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Don't Worry--God Will Care for You!
a children's sermon based on Matthew 6:24-34
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Props: a bird's nest (a basket with straw will do) and a chicken egg (hard-boiled), placed in the nest.

Good morning boys and girls. Today, I brought something with me that you can find outside: a bird's nest with an egg. Don't worry, the egg is just a chicken egg out of my refrigerator. There isn't a living chick inside. But later we're going to pretend that it does have a live chick inside. Where do you find nests like this? (backyard, trees, shrubs...) And who takes care of the eggs? (mother/father bird)

You know, sometimes a storm knocks a nest like this out of the tree and the eggs fall to the ground. Some time ago, I heard about a little boy who found a bird's egg on the grass right in his own backyard. What do you think he did when he found the egg on the ground? He took it inside so he could save the little bird inside. And he took care of the egg.

Would you do that if you found an egg on the ground? Would you take care of a little chick inside the egg? How would you take care of it? Would you protect it? Allow the children to share, give them the egg to show how. It doesn't matter whether what they say is practical or not, just allow them to share their love and compassion.

Conclusion: would you ever forget about the egg for a day or two? Or would you make sure that it stays warm and protected at all times? You know, in our   bible lesson from Matthew today, Jesus said to his disciples: God takes great care of the birds of the sky and the flowers of the field.  He cares so much for the birds that he lets them find food and twigs so they can make their own nest.

I want you to know this morning that God loves you and cares for you even more than for all the birds of the air.  In fact, Jesus said: "aren't you worth more in God's eyes than a bird?  Therefore, do not worry about the future, for God will take care of you."

God will always watch over you.  God will never leave you out of his sight, not even for a little while. God will always care for you. God has promised to be faithful to you and me.

Let us thank God for his faithfulness and his love and his protection for us.

Prayer: (see below for "A Child's Thanksgiving Prayer")