Follow Through
Children's sermon
From a Mustard Seed
Children's Sermons
Object:
A variety of projects that are half completed: a half-colored picture, a half-built building made of blocks, and so forth.
Message: What would say to someone who always stopped doing something half way through? A person who, for some reason, just never got around to finishing whatever he or she had started. That sounds kind of foolish, doesn't it?
What if you came into the kitchen at your house at supper time and the table had only half the things you needed. A cup but no plate to go with it, and a knife and a spoon but no fork for the meal. You certainly couldn't eat until the table was more fully set! Or what if your mom and dad only half cooked the meal? The vegetables were still half frozen, the meat was still raw on the inside, and the cake had been mixed up for dessert but never baked. Not a very appetizing meal, is it?
What if you went to school every day with only half of your homework done? Would the teacher allow you to get away with that? Never! Teachers expect you to complete the whole project!
Today I brought along a couple projects that I started at home and I think you will be able to see right away what is wrong with them. They are also only half completed. The half of this picture I colored looks pretty good! I stayed in the lines and did it neatly. But the other half still needs work. And this building looks pretty good so far, but this is not a house I would want to live in because it has no roof. It is not even close to being completed.
Finishing the projects we begin is very important. One day when Jesus was speaking with his disciples He told them about a man who had a hard time following through on his projects. He started to build a tower and then realized he didn't have enough money to finish it. Imagine that - a half built tower - standing in the middle of a field. All the neighbors laughed at him because he was unable to finish it.
Christ tells us that is a lot like our faith. When we say we are Christians, that means we are committing ourselves to following after Jesus. He calls us to give Him our lives and to use every day we have to serve Him. It calls for all we have.
What if you came into the kitchen at your house at supper time and the table had only half the things you needed. A cup but no plate to go with it, and a knife and a spoon but no fork for the meal. You certainly couldn't eat until the table was more fully set! Or what if your mom and dad only half cooked the meal? The vegetables were still half frozen, the meat was still raw on the inside, and the cake had been mixed up for dessert but never baked. Not a very appetizing meal, is it?
What if you went to school every day with only half of your homework done? Would the teacher allow you to get away with that? Never! Teachers expect you to complete the whole project!
Today I brought along a couple projects that I started at home and I think you will be able to see right away what is wrong with them. They are also only half completed. The half of this picture I colored looks pretty good! I stayed in the lines and did it neatly. But the other half still needs work. And this building looks pretty good so far, but this is not a house I would want to live in because it has no roof. It is not even close to being completed.
Finishing the projects we begin is very important. One day when Jesus was speaking with his disciples He told them about a man who had a hard time following through on his projects. He started to build a tower and then realized he didn't have enough money to finish it. Imagine that - a half built tower - standing in the middle of a field. All the neighbors laughed at him because he was unable to finish it.
Christ tells us that is a lot like our faith. When we say we are Christians, that means we are committing ourselves to following after Jesus. He calls us to give Him our lives and to use every day we have to serve Him. It calls for all we have.
