Breakfast Of Champions
Pastoral Resources
Gospel-Telling
The Art and Theology of Children's Sermons
Season: Any
Summary: Part of growing up is to understand that dreams of being champions can prevent us from maturing as "complete" Christians.
Props: A box of Wheaties
I'm putting in front of you a box that's a familiar sight at many breakfast tables. But it's not just any old box of cereal - it's "the breakfast of champions." When I was growing up the ads led us to believe that every champion began the morning with a bowl of Wheaties. On the front or back of the box there was always a picture of a superstar who had set a new world's record in a sport like running, jumping, or swimming.
We all have dreams of becoming some kind of champion - a champion soccer player, a champion chess player, a champion piano player, or a champion mathematician. We all have a deep, burning desire to be the best, or if not the best there is, at least the best among our friends.
I once knew a boy who thought that if he ate enough Wheaties and trained very hard, he could become a great football player. But it wasn't to be. As he grew older, his body scarcely grew at all. And the other football players - well, they kept getting bigger and stronger. By the time this young man was a freshman in college, he was the smallest player on the team. It was a hard decision for him to make, but the next year he chose not to play football for the first time in many, many years. When he did that, he gave up his dream of being a great football player. But he also discovered that he had a lot more time to develop some of his other abilities and talents.
What am I trying to say to you? Am I telling you to give up your dreams of being a champion? No! Dreams are important and valuable because they make us set goals for ourselves - goals that make us work harder to become the very best we can be in a particular sport or activity. But our dreams of being champions can easily become so important that everything else becomes unimportant. As a consequence, we don't grow up in all the ways that Christians should.
We do not know much about Jesus as a young boy. But in the Gospel of Luke we do read that Jesus grew up in different ways. Luke tells us that Jesus grew big and strong, which says something about how his body changed. He also grew in wisdom and understanding, which means Jesus learned about the meaning of life from the Bible and other books, and from people. And, thirdly, Luke writes that Jesus grew in favor with God, which means that it was important whether or not he obeyed God. In other words, Jesus grew in many ways in order to become a complete person and a complete Christian.
That boy who didn't become a great football player is me. And as you can see, I did find something to do with my life besides play football. I still like my Wheaties with fruit. And I still like to play football and dream. But I no longer believe being a champion is the most important thing in my life. I'm content just keeping my body healthy and in good shape, and trying hard to continue to grow in wisdom and in favor with God.
I feel like offering a prayer to God. Will you join me? "Dear Lord, we give thanks that we are forever changing and growing. Bless us as we dream of being the best Christians we can become."
Summary: Part of growing up is to understand that dreams of being champions can prevent us from maturing as "complete" Christians.
Props: A box of Wheaties
I'm putting in front of you a box that's a familiar sight at many breakfast tables. But it's not just any old box of cereal - it's "the breakfast of champions." When I was growing up the ads led us to believe that every champion began the morning with a bowl of Wheaties. On the front or back of the box there was always a picture of a superstar who had set a new world's record in a sport like running, jumping, or swimming.
We all have dreams of becoming some kind of champion - a champion soccer player, a champion chess player, a champion piano player, or a champion mathematician. We all have a deep, burning desire to be the best, or if not the best there is, at least the best among our friends.
I once knew a boy who thought that if he ate enough Wheaties and trained very hard, he could become a great football player. But it wasn't to be. As he grew older, his body scarcely grew at all. And the other football players - well, they kept getting bigger and stronger. By the time this young man was a freshman in college, he was the smallest player on the team. It was a hard decision for him to make, but the next year he chose not to play football for the first time in many, many years. When he did that, he gave up his dream of being a great football player. But he also discovered that he had a lot more time to develop some of his other abilities and talents.
What am I trying to say to you? Am I telling you to give up your dreams of being a champion? No! Dreams are important and valuable because they make us set goals for ourselves - goals that make us work harder to become the very best we can be in a particular sport or activity. But our dreams of being champions can easily become so important that everything else becomes unimportant. As a consequence, we don't grow up in all the ways that Christians should.
We do not know much about Jesus as a young boy. But in the Gospel of Luke we do read that Jesus grew up in different ways. Luke tells us that Jesus grew big and strong, which says something about how his body changed. He also grew in wisdom and understanding, which means Jesus learned about the meaning of life from the Bible and other books, and from people. And, thirdly, Luke writes that Jesus grew in favor with God, which means that it was important whether or not he obeyed God. In other words, Jesus grew in many ways in order to become a complete person and a complete Christian.
That boy who didn't become a great football player is me. And as you can see, I did find something to do with my life besides play football. I still like my Wheaties with fruit. And I still like to play football and dream. But I no longer believe being a champion is the most important thing in my life. I'm content just keeping my body healthy and in good shape, and trying hard to continue to grow in wisdom and in favor with God.
I feel like offering a prayer to God. Will you join me? "Dear Lord, we give thanks that we are forever changing and growing. Bless us as we dream of being the best Christians we can become."
