Masks
Children's sermon
Cows In Church
80 Biblically Based Children's Sermons
Object:
A bandanna large enough to wear as a mask.
"Good morning, children! Some of you are laughing. Why is that?"
"Because you're wearing a handkerchief on your face!" says one little girl as the others giggle.
"Because I'm wearing a handkerchief on my face ... Is that funny?" Several of them nod. "Haven't you ever worn a handkerchief?" I ask them.
"Well, yes," one child replies, "but NOT on my face!"
"Not on your face?!" I say in mock surprise. They giggle again. "This handkerchief is like a mask, isn't it? It's hiding part of my face." The children nod, obviously waiting to see what silly thing I'm going to do next.
"Well, why would I need to wear a mask with all of you?" I ask.
"You don't!" a couple of children reply emphatically.
"You are absolutely right," I agree with them. "I don't need a mask with you, because I know all of you and you are my friends." As I say these words, I pull the bandanna down from my face to let it hang around my neck.
"You know, sometimes in life we feel that we do need a mask to hide behind or a hole to crawl into. Sometimes we get embarrassed by saying something in a way we didn't mean or doing something that makes us feel silly. Sometimes we are afraid of something and would like a mask to hide behind. But what several of you said just a minute ago is very true -- you don't need a mask with your friends.
"Friends are folks who accept us without masks. But, if we go around wearing a mask, how is anyone going to know who we really are?
"There is one friend that all of us share in common. This isn't a friend we can see like I can see you and you can see me; but this is a friend, nevertheless, who loves us unconditionally. Do you know who I mean?
One child points upward with a shy grin. "Who are you pointing to?" I ask.
"God...?" she says with a slight question and a big sigh.1
"Yes," I answer, "God, a friend who is always with you even when it seems like you are all alone. Each of you is a child of God, created to be just who God would have you be. When we put on a mask, that is, when we act in a way that is not truly how we feel or think, then we are not being ourselves. If we go through life that way, we even risk forgetting who we really are; we may start to believe the 'mask' is the real us, and so does everyone else since our false face is the only one we ever let anyone else see.
"Well, the thought I would leave you with this week is that it is important to be yourself; it is important not to go through life with a mask; it is important to be who God made you to be. So this week, whatever you do, dare to be yourself. God loves you because you are who you are. So do the rest of your friends who get to see the real you, without any masks."
1. One must be prepared to respond to whatever answer the children give. If this little girl had said, "Jesus," the same point could be made in a slightly different way. If she had said, "Our parents," it would be wise to agree with her and then to ask about another friend to whom we can turn.
"Because you're wearing a handkerchief on your face!" says one little girl as the others giggle.
"Because I'm wearing a handkerchief on my face ... Is that funny?" Several of them nod. "Haven't you ever worn a handkerchief?" I ask them.
"Well, yes," one child replies, "but NOT on my face!"
"Not on your face?!" I say in mock surprise. They giggle again. "This handkerchief is like a mask, isn't it? It's hiding part of my face." The children nod, obviously waiting to see what silly thing I'm going to do next.
"Well, why would I need to wear a mask with all of you?" I ask.
"You don't!" a couple of children reply emphatically.
"You are absolutely right," I agree with them. "I don't need a mask with you, because I know all of you and you are my friends." As I say these words, I pull the bandanna down from my face to let it hang around my neck.
"You know, sometimes in life we feel that we do need a mask to hide behind or a hole to crawl into. Sometimes we get embarrassed by saying something in a way we didn't mean or doing something that makes us feel silly. Sometimes we are afraid of something and would like a mask to hide behind. But what several of you said just a minute ago is very true -- you don't need a mask with your friends.
"Friends are folks who accept us without masks. But, if we go around wearing a mask, how is anyone going to know who we really are?
"There is one friend that all of us share in common. This isn't a friend we can see like I can see you and you can see me; but this is a friend, nevertheless, who loves us unconditionally. Do you know who I mean?
One child points upward with a shy grin. "Who are you pointing to?" I ask.
"God...?" she says with a slight question and a big sigh.1
"Yes," I answer, "God, a friend who is always with you even when it seems like you are all alone. Each of you is a child of God, created to be just who God would have you be. When we put on a mask, that is, when we act in a way that is not truly how we feel or think, then we are not being ourselves. If we go through life that way, we even risk forgetting who we really are; we may start to believe the 'mask' is the real us, and so does everyone else since our false face is the only one we ever let anyone else see.
"Well, the thought I would leave you with this week is that it is important to be yourself; it is important not to go through life with a mask; it is important to be who God made you to be. So this week, whatever you do, dare to be yourself. God loves you because you are who you are. So do the rest of your friends who get to see the real you, without any masks."
1. One must be prepared to respond to whatever answer the children give. If this little girl had said, "Jesus," the same point could be made in a slightly different way. If she had said, "Our parents," it would be wise to agree with her and then to ask about another friend to whom we can turn.
