Listen to your conscience
Children's sermon
Object:
a clear glass of water with bits of food coloring or
water-based paint
Good morning! We are told to keep our conscience clear. What
is a "conscience"? (Let them answer.) A conscience is that little
voice inside each of us telling us what is right and what is
wrong. There's a famous cricket who tells what's right and what's
wrong. Does anyone know his name? I'll give you a hint. He's a
character in the movie Pinocchio. (Let them answer. [The answer
is "Jiminy Cricket."]) A cricket that talks is a cartoon and not
real. Our conscience, however, is very real. A conscience is
something each of us has and needs to listen to. It tells us
right from wrong.
If I take something that is not mine, maybe no one will see me take it -- but my conscience knows it and tells me, "This is wrong!" If I do not tell the truth, perhaps other people cannot tell that I am lying, but my conscience knows it. Like a little voice within me, it tells me that lying is wrong. If I disobey a rule, perhaps no one will know it -- but my conscience does. It tells me.
Listening to our conscience and doing what is right is like keeping a clear glass of water clear. But if we don't listen to our conscience and do what is wrong, it is like fogging the clear water with impurities. (Drop in the food coloring or paint and stir. Use different colors as you outline various ways we can violate our conscience. For example, you could say, "If I do not tell the truth, it's like a green lie ... When I disobey my parents, it's like a blue feeling ... When I say bad things to others, it's like a red hurt ...." The once clear glass of water becomes an ugly color.)
Sometimes I wish we really did have a cricket who would tell us what is right and wrong. It might be easier. But God has given each of us a voice inside that tells us right from wrong. Our conscience is important. If we listen to it and seek to always do what is right, then our lives will be kept clear of trouble and problems.
Dear Jesus: Keep our consciences clear. Help us listen to and follow what is right. Amen.
If I take something that is not mine, maybe no one will see me take it -- but my conscience knows it and tells me, "This is wrong!" If I do not tell the truth, perhaps other people cannot tell that I am lying, but my conscience knows it. Like a little voice within me, it tells me that lying is wrong. If I disobey a rule, perhaps no one will know it -- but my conscience does. It tells me.
Listening to our conscience and doing what is right is like keeping a clear glass of water clear. But if we don't listen to our conscience and do what is wrong, it is like fogging the clear water with impurities. (Drop in the food coloring or paint and stir. Use different colors as you outline various ways we can violate our conscience. For example, you could say, "If I do not tell the truth, it's like a green lie ... When I disobey my parents, it's like a blue feeling ... When I say bad things to others, it's like a red hurt ...." The once clear glass of water becomes an ugly color.)
Sometimes I wish we really did have a cricket who would tell us what is right and wrong. It might be easier. But God has given each of us a voice inside that tells us right from wrong. Our conscience is important. If we listen to it and seek to always do what is right, then our lives will be kept clear of trouble and problems.
Dear Jesus: Keep our consciences clear. Help us listen to and follow what is right. Amen.
