Tears
Children's sermon
Cows In Church
80 Biblically Based Children's Sermons
Object:
An onion.
"This morning I have brought something all of you will probably recognize. What is it?" I hold up a round object for all to see.
"An onion!" the children reply, some of them wrinkling their noses in disgust.
"Ah, yes ... an onion." I pause for a moment looking at it with them. "What do you suppose would happen if I were to peel this onion and cut it up?"
"Gosh! It would STINK!" exclaims one of the boys. The others nod in agreement.
"So you don't think I should do that?"
"NO!" comes their definite response.
"Okay, I won't. But what if I did? What would happen besides creating a strong smell?"
"It might make you cry?" one of the children answers tentatively.
"Yes, it might cause me to cry. You see, some of the same particles that would be released to cause the smell of the onion might also get in my eyes and make them sting. My eyes would water; they'd get tears in them to wash out the onion fumes.
"That's one of the reasons God gave us the ability to cry. Tears help us protect our eyes from things that might hurt them. But that's not the only reason we sometimes cry, is it? What are other reasons we might cry?"
After a brief pause, one child says, "I might cry if I fell down and really got hurt or scared."
"Yes, I can remember doing that many times," I answer. This brings general laughter from the kids and the rest of the congregation as they recall how many times they have seen me on crutches. "What else might make us cry?" I continue.
"Because something makes us sad," comes the next answer, from one of the girls.
"Well, what might make you sad?" I ask.
"Losing something I really care about, I guess," she replies.
So as not to put this one child too much on the spot, I turn my attention to the group at large and ask, "What are some things you might lose that would make you cry if you lost them?"
Favorite toys are among the initial responses, but as I prod a little more the family pets are brought up. "Well, why would you cry if you lost your dog or your cat?"
"Because we LOVE them," the children answer, seeming surprised that I would have to ask.
"Yes, because you love them," I agree. "And you see, that's why Jesus cried when he heard the news that his friend Lazarus was dead -- because he loved him.
"You know, sometimes some of us find it hard to cry. Sometimes some of us are embarrassed to cry, especially in front of someone else. I think it's important to remember that tears are one of the ways we express our love and that it's okay to cry; even Jesus did it sometimes."
"An onion!" the children reply, some of them wrinkling their noses in disgust.
"Ah, yes ... an onion." I pause for a moment looking at it with them. "What do you suppose would happen if I were to peel this onion and cut it up?"
"Gosh! It would STINK!" exclaims one of the boys. The others nod in agreement.
"So you don't think I should do that?"
"NO!" comes their definite response.
"Okay, I won't. But what if I did? What would happen besides creating a strong smell?"
"It might make you cry?" one of the children answers tentatively.
"Yes, it might cause me to cry. You see, some of the same particles that would be released to cause the smell of the onion might also get in my eyes and make them sting. My eyes would water; they'd get tears in them to wash out the onion fumes.
"That's one of the reasons God gave us the ability to cry. Tears help us protect our eyes from things that might hurt them. But that's not the only reason we sometimes cry, is it? What are other reasons we might cry?"
After a brief pause, one child says, "I might cry if I fell down and really got hurt or scared."
"Yes, I can remember doing that many times," I answer. This brings general laughter from the kids and the rest of the congregation as they recall how many times they have seen me on crutches. "What else might make us cry?" I continue.
"Because something makes us sad," comes the next answer, from one of the girls.
"Well, what might make you sad?" I ask.
"Losing something I really care about, I guess," she replies.
So as not to put this one child too much on the spot, I turn my attention to the group at large and ask, "What are some things you might lose that would make you cry if you lost them?"
Favorite toys are among the initial responses, but as I prod a little more the family pets are brought up. "Well, why would you cry if you lost your dog or your cat?"
"Because we LOVE them," the children answer, seeming surprised that I would have to ask.
"Yes, because you love them," I agree. "And you see, that's why Jesus cried when he heard the news that his friend Lazarus was dead -- because he loved him.
"You know, sometimes some of us find it hard to cry. Sometimes some of us are embarrassed to cry, especially in front of someone else. I think it's important to remember that tears are one of the ways we express our love and that it's okay to cry; even Jesus did it sometimes."
