How Much Does It Cost?
Children's sermon
Children's Sermons A To Z
Exegetical Aim: Understanding the cost of something before the commitment is made. Key verse: 28.
Props: A toy in its original box, if possible, with a ten--dollar price tag and nine one--dollar bills. Obviously, you can change the original price tag with a sticker to suit this Children's Sermon. The toy could be a football or a Barbie. It does not matter. The prop could also be a candy bar for ten cents and nine pennies. The more desirable the item, the more effective the illustration.
Lesson: With the toy hidden: Good morning! (response) We're going to go to the toy store (or candy store depending on your prop) this morning and buy a toy. I know exactly what I want; I want this! Pull out the football. What is this? (response) Yeah, a football. Won't it be great! We can buy this and then take it home and get in the front yard and play football. How many of you have played football? (response) Will you play with me if I buy it? (response) Good. I wonder how much it costs? (response) The price tag has to be around here somewhere? Does anyone see the price tag? (response) Oh, it's right here. How much does it cost? (response) Ten dollars!? That's a lot of money. I'll have to see how much I have.
Pull out your wallet or pocketbook and take out the nine one dollar bills. Will you help me count? (response) You count them. Have a child hold out her hand for you to lay the dollar bills into one at a time. (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine) Nine? In desperation look back in your wallet. We need ten dollars not nine. Are you sure you counted right? (response) We'll count them again. Take the bills and have them slowly count again. Only nine dollars! Do you know what that means? (response) That's right. I don't have enough money to buy the football and that means we can't play football together. I'm sorry; I thought I had enough money.
Put your dollars back in your wallet and hold it up before them: Next time, before I go to the toy store to buy a toy, what should I do? (count how much money you have) If they say you should ask your parents, respond: I'm going to buy this toy with my own money. So what do I need to do before I buy the toy? (response) I need to count my money, and if I have nine dollars, I can't buy a ten--dollar toy. I need to know how much it costs and how much I have.
Application: The toy store will expect me to have ten dollars if I am going to buy a ten--dollar toy. Jesus said something like that. He said, before we follow God, we need to sit down and think about what that means and how much it's going to "cost us" to follow him. What do you think it costs to follow God? (response) Give the children time to answer. If they answer with a monetary figure: It will cost more than our money to follow God. What do you think it costs to follow God? (response) Guide them toward appropriate answers. It will actually cost us our lives! Everything we have and everything we own - even everything we are and want to do. Can you believe that? We have to give everything to God: our money, our family, our talents, our toys, our friends, and our love. That's what it costs to follow God. Jesus told us to make sure we are ready to pay that price before we come to God, because God expects nothing less.
Let's Pray: Lord, whatever it costs, we are ready to pay the price to follow you. Amen.
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Proper 18
Philemon 1--21
Ask Nicely
Exegetical Aim: Our requests of others should be polite. We should use kindness whenever possible.
Props: A bottle of vinegar, an onion, a jar of jelly, and a packet of Kool--Aid.
Lesson: Today I want to take a survey to see what kind of things you like, okay? Hold up the jar of vinegar. How many know what this is? (response) Now, how many people like to have a big, cold glass of vinegar on a warm summer's day? (response) No? Hold up the Kool--Aid pouch. Well, who would rather have a drink made from this? (response) So you would rather have the Kool--Aid than the vinegar? (response) Okay.
Next, how many of you would like just to open up your mouth and bite into this? Hold up the onion. (response) No? Well, what about this? Hold up the jar of jelly. You would rather have the jelly. Hmmm. Why would you rather have the jelly and the Kool--Aid than the onion and the vinegar? (response) Oh, I see. Because they are sweeter.
Now set the jelly down a few feet away. I would like for one of you to get up and get that jelly for me, but before you do, I need to ask you something. Would you rather I use a deep voice lower your voice, and a mean face make a mean face, and point at you point, and order you to get the jelly? Or would you rather I speak kindly and ask you to please get me the jelly? Which would you rather I do? (ask nicely) Why? (response) Oh, I see. It is a nicer and sweeter way to ask that way. Let's try it. Turn to one of the children. Would you please get the jelly for me? When the child returns with the jelly, say, "Thank you." I'd much rather have jelly people around me than vinegary people.
Application: In the Bible a man named Paul asked his friend Philemon to do something for him. He said, "Philemon, I could order you to do this, but I am going to ask nicely." Why do you think he did that? (response) Yes, Paul knew that Philemon would likely respond to niceness than to an order. In the same way, we must be nice to our friends and classmates in school. When we need something we have to be polite out of love for that person, and never demanding or ordering. It's much sweeter, right? (response)
Let's Pray: Gracious God, help us to be nice this week and ask please. In Jesus' name. Amen.
?
Props: A toy in its original box, if possible, with a ten--dollar price tag and nine one--dollar bills. Obviously, you can change the original price tag with a sticker to suit this Children's Sermon. The toy could be a football or a Barbie. It does not matter. The prop could also be a candy bar for ten cents and nine pennies. The more desirable the item, the more effective the illustration.
Lesson: With the toy hidden: Good morning! (response) We're going to go to the toy store (or candy store depending on your prop) this morning and buy a toy. I know exactly what I want; I want this! Pull out the football. What is this? (response) Yeah, a football. Won't it be great! We can buy this and then take it home and get in the front yard and play football. How many of you have played football? (response) Will you play with me if I buy it? (response) Good. I wonder how much it costs? (response) The price tag has to be around here somewhere? Does anyone see the price tag? (response) Oh, it's right here. How much does it cost? (response) Ten dollars!? That's a lot of money. I'll have to see how much I have.
Pull out your wallet or pocketbook and take out the nine one dollar bills. Will you help me count? (response) You count them. Have a child hold out her hand for you to lay the dollar bills into one at a time. (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine) Nine? In desperation look back in your wallet. We need ten dollars not nine. Are you sure you counted right? (response) We'll count them again. Take the bills and have them slowly count again. Only nine dollars! Do you know what that means? (response) That's right. I don't have enough money to buy the football and that means we can't play football together. I'm sorry; I thought I had enough money.
Put your dollars back in your wallet and hold it up before them: Next time, before I go to the toy store to buy a toy, what should I do? (count how much money you have) If they say you should ask your parents, respond: I'm going to buy this toy with my own money. So what do I need to do before I buy the toy? (response) I need to count my money, and if I have nine dollars, I can't buy a ten--dollar toy. I need to know how much it costs and how much I have.
Application: The toy store will expect me to have ten dollars if I am going to buy a ten--dollar toy. Jesus said something like that. He said, before we follow God, we need to sit down and think about what that means and how much it's going to "cost us" to follow him. What do you think it costs to follow God? (response) Give the children time to answer. If they answer with a monetary figure: It will cost more than our money to follow God. What do you think it costs to follow God? (response) Guide them toward appropriate answers. It will actually cost us our lives! Everything we have and everything we own - even everything we are and want to do. Can you believe that? We have to give everything to God: our money, our family, our talents, our toys, our friends, and our love. That's what it costs to follow God. Jesus told us to make sure we are ready to pay that price before we come to God, because God expects nothing less.
Let's Pray: Lord, whatever it costs, we are ready to pay the price to follow you. Amen.
?
Proper 18
Philemon 1--21
Ask Nicely
Exegetical Aim: Our requests of others should be polite. We should use kindness whenever possible.
Props: A bottle of vinegar, an onion, a jar of jelly, and a packet of Kool--Aid.
Lesson: Today I want to take a survey to see what kind of things you like, okay? Hold up the jar of vinegar. How many know what this is? (response) Now, how many people like to have a big, cold glass of vinegar on a warm summer's day? (response) No? Hold up the Kool--Aid pouch. Well, who would rather have a drink made from this? (response) So you would rather have the Kool--Aid than the vinegar? (response) Okay.
Next, how many of you would like just to open up your mouth and bite into this? Hold up the onion. (response) No? Well, what about this? Hold up the jar of jelly. You would rather have the jelly. Hmmm. Why would you rather have the jelly and the Kool--Aid than the onion and the vinegar? (response) Oh, I see. Because they are sweeter.
Now set the jelly down a few feet away. I would like for one of you to get up and get that jelly for me, but before you do, I need to ask you something. Would you rather I use a deep voice lower your voice, and a mean face make a mean face, and point at you point, and order you to get the jelly? Or would you rather I speak kindly and ask you to please get me the jelly? Which would you rather I do? (ask nicely) Why? (response) Oh, I see. It is a nicer and sweeter way to ask that way. Let's try it. Turn to one of the children. Would you please get the jelly for me? When the child returns with the jelly, say, "Thank you." I'd much rather have jelly people around me than vinegary people.
Application: In the Bible a man named Paul asked his friend Philemon to do something for him. He said, "Philemon, I could order you to do this, but I am going to ask nicely." Why do you think he did that? (response) Yes, Paul knew that Philemon would likely respond to niceness than to an order. In the same way, we must be nice to our friends and classmates in school. When we need something we have to be polite out of love for that person, and never demanding or ordering. It's much sweeter, right? (response)
Let's Pray: Gracious God, help us to be nice this week and ask please. In Jesus' name. Amen.
?
