Help!
Children's sermon
Cows In Church
80 Biblically Based Children's Sermons
Object:
None
Visual Aid: None. This children's sermon uses the involvement of the entire congregation to capture the children's attention. (NOTE: The ingenuity of this message is that its point can be made whether or not anyone from the congregation responds.
"Good morning!" I greet the children. "I need some help this morning." Their eyes widen with interest and a trace of alarm. What might I ask them to do? "Will you help me out?" The only response is a "Maybe!" from one of the boys.
"Well, let's see what happens if I ask someone else ..." I then get up from where I have been kneeling in front of the children and turn to the congregation. "I really DO need help with the children's sermon this morning. Will any of you come up here and help me?"
A motionless, stunned silence greets my plea. No doubt questions are racing through their minds like, "What will she ask me to do if I go up there?" "Will I be embarrassed?"
"No, I'm not kidding, folks. I really DO need help. Is there not even one person among you who will come up here?" Then a number of people start forward, including one entire family of four, the youngest of which has just recently "outgrown" the children's sermon.
"All right!" I hear myself exclaim when I see this response.
"Where do you want us?" asks the first person to arrive.
"Right here on the steps with the children," I reply. When my "volunteers" are seated, I reassure them. "Thank you for coming. That is all I needed you to do -- and you did it, without knowing what I wanted.
"Your presence makes a number of points. For one thing, it emphasizes that God's message is for people of all ages, adults and children, and sometimes it's important to listen and discover together. Additionally, your coming shows your willingness to help, no matter what. You had no idea what I might have asked you to do. And that's the third thing your presence tells us -- that you trust me. You trusted me not to embarrass you thoroughly nor ask something of you that was ridiculous or impossible.
"When Paul was on his second missionary journey, he had a dream in which he saw a man on the shore of a country called Macedonia. The man was pleading with Paul, saying, 'Come, help us.' And Paul, trusting that his dream was important, went to Macedonia. This could not have been easy. He had to go by boat, and he wasn't sure who or what he would find when he arrived. He wasn't sure just what sort of help the people of Macedonia might need from him. But he was sure of the love of Christ which he carried in his heart. And it was out of that love that he made the trip to Macedonia.
"When he arrived, he met a woman named Lydia at a place called Philippi. When Lydia heard Paul's message about Jesus, she and her entire household became Christians and the Philippian church was born. Looking around this group, I see that one entire family -- an entire household -- has joined us this morning. When one member came, the others came too. That's what happened at Philippi -- all because Paul listened to a cry for help. When we are asked for help, it may be important to take the attitude these folks took today: 'I'll help you if I can.' For you never know what result God might bring out of your willingness to be there for someone in need. Sometimes just your willingness itself is enough to make a difference."
"Good morning!" I greet the children. "I need some help this morning." Their eyes widen with interest and a trace of alarm. What might I ask them to do? "Will you help me out?" The only response is a "Maybe!" from one of the boys.
"Well, let's see what happens if I ask someone else ..." I then get up from where I have been kneeling in front of the children and turn to the congregation. "I really DO need help with the children's sermon this morning. Will any of you come up here and help me?"
A motionless, stunned silence greets my plea. No doubt questions are racing through their minds like, "What will she ask me to do if I go up there?" "Will I be embarrassed?"
"No, I'm not kidding, folks. I really DO need help. Is there not even one person among you who will come up here?" Then a number of people start forward, including one entire family of four, the youngest of which has just recently "outgrown" the children's sermon.
"All right!" I hear myself exclaim when I see this response.
"Where do you want us?" asks the first person to arrive.
"Right here on the steps with the children," I reply. When my "volunteers" are seated, I reassure them. "Thank you for coming. That is all I needed you to do -- and you did it, without knowing what I wanted.
"Your presence makes a number of points. For one thing, it emphasizes that God's message is for people of all ages, adults and children, and sometimes it's important to listen and discover together. Additionally, your coming shows your willingness to help, no matter what. You had no idea what I might have asked you to do. And that's the third thing your presence tells us -- that you trust me. You trusted me not to embarrass you thoroughly nor ask something of you that was ridiculous or impossible.
"When Paul was on his second missionary journey, he had a dream in which he saw a man on the shore of a country called Macedonia. The man was pleading with Paul, saying, 'Come, help us.' And Paul, trusting that his dream was important, went to Macedonia. This could not have been easy. He had to go by boat, and he wasn't sure who or what he would find when he arrived. He wasn't sure just what sort of help the people of Macedonia might need from him. But he was sure of the love of Christ which he carried in his heart. And it was out of that love that he made the trip to Macedonia.
"When he arrived, he met a woman named Lydia at a place called Philippi. When Lydia heard Paul's message about Jesus, she and her entire household became Christians and the Philippian church was born. Looking around this group, I see that one entire family -- an entire household -- has joined us this morning. When one member came, the others came too. That's what happened at Philippi -- all because Paul listened to a cry for help. When we are asked for help, it may be important to take the attitude these folks took today: 'I'll help you if I can.' For you never know what result God might bring out of your willingness to be there for someone in need. Sometimes just your willingness itself is enough to make a difference."
