Connections
Children's sermon
Cows In Church
80 Biblically Based Children's Sermons
Object:
A tree root, an electrical extension cord, and a telephone (NOT a "cordless" phone).
As the children watch, I reach into the bag I've brought and pull out a gnarled tree root. "What is this?" I begin. Not unexpectedly, several children tell me it is a stick.
"It does look like a stick," I agree, "but there is another name for this particular part of a tree."
"A branch?" Charles asks.
"No, but you're closer. Move farther down the tree," I suggest.
"The trunk?" Timothy questions, a bit mystified. At this point a part of my mind wanders to an apparent lack of botanical education among these children as I tell them, "It's a root."
"Oh, the bottom!" Timothy interjects triumphantly.
"That's right, Tim; the bottom of the tree. What does the root do?"
"The tree uses it to get minerals and water," Brian answers.
"Yes," I agree as I reach into the bag once more. This time I pull out an extension cord.
"Now, what's this?" I ask.
"An electric cord!" Jennifer offers.
"Okay," I respond. "It's an electric cord. So, what would I use it for?"
"To bring electricity to something, like a lamp," Christopher replies.
"Yes," I answer. "Now, what's this?" I ask, pulling one more item out of my bag.
"It's a TELEPHONE!" comes the unanimous response.
"Ah, a telephone ...You all knew that one right away! How many of you have ever used a telephone?" I question. Every child present raises a hand.
"Oh good," I continue. "Now suppose I wanted to make a call on this telephone. Could I do that?"
"NO!" comes another unanimous response.
"Why not?" I ask.
"Because it isn't connected," Nancy answers.
"Oh, so it has to be connected before it will work?" I question.
"Yes," Nancy and several others affirm.
"So if I pick up the receiver and listen for a dial tone, there won't be one, right?" I do exactly what I have described. "Sure enough, it's dead; no dial tone.
"What if I had a lamp connected to this cord but pulled the plug out of the wall socket? Would I be able to turn the lamp on?"
"No," the children answer. "It's got to be plugged in," Christopher assures me.
"Well, let's go back to this tree root for a moment," I suggest. "It isn't doing the tree much good, is it?" Several children shake their heads in a negative response.
"It's not connected to the tree anymore," Jennifer observes.
"That's right, Jennifer. What happens to a tree without roots?" I ask.
"It will die," Jennifer answers.
"Yes, it will die; it will die if it is disconnected, cut off from its roots. And if the plug is disconnected, cut off from the wall socket, the cord will have no power. And if the telephone is disconnected, cut off from its cord, it will not work; it will be 'dead.'
"By now all of you may be wondering just what this has to do with you or anything else. But you see, just like the root, the cord, and the phone, we all need to be connected to something to feel alive. What is our source of life?" I ask this, fully cognizant of the risk I'm taking.
"God?" Simon questions.
"Yes, God. It is God who created us and God who gives us life. But, sometimes we don't feel very alive; sometimes, we feel dead inside. Sometimes we feel cut off from one another and from God. For example, if I were angry with you, Simon, I might decide not to speak to you. I would be cutting myself off from you.
"When we separate ourselves from each other due to anger or jealousy or hatred, we are also separating ourselves from God. It has the same effect on our spirit that cutting the root off the tree has on the tree, or unplugging the cord has on the lamp, or disconnecting the cord has on the phone. When we cut ourselves off like that we feel lifeless.
"But you see, God doesn't like being cut off from us. So God sent us Jesus, to reconnect with us. God does that by giving us the Holy Spirit through Jesus. Like electricity, the Spirit is not something you can see. But you can feel it within you -- feelings expressed as joy, peace, kindness, and love. These are the fruits of the Spirit, and they are just the opposite of the feelings we have when we are disconnected. The Holy Spirit connects us all to each other and to God through Jesus Christ.
"Connected, we feel alive; disconnected, we feel lifeless -- dead inside. When we are mean to other people, or in some other way fail to live the example Jesus set for us, we sin. And that makes us feel dead inside.
"But God, who loves us even when we are dead from our trespasses, makes us alive, together, through Jesus. Jesus connects us to God and to each other."
"It does look like a stick," I agree, "but there is another name for this particular part of a tree."
"A branch?" Charles asks.
"No, but you're closer. Move farther down the tree," I suggest.
"The trunk?" Timothy questions, a bit mystified. At this point a part of my mind wanders to an apparent lack of botanical education among these children as I tell them, "It's a root."
"Oh, the bottom!" Timothy interjects triumphantly.
"That's right, Tim; the bottom of the tree. What does the root do?"
"The tree uses it to get minerals and water," Brian answers.
"Yes," I agree as I reach into the bag once more. This time I pull out an extension cord.
"Now, what's this?" I ask.
"An electric cord!" Jennifer offers.
"Okay," I respond. "It's an electric cord. So, what would I use it for?"
"To bring electricity to something, like a lamp," Christopher replies.
"Yes," I answer. "Now, what's this?" I ask, pulling one more item out of my bag.
"It's a TELEPHONE!" comes the unanimous response.
"Ah, a telephone ...You all knew that one right away! How many of you have ever used a telephone?" I question. Every child present raises a hand.
"Oh good," I continue. "Now suppose I wanted to make a call on this telephone. Could I do that?"
"NO!" comes another unanimous response.
"Why not?" I ask.
"Because it isn't connected," Nancy answers.
"Oh, so it has to be connected before it will work?" I question.
"Yes," Nancy and several others affirm.
"So if I pick up the receiver and listen for a dial tone, there won't be one, right?" I do exactly what I have described. "Sure enough, it's dead; no dial tone.
"What if I had a lamp connected to this cord but pulled the plug out of the wall socket? Would I be able to turn the lamp on?"
"No," the children answer. "It's got to be plugged in," Christopher assures me.
"Well, let's go back to this tree root for a moment," I suggest. "It isn't doing the tree much good, is it?" Several children shake their heads in a negative response.
"It's not connected to the tree anymore," Jennifer observes.
"That's right, Jennifer. What happens to a tree without roots?" I ask.
"It will die," Jennifer answers.
"Yes, it will die; it will die if it is disconnected, cut off from its roots. And if the plug is disconnected, cut off from the wall socket, the cord will have no power. And if the telephone is disconnected, cut off from its cord, it will not work; it will be 'dead.'
"By now all of you may be wondering just what this has to do with you or anything else. But you see, just like the root, the cord, and the phone, we all need to be connected to something to feel alive. What is our source of life?" I ask this, fully cognizant of the risk I'm taking.
"God?" Simon questions.
"Yes, God. It is God who created us and God who gives us life. But, sometimes we don't feel very alive; sometimes, we feel dead inside. Sometimes we feel cut off from one another and from God. For example, if I were angry with you, Simon, I might decide not to speak to you. I would be cutting myself off from you.
"When we separate ourselves from each other due to anger or jealousy or hatred, we are also separating ourselves from God. It has the same effect on our spirit that cutting the root off the tree has on the tree, or unplugging the cord has on the lamp, or disconnecting the cord has on the phone. When we cut ourselves off like that we feel lifeless.
"But you see, God doesn't like being cut off from us. So God sent us Jesus, to reconnect with us. God does that by giving us the Holy Spirit through Jesus. Like electricity, the Spirit is not something you can see. But you can feel it within you -- feelings expressed as joy, peace, kindness, and love. These are the fruits of the Spirit, and they are just the opposite of the feelings we have when we are disconnected. The Holy Spirit connects us all to each other and to God through Jesus Christ.
"Connected, we feel alive; disconnected, we feel lifeless -- dead inside. When we are mean to other people, or in some other way fail to live the example Jesus set for us, we sin. And that makes us feel dead inside.
"But God, who loves us even when we are dead from our trespasses, makes us alive, together, through Jesus. Jesus connects us to God and to each other."
