You're A Teacher
Children's sermon
THE BIG INFLUENCE OF SMALL THINGS
Exegetical Aim: To help the children see themselves as teachers of the Gospel.
Props: A tray, a knife, a slice of bread, peanut butter, and jelly.
Lesson: Place the tray with all the items in the middle of the children. Good morning! (response) What are we going to make? (peanut butter and jelly sandwich) Yes, we are and I am going to need your help. What's the first thing we need? (bread) Pick up a slice of bread and hold it in one hand. What's the next thing you do to make the sandwich? (put the peanut butter on) Take the jar and place the jar on top of the slice of bread. There! (no!) What's wrong? (open the jar) Oh, okay. Open the jar, but keep the jar on top of the bread. Now what? (put the peanut butter on the bread) Now try to pour and shake out the peanut butter onto the bread. It's not coming out. (response) Oh, with the knife. Use the knife to get the peanut butter out! (response) Spread the peanut butter onto the bread. Put the other slice of bread on the unfinished sandwich. Now, I will put the other slice of bread on and eat my sandwich right? (no) What's wrong now? (you need jelly) This part has always confused me and maybe you can tell me how to do it. Do you put the jelly on top of the peanut butter or do you put the jelly on the other slice of bread? (response) Do as they instruct you. Now what? (put it together) Now, put the sandwich together wrong so that the bread is touching the bread - jelly and peanut butter on the outside of the sandwich. There we go. (response) What? (response) I have it wrong? How do I put it together? (response) Now can I eat it? (response) Take a bite. Very good, thank you.
Application: You are all very good teachers. And you know ... if you can teach me how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that tastes this good, then I bet you can teach others about God's love and his commandments. Here's what you teach them: Tell them we are to believe in God, trust in God, hope in God, and love God. Will you do that? (response) I'll remember how to make my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and you teach your friends about God.
Let's Pray: Lord, make these children your disciples. Help them to grow in faith and be great teachers of your Gospel. Amen.
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Trinity
2 Corinthians 13:11--13
Of One Mind
Exegetical Aim: The necessity of Christians being of one mind.
Props: None.
Lesson: I would like to play a game with you today. Would you like to play? (response) The way we play is that we all stand up. They all get up. Now take one another's hands so that everyone is holding hands with someone. On the count of three, I want the group to start walking. Okay one, two, three, go! You hope the children will go in different directions. Whoa! What happened? How come you didn't all go to the same place as a group? (response) All of you had different ideas as to where to go, didn't you? Let's try it again. This time, would it help if I gave you directions where to go? (response) Okay. This time I want you to hold hands and take three steps towards me. Once you take three steps towards me, then everyone sit down. One, two, three, go!
Application: Good job! You moved as a group from one place to another! How come you did it the second time but not the first time? (response) Right, because the second time you all knew where to go. We have a saying for that: You had the same mind. In the Bible, Saint Paul instructed Christians to be of the same mind in Christ. What was he telling the Christians? (response) If everyone just did what he or she wanted to do, would the church be able to get things done? (response) If everyone went his or her own way, would the church be able to go in one direction? (response) No, it would be like the first time we tried to move as a group, wouldn't it? But when the church has one mind that means people have come to an agreement. That's when the church can truly be the church!
Let's Pray: Gracious God, thank you for putting us in the church. Help us to seek your will, and then agree on doing it all together. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
?
Props: A tray, a knife, a slice of bread, peanut butter, and jelly.
Lesson: Place the tray with all the items in the middle of the children. Good morning! (response) What are we going to make? (peanut butter and jelly sandwich) Yes, we are and I am going to need your help. What's the first thing we need? (bread) Pick up a slice of bread and hold it in one hand. What's the next thing you do to make the sandwich? (put the peanut butter on) Take the jar and place the jar on top of the slice of bread. There! (no!) What's wrong? (open the jar) Oh, okay. Open the jar, but keep the jar on top of the bread. Now what? (put the peanut butter on the bread) Now try to pour and shake out the peanut butter onto the bread. It's not coming out. (response) Oh, with the knife. Use the knife to get the peanut butter out! (response) Spread the peanut butter onto the bread. Put the other slice of bread on the unfinished sandwich. Now, I will put the other slice of bread on and eat my sandwich right? (no) What's wrong now? (you need jelly) This part has always confused me and maybe you can tell me how to do it. Do you put the jelly on top of the peanut butter or do you put the jelly on the other slice of bread? (response) Do as they instruct you. Now what? (put it together) Now, put the sandwich together wrong so that the bread is touching the bread - jelly and peanut butter on the outside of the sandwich. There we go. (response) What? (response) I have it wrong? How do I put it together? (response) Now can I eat it? (response) Take a bite. Very good, thank you.
Application: You are all very good teachers. And you know ... if you can teach me how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that tastes this good, then I bet you can teach others about God's love and his commandments. Here's what you teach them: Tell them we are to believe in God, trust in God, hope in God, and love God. Will you do that? (response) I'll remember how to make my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and you teach your friends about God.
Let's Pray: Lord, make these children your disciples. Help them to grow in faith and be great teachers of your Gospel. Amen.
?
Trinity
2 Corinthians 13:11--13
Of One Mind
Exegetical Aim: The necessity of Christians being of one mind.
Props: None.
Lesson: I would like to play a game with you today. Would you like to play? (response) The way we play is that we all stand up. They all get up. Now take one another's hands so that everyone is holding hands with someone. On the count of three, I want the group to start walking. Okay one, two, three, go! You hope the children will go in different directions. Whoa! What happened? How come you didn't all go to the same place as a group? (response) All of you had different ideas as to where to go, didn't you? Let's try it again. This time, would it help if I gave you directions where to go? (response) Okay. This time I want you to hold hands and take three steps towards me. Once you take three steps towards me, then everyone sit down. One, two, three, go!
Application: Good job! You moved as a group from one place to another! How come you did it the second time but not the first time? (response) Right, because the second time you all knew where to go. We have a saying for that: You had the same mind. In the Bible, Saint Paul instructed Christians to be of the same mind in Christ. What was he telling the Christians? (response) If everyone just did what he or she wanted to do, would the church be able to get things done? (response) If everyone went his or her own way, would the church be able to go in one direction? (response) No, it would be like the first time we tried to move as a group, wouldn't it? But when the church has one mind that means people have come to an agreement. That's when the church can truly be the church!
Let's Pray: Gracious God, thank you for putting us in the church. Help us to seek your will, and then agree on doing it all together. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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