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Choose from the
following children's sermons:
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What's a Eunuch?,
Acts 8:26-40
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
Luke tells the story of a Eunuch from Ethiopia, Africa, who
traveled along the road, reading the Bible, meeting one of Jesus'
disciples, Philip, and being baptized in a nearby river.
This is a pretty confusing story; first of all: what is a Eunuch?
I looked it up and it said that a Eunuch is a man who had been
castrated. Eunuchs were people like everybody else except they could not
have a family on their own. They were usually castrated at an early age;
this was something they did not choose. Many of them probably wanted to
have their own family, and were sad that they could not.
What's even more sad is that they Eunuchs were often made fun of, and
excluded because they were different. They were not even allowed to
worship in the temple. Have you ever felt that you were excluded
from something? Did you ever feel left out? Or not noticed? Or were you
ever told you could not participate in something for no good reason at
all?
Well, this Eunuch sure knew what it felt like to be excluded, to be
made fun of. But Philip (one of Jesus' disciples) did not exclude him;
in fact Philip encouraged the Eunuch to believe in Jesus and be
baptized. You know when someone is baptized, that's how they become
members of the church.
Philip was saying in so many words: you may not have been allowed in
the temple as a Jew, but you are welcome in the church of Jesus Christ.
This turns out to be a wonderful story of what the Church should be
and must be. The Church of Jesus Christ is a shining example of a place
where anybody and everybody is welcomed. It is the one place where
people are not excluded and made fun of for who or what they are.
The Lord Jesus wants all of us in the church to be one happy family,
to get along with one another, to have good times together, and to
support each other. So next time you hear or read something about
a Eunuch, think about how everybody is welcomed at church, no matter how
different they may be.
Hanging on Jesus'
Vine
a children's sermon based on John 15:1-8
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
props: bring a bunch of washed grapes (still hanging on
the branch)
Good morning, my little friends, I must say, that this year especially, I
have been enjoying the spring season. Wasn't it just wonderful to see everything
come back to life after a long, cold winter--the grass turning lush green, flowers
blossoming everywhere, and the trees getting tons of leaves.
Today's lesson is about a picture word from nature too. Jesus said
that he is like a vine and we are like branches. Have you ever seen vines?
There are different kinds of vine, some of them climb up on trees when they grow.
But Jesus was talking about the kind of vine that produces grapes. You know
what grapes and grape juice tastes like? Yummy! I brought a branch of a grapes
with me today. Would you like to look at it? (Hold up the bunch)
Jesus says he is like a vine and we are like the branches on the vine.
Let's see what that could mean for us: You know, a grape vine is a big, barky
stem that looks a little like old wood and it is the strong part of the grape plant.
The branches are actually quite weak; they break off real easily. See how
thin they are? But the branches are the parts of the plant that produce the
fruit--the delicious grapes.
What do you think will happen if a branch breaks off from the vine?
Will it still be able to grow grapes, like these here? (shake head slowly)
That's right, without the vine, a branch cannot produce grapes. It cannot even
survive. It dries out and shrivels up. Because to grow grapes the branches
must get a lot of water and nutrients from the grape vine (which in turn has deep roots in
the soil).
Jesus says in our lesson this morning: "Whoever remains in me will
bear much fruit." Just as it is possible for the branches to break off the vine
grape, we as Christians may loose our closeness with Jesus. And when that happens we
will not be able to bear much fruit in our lives. Jesus is saying: stay close to me,
and you will be rewarded with great fruit in your life.
How do we stay close and connected with Jesus?
By reading the bible, praying (talking to Jesus), going to church, Sunday school, etc.
What are the things that we produce as Christians? Give an example
or two per line and let the kids say what they think:
Let's see: when we are close to Jesus we will be . . .
helpful, kind, friendly to others
When we are close to Jesus we will be. . .
honest, good, law-abiding, etc
When we are close to Jesus we will be like this bunch of grapes here.
And who doesn't like a bunch of grapes like this? They're mouth-watering.
Who would like to try a grape? . . .
