chamber where the Sanhedrin hold court. The room is cold and intimidating. It feels even more so when the first characters begin to arrive on stage.

These are the members of the Sanhedrin: the leaders in the land who form the ruling council for the Jews of first-century Palestine. They are a distinguished looking group. They are well-dressed, well-manicured, and well-to-do. Their faces betray the seriousness of the purpose for which they have gathered.
Henry F. Woodruff
No cavalry rode to the rescue; this time the savior was technology. Here is how it happened. Longing for more intimate communication between preacher and congregation, the church purchased and installed a wireless microphone system. With an FM receiver in place and wearing a lapel microphone, the preacher could get out from behind the pulpit or lecturn and roam about, even into the midst of the congregation.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL