Gobble, Gobble, Gone
Children's sermon
Children's Sermons A To Z
Exegetical Aim: A lesson of sharing.
Props: M&M's. You will need: 1) A small package for you to eat. If you cannot eat the whole bag in a single sitting, then slightly open the bag, empty the bag, and place what you can't eat back in. But it needs to be proportioned to the number of children so that it looks as though you could have shared. If you are preaching afterwards, you'll need some water at the pulpit to wash them down. 2) One package for each child present. Hide these packages.
Lesson: Good morning! (response) Hold up a single package of M&M's: I have a package of my favorite candy with me this morning. What are they? (response) Who likes M&M's? (response) Tear open the bag while talking to the children. You do? I do too! Pour the M&M's into your hands and start picking out the greens. My favorite M&M's are the green ones. Hold out all the greens. Look at all those green M&M's. Don't they look great? (response) Now eat them. Take a little time to chew and enjoy and nod to the children in approval. Leave your hand open so they see the others.
Boy, that was good. I sure do like the green ones ... look down at the M&M's and pick out the brown, but, you know, these brown ones remind me of chocolate and I love chocolate. Put all the brown in your mouth. With a full mouth and holding the candies in front, say, What's your favorite color? (red) Really? Point to red. You like the red? Start picking them out. They do look good! Put them all in your mouth. Yeah, crunch, yeah, crunch, you're right, crunch, they are good.
Do you like this color? (response) How about this one? (response) I bet they're good, too. Put them all in your mouth. Mmm! crunch They are good. Crunch, crunch. Start to register some concern on your face. Looking at the children with your mouth still a bit full: What? Slowly crunch. What's wrong? (you ate them all; you didn't share). I should have shared? (response) Gosh, that wasn't very nice of me, was it? (response) I didn't think of you at all. I was only thinking about myself.
Application: Jesus told a story about a man like that. He grew a whole lot of corn and wheat on his farm. Then he built a big barn and he put it all in the barn for himself, and he didn't share it with anyone. Do you know what happened to that man? (response) On the very day he put all that food in the barn, he died. He thought he'd be able to gobble all that food by himself. Next thing you know he's gone. He never ate the food and he missed an opportunity to share it with others.
We need to do what Jesus told us to do. We need to share. Pull out the other M&M's and share with the children. Take these back with you and give them to your parents. You may eat them after church!
Let's Pray: Father, teach us to share with one another not just small things like M&M's but big things as well. Amen.
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Proper 13
Colossians 3:1--11
All In All
Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate that there is no partiality in Christ. Key verse: 11.
Props: A bowl of plain M&M's.
Lesson: Today I want to share with you some of my favorite candy. Show them the candy. What kind is it? (M&M's) Right! M&M's! Let's all say, yea! (response) I'm going to give each of you some of this, but first you have to tell me which color you like the best. (response) I personally like the brown ones. Who likes green? (response) Red? (response) Orange? (response) The new blue? (response) Well, here's what I want you to do. Each of you can get three. But when you get them, close your eyes or turn your head away and reach into the bowl and don't look at them. Keep them closed in your hand. Okay, come and get them, and remember, don't look at them. When everyone has their M&M's: Now on the count of three, without looking at your M&M's, open your mouth, and eat them. 1, 2, 3! Make sure everyone follows the instructions. After the children have eaten: What colors did you eat? Who ate a red one? (response) Who ate a green? (response) Keep asking until someone says, "We don't know," or "They all taste the same."
Application: That's right. Inside the different shells they all taste the same. Did you know that in a way Christians are like those M&M's? That's what the Apostle Paul said. He said that when Christ is in you and you are in Christ, there are no differences between us. We're neither black nor white, rich nor poor, or even male nor female. It doesn't make a difference to God what kind of shell we have - the inside is what counts to him. And it shouldn't matter to us either. We should treat everyone the same no matter what color their shell.
Let's Pray: Dear God, thank you for loving us no matter the color of our shell, and thank you for Jesus Christ, who makes us all children of God. Amen.
?
Props: M&M's. You will need: 1) A small package for you to eat. If you cannot eat the whole bag in a single sitting, then slightly open the bag, empty the bag, and place what you can't eat back in. But it needs to be proportioned to the number of children so that it looks as though you could have shared. If you are preaching afterwards, you'll need some water at the pulpit to wash them down. 2) One package for each child present. Hide these packages.
Lesson: Good morning! (response) Hold up a single package of M&M's: I have a package of my favorite candy with me this morning. What are they? (response) Who likes M&M's? (response) Tear open the bag while talking to the children. You do? I do too! Pour the M&M's into your hands and start picking out the greens. My favorite M&M's are the green ones. Hold out all the greens. Look at all those green M&M's. Don't they look great? (response) Now eat them. Take a little time to chew and enjoy and nod to the children in approval. Leave your hand open so they see the others.
Boy, that was good. I sure do like the green ones ... look down at the M&M's and pick out the brown, but, you know, these brown ones remind me of chocolate and I love chocolate. Put all the brown in your mouth. With a full mouth and holding the candies in front, say, What's your favorite color? (red) Really? Point to red. You like the red? Start picking them out. They do look good! Put them all in your mouth. Yeah, crunch, yeah, crunch, you're right, crunch, they are good.
Do you like this color? (response) How about this one? (response) I bet they're good, too. Put them all in your mouth. Mmm! crunch They are good. Crunch, crunch. Start to register some concern on your face. Looking at the children with your mouth still a bit full: What? Slowly crunch. What's wrong? (you ate them all; you didn't share). I should have shared? (response) Gosh, that wasn't very nice of me, was it? (response) I didn't think of you at all. I was only thinking about myself.
Application: Jesus told a story about a man like that. He grew a whole lot of corn and wheat on his farm. Then he built a big barn and he put it all in the barn for himself, and he didn't share it with anyone. Do you know what happened to that man? (response) On the very day he put all that food in the barn, he died. He thought he'd be able to gobble all that food by himself. Next thing you know he's gone. He never ate the food and he missed an opportunity to share it with others.
We need to do what Jesus told us to do. We need to share. Pull out the other M&M's and share with the children. Take these back with you and give them to your parents. You may eat them after church!
Let's Pray: Father, teach us to share with one another not just small things like M&M's but big things as well. Amen.
?
Proper 13
Colossians 3:1--11
All In All
Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate that there is no partiality in Christ. Key verse: 11.
Props: A bowl of plain M&M's.
Lesson: Today I want to share with you some of my favorite candy. Show them the candy. What kind is it? (M&M's) Right! M&M's! Let's all say, yea! (response) I'm going to give each of you some of this, but first you have to tell me which color you like the best. (response) I personally like the brown ones. Who likes green? (response) Red? (response) Orange? (response) The new blue? (response) Well, here's what I want you to do. Each of you can get three. But when you get them, close your eyes or turn your head away and reach into the bowl and don't look at them. Keep them closed in your hand. Okay, come and get them, and remember, don't look at them. When everyone has their M&M's: Now on the count of three, without looking at your M&M's, open your mouth, and eat them. 1, 2, 3! Make sure everyone follows the instructions. After the children have eaten: What colors did you eat? Who ate a red one? (response) Who ate a green? (response) Keep asking until someone says, "We don't know," or "They all taste the same."
Application: That's right. Inside the different shells they all taste the same. Did you know that in a way Christians are like those M&M's? That's what the Apostle Paul said. He said that when Christ is in you and you are in Christ, there are no differences between us. We're neither black nor white, rich nor poor, or even male nor female. It doesn't make a difference to God what kind of shell we have - the inside is what counts to him. And it shouldn't matter to us either. We should treat everyone the same no matter what color their shell.
Let's Pray: Dear God, thank you for loving us no matter the color of our shell, and thank you for Jesus Christ, who makes us all children of God. Amen.
?
