Rainbows
Children's sermon
Cows In Church
80 Biblically Based Children's Sermons
Object:
Ribbons tied into bows.
"This morning I need all of you to help me understand a verse of scripture. It's from the ninth chapter of Genesis, verse 13." I read the verse to the children.
When God said to Noah, "I have set my bow in the clouds," what kind of 'bow' did God mean? Was it the kind of bow you shoot arrows with?" The eight girls and one small boy seated on the chancel steps grin at my silliness and shake their heads to indicate no.
"Was it the kind of bow some folks wear in their hair, like these?" I point to the pink ribbons I've tied to the ends of my braids for this discussion. Again the heads shake no, while some of the children say, "No!" with a giggle attached.
"Was it the kind of bow Stephanie has tied in her shoelaces?" The children now eye Stephanie's feet, then assure me it wasn't that kind of bow either.
"No? You all keep saying, 'No!' Well, then, what kind of bow was it?"
"A rainbow!" says one little girl triumphantly.
"Why did God set a rainbow in the clouds? I'll give you a hint -- it was after forty days and nights of rain."
"To let Noah know the rain had stopped?" one of the children states with a question in her voice.
"Yes, and to let Noah know that never again would God destroy everything on the earth with a flood. The rainbow was the sign of an agreement between God and all of creation, a sign that said, 'I will remember my agreement with you whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, because I love you.'
"It rained on Friday. Did anyone see a rainbow that day? No? Why not? Did the sun ever come out on Friday?"
Several children shake their heads indicating a negative response.
"The sun never came out on Friday. The sky was cloudy all day, from before the sun came up until after the sun went down. Does that give you a hint about why there were no rainbows?"
"Because there was no sun?" comes a tentative, questioning response.
"Right, because there was no sun! We have to have sunlight in order to have rainbows.
"Do any of you know what clouds are made of?" I ask with an abrupt change of direction.
"Rain!" says one of the children emphatically.
"Yes," I agree, "clouds are made up of little drops of water. And when the sunlight shines though them what do we get?"
"A rainbow!" several of the children declare.
"That's right. Now, who made the sun, and the clouds, and the rain, and all of creation?"
"God did," they answer.
"So, if we have to have sunlight and droplets of water to make rainbows and God made the sun and the rain, I guess it must be God who makes rainbows, just as we read in the verse from Genesis. Now, once again, what is the rainbow a sign of?"
"God's agreement with Noah?"
"Yes, but not just with Noah. It's a sign of God's agreement or covenant with every living creature on the earth. It's a sign God made to remind all of us that never again would God destroy everything with a flood. And it is one of the many ways God has of saying, 'I made you and I love you.' "
When God said to Noah, "I have set my bow in the clouds," what kind of 'bow' did God mean? Was it the kind of bow you shoot arrows with?" The eight girls and one small boy seated on the chancel steps grin at my silliness and shake their heads to indicate no.
"Was it the kind of bow some folks wear in their hair, like these?" I point to the pink ribbons I've tied to the ends of my braids for this discussion. Again the heads shake no, while some of the children say, "No!" with a giggle attached.
"Was it the kind of bow Stephanie has tied in her shoelaces?" The children now eye Stephanie's feet, then assure me it wasn't that kind of bow either.
"No? You all keep saying, 'No!' Well, then, what kind of bow was it?"
"A rainbow!" says one little girl triumphantly.
"Why did God set a rainbow in the clouds? I'll give you a hint -- it was after forty days and nights of rain."
"To let Noah know the rain had stopped?" one of the children states with a question in her voice.
"Yes, and to let Noah know that never again would God destroy everything on the earth with a flood. The rainbow was the sign of an agreement between God and all of creation, a sign that said, 'I will remember my agreement with you whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, because I love you.'
"It rained on Friday. Did anyone see a rainbow that day? No? Why not? Did the sun ever come out on Friday?"
Several children shake their heads indicating a negative response.
"The sun never came out on Friday. The sky was cloudy all day, from before the sun came up until after the sun went down. Does that give you a hint about why there were no rainbows?"
"Because there was no sun?" comes a tentative, questioning response.
"Right, because there was no sun! We have to have sunlight in order to have rainbows.
"Do any of you know what clouds are made of?" I ask with an abrupt change of direction.
"Rain!" says one of the children emphatically.
"Yes," I agree, "clouds are made up of little drops of water. And when the sunlight shines though them what do we get?"
"A rainbow!" several of the children declare.
"That's right. Now, who made the sun, and the clouds, and the rain, and all of creation?"
"God did," they answer.
"So, if we have to have sunlight and droplets of water to make rainbows and God made the sun and the rain, I guess it must be God who makes rainbows, just as we read in the verse from Genesis. Now, once again, what is the rainbow a sign of?"
"God's agreement with Noah?"
"Yes, but not just with Noah. It's a sign of God's agreement or covenant with every living creature on the earth. It's a sign God made to remind all of us that never again would God destroy everything with a flood. And it is one of the many ways God has of saying, 'I made you and I love you.' "
