Our Season
Children's sermon
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
different colored leaves
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
-- Ecclesiastes 3:1
Today is a special day in the life of Mary. She planned for this day some time ago. She chose all of her hymns, prayers, and scriptures. Mary thought this would be a wonderful day when she would meet the God she worshiped. She always told me she waited for the time in her life when she would be able to look at her Father in heaven and her brother, Jesus Christ, and thank them for making her new life possible.
Mary loved this life, as well. She had a lot of fun working, playing, and sharing things. She had a special love for the Lord Jesus. She always said everything had its time.
I brought with me some things that have their times. How many of you like trees? (let them answer) There are a lot of different kinds of trees, aren't there? (let them answer) Some trees are very big and tall and live for hundreds of years. Others live for only a short time, maybe six or seven years. Some have fruit like apples and peaches. Others have beautiful flowers like redbud and catalpa trees. But all of the trees have leaves. The leaves on a tree are very important.
Every year there are people I know who travel many miles into New England to see the trees change color. The leaves go from green in the spring to a beautiful yellow, purple, red, orange, and gray. When they all turn colors it looks like a painting that is so beautiful that you cannot stop looking. This is a great season for trees.
Life also has seasons. We have a season when we are born, and when we start growing up. We have a season called our teenage years. Life keeps changing. We get married and have children. We work for many years and then we retire. Our children have children and we become grandparents. Most of our lives we take care of other people. Sometimes when we get old enough, we have to be taken care of like youngsters. Each season is a wonderful time given to us by God. We are like the leaves on a tree and many times the very best part of our life is like the time when the leaves begin to change color.
Do you know what happens to leaves after they change color? (let them answer) That's right, they fall from the trees and make a blanket on the ground and die. Do we feel bad for the trees? (let them answer) No, we don't feel bad for the trees. We know next spring they will have new buds, new flowers, new leaves, and they will begin another joyful season.
Our friend, Mary, was looking forward to this new time when she would become part of God's new season. Only the new season with God, the one after we die on earth, has no death. We will live forever in the company of God and his Son, Jesus Christ.
The next time you see a beautiful leaf, either green, gold, yellow, brown, red, orange, or purple, thank God for the season and remember that God has given us all a season, as well. Amen.
-- Ecclesiastes 3:1
Today is a special day in the life of Mary. She planned for this day some time ago. She chose all of her hymns, prayers, and scriptures. Mary thought this would be a wonderful day when she would meet the God she worshiped. She always told me she waited for the time in her life when she would be able to look at her Father in heaven and her brother, Jesus Christ, and thank them for making her new life possible.
Mary loved this life, as well. She had a lot of fun working, playing, and sharing things. She had a special love for the Lord Jesus. She always said everything had its time.
I brought with me some things that have their times. How many of you like trees? (let them answer) There are a lot of different kinds of trees, aren't there? (let them answer) Some trees are very big and tall and live for hundreds of years. Others live for only a short time, maybe six or seven years. Some have fruit like apples and peaches. Others have beautiful flowers like redbud and catalpa trees. But all of the trees have leaves. The leaves on a tree are very important.
Every year there are people I know who travel many miles into New England to see the trees change color. The leaves go from green in the spring to a beautiful yellow, purple, red, orange, and gray. When they all turn colors it looks like a painting that is so beautiful that you cannot stop looking. This is a great season for trees.
Life also has seasons. We have a season when we are born, and when we start growing up. We have a season called our teenage years. Life keeps changing. We get married and have children. We work for many years and then we retire. Our children have children and we become grandparents. Most of our lives we take care of other people. Sometimes when we get old enough, we have to be taken care of like youngsters. Each season is a wonderful time given to us by God. We are like the leaves on a tree and many times the very best part of our life is like the time when the leaves begin to change color.
Do you know what happens to leaves after they change color? (let them answer) That's right, they fall from the trees and make a blanket on the ground and die. Do we feel bad for the trees? (let them answer) No, we don't feel bad for the trees. We know next spring they will have new buds, new flowers, new leaves, and they will begin another joyful season.
Our friend, Mary, was looking forward to this new time when she would become part of God's new season. Only the new season with God, the one after we die on earth, has no death. We will live forever in the company of God and his Son, Jesus Christ.
The next time you see a beautiful leaf, either green, gold, yellow, brown, red, orange, or purple, thank God for the season and remember that God has given us all a season, as well. Amen.
