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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:

• Safe under God's Wings, Luke 13:31-35
  by Laura in TX  (see below)
   

• Citizens of Heaven, Philippians 3:17-4:1
  by Rev. F. Schaefer (see below)

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Safe under God's Wings
a children's sermon based on Luke 13:31-35
by Laura in TX

One of my favorite children's sermons uses the hen and chick imagery from the gospel. My grandfather, a 93 year old retired pastor, made up a story when I was little, called Peep and Crow. Some of the details have faded with time, but I usually just make that part up. The basic gist is that Peep and Crow are two chicks whose mama hen tells them both that they must always listen for her special call. It's a call that she makes when it's important for them to come to her, and especially to keep them safe from the chicken hawk.

Peep and Crow are out scratching for bugs, when they hear their mama calling. One of the chicks does as he was told and turns right away to run toward mama. The other keeps chasing a bug he's trying to get, and the next thing he knows, he sees a big shadow pass overhead--it's the CHICKEN HAWK. So he runs as fast as he can, and he just barely makes it back under his mama's wing.

The main thing is not so much the story, but the use of a long piece of cloth, maybe a big bed sheet. At the end, I put the cloth across my shoulders and have all the kids crawl up under it, like I have really wide wings. I don't say that Jesus will protect us from bad things, but that Jesus loves us and looks out for us like a big mama hen, and staying close to Jesus is way better than being out there all by ourselves.

 

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Citizens of Heaven
based on Philippians 3:17-4:1
by Rev. F. Schaefer

Props:  a passport or similar document that states your citizenship

     Today, I would like to show you my passport.   Look it has a picture of me (not a very good one, mind you) and it gives all kinds of information about me.  It has my age, height, the color of my eyes . . . and, look, it even says that I have a scar on my right knee.

     There is one more thing that this passport says about me that I want to point out to you:  it says that I am a citizen of _____ (fill in the blank).  You know, to be a citizen of any country is a very special thing.  It is a privilege.  It means that I am a member, that I have a right to live here.  What do you think, is everybody a citizen of a country?

    Yes, you're right, most everybody is a citizen of a certain country.  There are only a few people who do not have that privilege.   And how do you think one becomes a citizen? How did you become a citizen of this country (or the country of your citizenship)?  Most of us become citizens simply by being born in their country of citizenship.

     What do you think, can you be a citizen of more than one country?  Yes, some people actually have two passports.  They have dual citizenship.  They are citizens of two countries, perhaps one they were born in and another one of the country in which they are living.

    You know, one of today's bible lessons tells us that as Christians--all those who love Jesus and follow his teachings--as Christians we are citizens of a place called heaven.  You know what that means?  That means that all of us have dual citizenship.  We're citizens of ______ (your country) and citizens of heaven.  And if you are a citizen of heaven that's even more important than being a citizen of a country on planet earth, because we're going to live forever in heaven.

     Isn't that wonderful?! We're all very special, because we are proud citizens of two countries.  There is only one problem.   [Pause for effect]  we don't have a passport that shows that we are citizens of heaven.  And do you know why that is?  Because to God it is not so important what a piece of paper says.  To God it's more important what's in our hearts.

     The way we know that someone is a citizen of heaven is by looking at their life.  If they are good Christian people who do not cheat, lie, or steal, if they are people who help others, people who are nice to others and who share the love of God--that's when we know they are citizens of heaven. So, our passport of heaven is our attitude and our life.

    Let's ask God to help us with being good citizens of heaven so that everybody can read our passport--that people can look at our lives and say: "this person is so nice--they must be from a different planet!"  And then we'll say: "yes, I'm a citizen of heaven!"

Let us pray: "Dear God, we want to say thank you, first of all, for making us citizens of heaven. Help us, Lord, to live our lives in a way that people can read our passports--that they can see that we belong to you.  Help us to love others, to help them, help us not to do bad things.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen."