God's Mercy
Children's sermon
Story Time At The Altar
86 Messages For Children
The psalms (Show the Psalms in the Bible.) were the prayer poems of the people. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 5l, wrote: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions."
"You are under arrest," the policeman said to the old man, caught for stealing a loaf of bread, because he was very hungry. The policeman brought the hungry man before the judge. "Your honor, this man has broken the law. He has been arrested for stealing." Now it happened that that night the mayor of the city, Fiorello La Guardia, was serving as judge in order to learn more about his people and their problems. The judge asked, "What did he steal?" "A loaf of bread." The judge fined the old man ten dollars, saying, "I am sorry but the law is the law. Stealing is against the law." Before he finished, the mayor reached into his pocket, took out his billfold, and paid the ten-dollar fine for the old man. Then he stood up and said to the people in the courtroom, "I am fining each of you fifty cents for living in a city that does not feed its hungry people." The mayor passed an empty plate among the people. When he had collected almost fifty dollars, he turned to the old man. "This money is yours to buy bread. You are free to go." The old man left the courtroom with tears in his eyes, for he had experienced God's mercy through God's people.
Talk together: Why was the man arrested? Have you ever done something wrong and were forgiven? That is God's "mercy."
Prayer: Dear God, we thank you for bread. Help us to share it with those who have no bread. Forgive us for living in a city that does not feed its hungry people. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
"You are under arrest," the policeman said to the old man, caught for stealing a loaf of bread, because he was very hungry. The policeman brought the hungry man before the judge. "Your honor, this man has broken the law. He has been arrested for stealing." Now it happened that that night the mayor of the city, Fiorello La Guardia, was serving as judge in order to learn more about his people and their problems. The judge asked, "What did he steal?" "A loaf of bread." The judge fined the old man ten dollars, saying, "I am sorry but the law is the law. Stealing is against the law." Before he finished, the mayor reached into his pocket, took out his billfold, and paid the ten-dollar fine for the old man. Then he stood up and said to the people in the courtroom, "I am fining each of you fifty cents for living in a city that does not feed its hungry people." The mayor passed an empty plate among the people. When he had collected almost fifty dollars, he turned to the old man. "This money is yours to buy bread. You are free to go." The old man left the courtroom with tears in his eyes, for he had experienced God's mercy through God's people.
Talk together: Why was the man arrested? Have you ever done something wrong and were forgiven? That is God's "mercy."
Prayer: Dear God, we thank you for bread. Help us to share it with those who have no bread. Forgive us for living in a city that does not feed its hungry people. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
