Ouch! Those Thistles!
Children's sermon
The Giant Book Of Children's Sermons
Matthew To Revelation
Object: weeds, some with thorns and thistles
Good morning, boys and girls. Guess what I had to do this week that almost no one likes to do? (let them guess) I don't like to do many of those things either, but this week I did one of my most unfavorite things. I pulled weeds. How many of you like to pull weeds? (let them answer) It is an awful job because if you do not get the roots of the weed, you have to do it again in a very short time. But these weeds were really awful because they had thorns. Let me show you one of the weeds that I pulled. (show them the weed with the thistles)
This is a mean weed. First, you pull the weed out of the ground and then you pull the thorns out of your hand. Does that hurt! These kind of weeds are particularly bad because if you let them grow, they will choke out the vegetables you are growing for food and the grass that you want to cover your yard. They are mean things, these kind of weeds. They grow so fast and are so tough that you have to dig many of them out instead of just pulling them.
Jesus tells us a story that helps us look out for sin that is just like this kind of weed. Some people learn about God and know how he loves them, but they never get rid of the things that cause them trouble. Let's suppose that your sins are like weeds with thorns. You go to church, learn about Jesus and how he lives you, but you never get rid of your sin. Your sin keeps growing. Maybe you don't want to sin, but you keep doing it anyway. Today you are learning about God, but tomorrow you are telling lies, hating your brother or sister, and taking pennies and nickels out of your mother's purse. Those sins are like thorns on weeds and they just choke out all of the good things that you have learned about God. Pretty soon you will quit coming to Sunday school and church, and you will continue to do the things that you don't like to do, but which seem so easy. You wish that you were closer to God, but God is choked out of your life like the vegetable plants are in the garden. The only way that you can help yourself is similar to the way that I helped my garden. It isn't easy to do, but you must do it if you want a good life. You must pull the weeds and get rid of them if you want a good garden. You must pull out your sins and stay away from the places that cause you to sin. That way, your life will look as good as my garden does this week.
It is not an easy thing to do the first time, but if you stay at it every day of your life, there will be fewer weeds and more vegetables. If you stay close to God and get rid of your sins, you will have a beautiful life that will be loved by all.
Good morning, boys and girls. Guess what I had to do this week that almost no one likes to do? (let them guess) I don't like to do many of those things either, but this week I did one of my most unfavorite things. I pulled weeds. How many of you like to pull weeds? (let them answer) It is an awful job because if you do not get the roots of the weed, you have to do it again in a very short time. But these weeds were really awful because they had thorns. Let me show you one of the weeds that I pulled. (show them the weed with the thistles)
This is a mean weed. First, you pull the weed out of the ground and then you pull the thorns out of your hand. Does that hurt! These kind of weeds are particularly bad because if you let them grow, they will choke out the vegetables you are growing for food and the grass that you want to cover your yard. They are mean things, these kind of weeds. They grow so fast and are so tough that you have to dig many of them out instead of just pulling them.
Jesus tells us a story that helps us look out for sin that is just like this kind of weed. Some people learn about God and know how he loves them, but they never get rid of the things that cause them trouble. Let's suppose that your sins are like weeds with thorns. You go to church, learn about Jesus and how he lives you, but you never get rid of your sin. Your sin keeps growing. Maybe you don't want to sin, but you keep doing it anyway. Today you are learning about God, but tomorrow you are telling lies, hating your brother or sister, and taking pennies and nickels out of your mother's purse. Those sins are like thorns on weeds and they just choke out all of the good things that you have learned about God. Pretty soon you will quit coming to Sunday school and church, and you will continue to do the things that you don't like to do, but which seem so easy. You wish that you were closer to God, but God is choked out of your life like the vegetable plants are in the garden. The only way that you can help yourself is similar to the way that I helped my garden. It isn't easy to do, but you must do it if you want a good life. You must pull the weeds and get rid of them if you want a good garden. You must pull out your sins and stay away from the places that cause you to sin. That way, your life will look as good as my garden does this week.
It is not an easy thing to do the first time, but if you stay at it every day of your life, there will be fewer weeds and more vegetables. If you stay close to God and get rid of your sins, you will have a beautiful life that will be loved by all.
