The Unused Spices
Children's sermon
Alleluia!
Messages For Children On Lent And Easter Themes
Spices are a symbol of love, the love of the women who brought the spices to the tomb of Jesus to pour on him was part of their tradition of showing love for the dead.
Two-year-old Jessica sang, "Jesus loves me, this I know ..." She sang loudly as she followed Mother around the house, helping her set the table with silverware and dishes, pulling up the sheet while making the bed, sweeping the floor with her small broom. "Jesus loves me, this I know ..."
Mother said, "I like to hear you sing, Jessica. It helps as I work. It makes me feel good inside. It makes me feel safe." Jessica smiled and sang again, "Jesus loves me, this I know." They were the only words of the song that she knew and they made her feel safe and glad, too.
One day while Mother was hanging clothes on the line Jessica went exploring. She found an old bird's nest and a snakeskin. She saw a rabbit and listened to the birds sing, and suddenly she felt herself falling. "Help!" she cried, for instead of trees and grass and animals, there was darkness. Jessica's feet were wet. The sides of the hole were slippery and she couldn't climb. It was scary in the dark. Jessica wanted to be home with her mother and daddy, holding her in their arms and saying, "Jessica, I love you." That reminded Jessica and she began to sing.
"Jesus loves me, this I know." She sang for a long time in the dark pit, the black hole.
Suddenly Jessica stopped singing as a bright light filled the hole. A small box was lowered to where she stood. It was a microphone and Mother was calling down into the hole, "It will be all right, Jessica."
Jessica could hear people above her talking. "The hole is too small. We will have to dig another hole beside it and go in that way or the land may crumble in on her."
It seemed hours Jessica was in the hole. It was hours! Jessica was cold and hungry, lonely and afraid, when she remembered Mother saying, "Your singing makes me feel safe." Jessica began to sing again, "Jesus loves me, this I know." Then she remembered the next line, "For the Bible tells me so."
Through the long hours of waiting, Jessica sang her trust in Jesus' love, and when the men finally broke through and held Jessica in their arms, she said, "Jesus loves me. This, I KNOW!"1
Talk together: What did Jessica do in the deep hole? What did Jessica "know"?
The biblical story for today tells of the women bringing spices to anoint Jesus' body. Why did they do this?
Prayer: Dear God, whose wisdom and ways are beyond our understanding, when we do not understand or feel lost, as Jessica, help us to trust and sing, knowing you are with us. Amen.
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1. This story is based on the true story of the rescue of Jessica McClure.
Two-year-old Jessica sang, "Jesus loves me, this I know ..." She sang loudly as she followed Mother around the house, helping her set the table with silverware and dishes, pulling up the sheet while making the bed, sweeping the floor with her small broom. "Jesus loves me, this I know ..."
Mother said, "I like to hear you sing, Jessica. It helps as I work. It makes me feel good inside. It makes me feel safe." Jessica smiled and sang again, "Jesus loves me, this I know." They were the only words of the song that she knew and they made her feel safe and glad, too.
One day while Mother was hanging clothes on the line Jessica went exploring. She found an old bird's nest and a snakeskin. She saw a rabbit and listened to the birds sing, and suddenly she felt herself falling. "Help!" she cried, for instead of trees and grass and animals, there was darkness. Jessica's feet were wet. The sides of the hole were slippery and she couldn't climb. It was scary in the dark. Jessica wanted to be home with her mother and daddy, holding her in their arms and saying, "Jessica, I love you." That reminded Jessica and she began to sing.
"Jesus loves me, this I know." She sang for a long time in the dark pit, the black hole.
Suddenly Jessica stopped singing as a bright light filled the hole. A small box was lowered to where she stood. It was a microphone and Mother was calling down into the hole, "It will be all right, Jessica."
Jessica could hear people above her talking. "The hole is too small. We will have to dig another hole beside it and go in that way or the land may crumble in on her."
It seemed hours Jessica was in the hole. It was hours! Jessica was cold and hungry, lonely and afraid, when she remembered Mother saying, "Your singing makes me feel safe." Jessica began to sing again, "Jesus loves me, this I know." Then she remembered the next line, "For the Bible tells me so."
Through the long hours of waiting, Jessica sang her trust in Jesus' love, and when the men finally broke through and held Jessica in their arms, she said, "Jesus loves me. This, I KNOW!"1
Talk together: What did Jessica do in the deep hole? What did Jessica "know"?
The biblical story for today tells of the women bringing spices to anoint Jesus' body. Why did they do this?
Prayer: Dear God, whose wisdom and ways are beyond our understanding, when we do not understand or feel lost, as Jessica, help us to trust and sing, knowing you are with us. Amen.
____________
1. This story is based on the true story of the rescue of Jessica McClure.
