What's In A Name?
Children's sermon
Ping-Pong Words
And 30 More Children's Sermons
Object:
Scripture Reference
... and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called "Christians."
-- Acts 11:26b
Materials Needed
Card stock printed with the scripture reference and verse
Chalkboard or whiteboard and appropriate chalk/marker and eraser or card stock sheets printed with the following, one name per sheet: Farmer, Miller, Johnson, Underwood, Christian
Telling The Story
Have you ever wondered about your name and if it means anything? People who are expecting babies usually spend a great deal of time trying to think up just the right name. They might decide to name their new babies after favorite relatives or people in the Bible whom they admire. Sometimes they buy baby name books so that they can look up the meanings of names and pick one with a meaning that they like. Around the time that the Pilgrims came to America, parents liked to name their daughters after characteristics that they hoped their daughters would develop. That's why so many Pilgrims were named Charity, Hope, and Patience.
Did you know that our last names mean something, too? Today, we usually take the same last name as our parents and many women still change their last names to their husbands' last names when they get married. But a long time ago, people didn't have last names. They just had first names like John or Mary, but as more and more people had the same name, everyone got a little confused. They had to start adding descriptions to their conversations so everyone would know who they were talking about. You might have heard someone say, "I'm talking about William the baker, not William the cooper." A cooper is a barrel maker. It didn't take long before these descriptions became part of the name, like William Baker or William Cooper.
Let's see if you can guess where these last names might have come from. (Write "Farmer" on the board or hold up the card stock with "Farmer" printed on it. Read the name and let the children guess why a man's last name might be Farmer. Confirm that this man was probably either a farmer or a descendant of a farmer. Repeat with the name "Miller." Write "Johnson" on the board or hold up the card stock with "Johnson" printed on it. Ask why a man's last name might be Johnson and let the children offer suggestions. Confirm that the man was probably the son of a man named John and eventually, as people spoke quickly, John's son became Johnson. Repeat with the name "Underwood." Confirm that the Underwood family probably once lived in a house in or under a forest or woods.)
So we can see that a last name might tell you something about a person's ancestors. If your last name is Farmer, you probably have an ancestor who was a farmer. If your last name is Johnson, you probably have an ancestor whose first name was John.
Because your last name was given to you long before you were born, it doesn't really tell anything about you, but your nickname is different. It's given to you after you're born, after the people around you get to know you. Nicknames often tell us something about the person with the name.
If you met a baseball player named Lefty, what might you think about him? (Let the children offer ideas.) He's probably left handed. If your nickname was Red, what might I guess about you. (Let the children offer ideas.) You probably have red hair. If I heard your mother call you Billy, I'd probably guess that your name was William.
Nicknames can be a lot of fun, but sometimes, nicknames aren't very nice. If someone calls you Four-eyes, or Shorty, you probably wouldn't be very happy, would you? In fact, I'd guess that the person calling you that name didn't like you and wasn't very nice.
Shortly after Jesus died, the people who followed him were given a new nickname, and some of the people using it didn't intend to be very nice. In fact, they were making fun of Jesus' followers. Do you know what that nickname was? (Write "Christian" on the board or hold up the card stock with "Christian" printed on it.) The name was Christian. It can mean "little Christ" or "Christlike" or even "someone belonging to Christ," depending on how it's used. Today, when we use the term, we mean it as a compliment. I might say, "Mary is a good Christian woman," and I'd be saying something nice about her.
But some of the people who started using the term Christian were making fun of Jesus' followers. They were saying things like, "Ha! Ha! He's dead and they're still following him. Those silly Christians!" They couldn't believe that anyone would still follow Jesus after he'd died because they assumed that Jesus had failed. (Of course, we know that they were wrong.)
The early Christians, however, took hold of the name and started using it themselves. As they showed Jesus' love to other people, more people came to know him, and eventually, the name Christian started sounding like a good thing!
Just like Jesus takes us when we're sinners and makes clean, beautiful people out of us, the name itself started as an insult, but God made it something beautiful, too.
So what's in a name? Sometimes a lot!
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you so much for loving us and for giving us this beautiful day. Thank you, too, that you can and you do change us for the better. Please help us to remember the story of the name Christian and to remember that just as you loved us and patiently help us change, you will do the same for others who love you, too. Help us to see and be willing to do your will.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
... and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called "Christians."
-- Acts 11:26b
Materials Needed
Card stock printed with the scripture reference and verse
Chalkboard or whiteboard and appropriate chalk/marker and eraser or card stock sheets printed with the following, one name per sheet: Farmer, Miller, Johnson, Underwood, Christian
Telling The Story
Have you ever wondered about your name and if it means anything? People who are expecting babies usually spend a great deal of time trying to think up just the right name. They might decide to name their new babies after favorite relatives or people in the Bible whom they admire. Sometimes they buy baby name books so that they can look up the meanings of names and pick one with a meaning that they like. Around the time that the Pilgrims came to America, parents liked to name their daughters after characteristics that they hoped their daughters would develop. That's why so many Pilgrims were named Charity, Hope, and Patience.
Did you know that our last names mean something, too? Today, we usually take the same last name as our parents and many women still change their last names to their husbands' last names when they get married. But a long time ago, people didn't have last names. They just had first names like John or Mary, but as more and more people had the same name, everyone got a little confused. They had to start adding descriptions to their conversations so everyone would know who they were talking about. You might have heard someone say, "I'm talking about William the baker, not William the cooper." A cooper is a barrel maker. It didn't take long before these descriptions became part of the name, like William Baker or William Cooper.
Let's see if you can guess where these last names might have come from. (Write "Farmer" on the board or hold up the card stock with "Farmer" printed on it. Read the name and let the children guess why a man's last name might be Farmer. Confirm that this man was probably either a farmer or a descendant of a farmer. Repeat with the name "Miller." Write "Johnson" on the board or hold up the card stock with "Johnson" printed on it. Ask why a man's last name might be Johnson and let the children offer suggestions. Confirm that the man was probably the son of a man named John and eventually, as people spoke quickly, John's son became Johnson. Repeat with the name "Underwood." Confirm that the Underwood family probably once lived in a house in or under a forest or woods.)
So we can see that a last name might tell you something about a person's ancestors. If your last name is Farmer, you probably have an ancestor who was a farmer. If your last name is Johnson, you probably have an ancestor whose first name was John.
Because your last name was given to you long before you were born, it doesn't really tell anything about you, but your nickname is different. It's given to you after you're born, after the people around you get to know you. Nicknames often tell us something about the person with the name.
If you met a baseball player named Lefty, what might you think about him? (Let the children offer ideas.) He's probably left handed. If your nickname was Red, what might I guess about you. (Let the children offer ideas.) You probably have red hair. If I heard your mother call you Billy, I'd probably guess that your name was William.
Nicknames can be a lot of fun, but sometimes, nicknames aren't very nice. If someone calls you Four-eyes, or Shorty, you probably wouldn't be very happy, would you? In fact, I'd guess that the person calling you that name didn't like you and wasn't very nice.
Shortly after Jesus died, the people who followed him were given a new nickname, and some of the people using it didn't intend to be very nice. In fact, they were making fun of Jesus' followers. Do you know what that nickname was? (Write "Christian" on the board or hold up the card stock with "Christian" printed on it.) The name was Christian. It can mean "little Christ" or "Christlike" or even "someone belonging to Christ," depending on how it's used. Today, when we use the term, we mean it as a compliment. I might say, "Mary is a good Christian woman," and I'd be saying something nice about her.
But some of the people who started using the term Christian were making fun of Jesus' followers. They were saying things like, "Ha! Ha! He's dead and they're still following him. Those silly Christians!" They couldn't believe that anyone would still follow Jesus after he'd died because they assumed that Jesus had failed. (Of course, we know that they were wrong.)
The early Christians, however, took hold of the name and started using it themselves. As they showed Jesus' love to other people, more people came to know him, and eventually, the name Christian started sounding like a good thing!
Just like Jesus takes us when we're sinners and makes clean, beautiful people out of us, the name itself started as an insult, but God made it something beautiful, too.
So what's in a name? Sometimes a lot!
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you so much for loving us and for giving us this beautiful day. Thank you, too, that you can and you do change us for the better. Please help us to remember the story of the name Christian and to remember that just as you loved us and patiently help us change, you will do the same for others who love you, too. Help us to see and be willing to do your will.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
