Living Water
Children's sermon
Cows In Church
80 Biblically Based Children's Sermons
Object:
A small potted cactus. (An unusual pot will elicit more interest from the children.)
As the children gather on the steps they see I am holding a small cactus planted in a pot shaped like a cat. "What did I bring with me this morning?" I ask them.
"A plant in a cat!" some of them respond.
"Yes, a cactus in a cat," I tell them. "What does this cactus need to live in this pot?"
"Sunshine!" says one little boy.
"Yes, it needs sunshine. What else does it need?"
"Water," replies a little girl.
"Yes, it needs water. And there is something else it needs." I start to tilt the pot to the side as I speak. "What are its roots in? What is holding it in the pot?"
"Dirt!" most of them say triumphantly.
"That's right, dirt. The cactus gets food from the dirt.
"Well, what I have to say to you this morning may be one of the most important things I ever tell you. But, it's a little hard to understand. That's why I brought this plant along, to help me explain it to you. Like the cactus, all of you need sunshine, water, and food to live, though you don't eat dirt -- at least not usually!"
"You need all of these things for your physical health and to give you the energy to use your mind. But your spirit needs something too. Perhaps this will be easier to understand if you think of your spirit as a plant inside you -- probably not a prickly one like this cactus; you wouldn't want to be all prickly inside!" Several children shake their heads in agreement, grinning.
"Now this spirit, this plant inside you needs a special kind of 'water' to live -- it's something Jesus called 'living water.' It isn't like the water from the rain, or the water several blocks from here that flows in the Missouri River. It isn't like the water you get out of a faucet. You can't see it, or touch it, or taste it, but you can feel it, at times of great joy or sadness, and at very quiet times. It is the feeling that brings tears, which you could think of as 'rain,' and laughter, which you could think of as the rainbow that follows the rain. It is spirit 'stuff' and it comes to us from God, through God's son, Jesus. And the only way to get it is to ask. That means it is important to take time to pray, quiet time, to talk with God and listen to God so that we can receive this 'water' for our spirits.
"Tonight when you go to bed, before you go to sleep, you might whisper a prayer, asking God for this invisible 'living water' of the spirit. You might think of your spirit as a little plant inside you that is thirsty, and ask God to give it a drink."
"A plant in a cat!" some of them respond.
"Yes, a cactus in a cat," I tell them. "What does this cactus need to live in this pot?"
"Sunshine!" says one little boy.
"Yes, it needs sunshine. What else does it need?"
"Water," replies a little girl.
"Yes, it needs water. And there is something else it needs." I start to tilt the pot to the side as I speak. "What are its roots in? What is holding it in the pot?"
"Dirt!" most of them say triumphantly.
"That's right, dirt. The cactus gets food from the dirt.
"Well, what I have to say to you this morning may be one of the most important things I ever tell you. But, it's a little hard to understand. That's why I brought this plant along, to help me explain it to you. Like the cactus, all of you need sunshine, water, and food to live, though you don't eat dirt -- at least not usually!"
"You need all of these things for your physical health and to give you the energy to use your mind. But your spirit needs something too. Perhaps this will be easier to understand if you think of your spirit as a plant inside you -- probably not a prickly one like this cactus; you wouldn't want to be all prickly inside!" Several children shake their heads in agreement, grinning.
"Now this spirit, this plant inside you needs a special kind of 'water' to live -- it's something Jesus called 'living water.' It isn't like the water from the rain, or the water several blocks from here that flows in the Missouri River. It isn't like the water you get out of a faucet. You can't see it, or touch it, or taste it, but you can feel it, at times of great joy or sadness, and at very quiet times. It is the feeling that brings tears, which you could think of as 'rain,' and laughter, which you could think of as the rainbow that follows the rain. It is spirit 'stuff' and it comes to us from God, through God's son, Jesus. And the only way to get it is to ask. That means it is important to take time to pray, quiet time, to talk with God and listen to God so that we can receive this 'water' for our spirits.
"Tonight when you go to bed, before you go to sleep, you might whisper a prayer, asking God for this invisible 'living water' of the spirit. You might think of your spirit as a little plant inside you that is thirsty, and ask God to give it a drink."
