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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:

• Who Wants to be a Millionaire?1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer  (see below)
   

• I am the Bread of Life . . . John 6:51-58
  by Frank Schaefer  (scroll down)
   

• Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you.
  Children’s Story based on 1 Kings 8:22-30; 41-43
  Submitted by Roberta  (scroll down)

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Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
a children's sermon based on 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

props: use cardboards to make "2 life-lines" 1) "Eliminate 50% of answers" and 2) "Poll the audience."  Have a box of Swedish fish so that each child can get a prize.

Tell the children about the game you are about to play with them.  Tell them, that if the child who gets to play wins, all will get a prize.

Have three questions  from bible trivia selected with four multiple choice answers each.  Make the questions harder with every one.  The fourth question should be something like this:

What did King Solomon choose when God gave him a free wish?
a.  long life  b. gold and riches   c. wisdom   d. unlimited supply of Swedish fish

Choose a volunteer from the children and play the first three questions (hopefully you'll get the congregation involved with the life-lines). With the help of the congregation, the child should get the right answer.

Then elaborate on the story of Solomon, how God asked him a question, and how he could have chosen to be a millionaire, but instead he chose wisdom to rule the people of Israel. Close by saying that having money can be nice, but that the most important things in life aren't (material) things, but are things like wisdom, love, friends, relationships, etc.

End by telling the children that you appreciate them and that you are proud of them and that you would like to share your Swedish fish with them.

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I am the Bread of Life . . . Jesus
a children's sermon based on John 6
by Frank Schaefer

Props: bread-maker machine (if you don't have one, you may be able to borrow one), a loaf of bread, dough.

Show the kids the bread-maker and show them the dough (you may even put it in the maker), then ask them if anybody really believes that when you put the dough in this machine a loaf of bread will come out?

"The dough is not much to look at, is it? It's hard to believe that a crusty bread ever looked like this (at that point show them the loaf). Well, the truth is that the dough I put in this machine will look like this delicious loaf of bread in a couple of hours.

You know, Jesus once said: "I am the Bread of Life." Jesus compared himself to bread. And you know there are some similarities between Jesus and bread. Much like the dough, Jesus didn't look like much when he was walking among us. People didn't believe that he was the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

The bread dough will rise soon in my bread-maker. You know what? Jesus rose too. He rose from the dead. And he has become Savior to many. He truly is the Bread of Life.

He gives us eternal life. If we eat from the bread I am making, it will nourish us and keep us alive. If we have Jesus, the Bread of Life, in our hearts then we have eternal life. So you see, Bread and Jesus have some things in common. Maybe that's why Jesus said: "I am the Bread of Life."

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Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you.
Children’s Story based on 1 Kings 8:22-30; 41-43
Submitted by Roberta

Materials: disposable camera, Bristol board with title “The Church: Greater than Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain God.”

I am going to ask you a question, and while you think of the question I’m going to tell you a story:

Here’s the question: If you were to take a picture of the church what would you take a picture of?

King Solomon built a beautiful Temple for God’s people to worship God in. Solomon wanted to make this Temple the very best Temple in the world, so he used only the best materials, the best stones. He used as much gold as he could.

But there was a problem.

Solomon gave so much attention to the Temple—all the gold and the expensive building materials and accouterments that went inside—he forgot one very important thing. He forgot why the Temple was built in the first place. Of course, it was to be place to worship God, but it was also to be a place where the Ten Commandments were to be kept. Remember, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and they were on stone tablets.

The Commandments teach God’s people how to walk in the way of God. How to be the very best people we possibly can be. How to live together in peace as God’s people. Keeping the Ten Commandments is more important than just keeping a building, don’t you think?

Deep down, Solomon knew this, and he prays to God in this morning’s lesson, “Will God dwell on this earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you!”

I think Solomon knew that God would never just live in the Temple, God is bigger than any Temple or church or building. God is bigger than this city….God is everywhere.

So…now I’m going to ask you that question again. If you were to take a picture of God’s church…what would you take a picture of?

{the kids point out various objects in the church)

The communion table—the communion table is part of God’s church, but the church is more than the communion table.

The windows—yes, the stained glass windows are part of God’s church, but the church is more than the stained glass windows.

The cross—YES, the cross is the church—but the cross tells us to live our faith that Jesus died and rose again—to live out that faith everyday—inside and outside the church building.

The people—YES, the church is the people—and the people are the church—whether they are in church or outside the church.

So here is the disposable camera. Each of you can take one picture of the church. These are going to be special pictures because there are three churches worshipping together this morning which makes the point—God is bigger than just one building. These summer services are very special.

Next week, I will have the pictures developed and I will show them to you. I have already prepared a board for them. (show board) The heading reads: “Even the church cannot contain God. (I Kings 8:22-30)”

Let us pray:

Holy God, you call us all to be the people of God. We praise you, and thank you because you have given us Jesus Christ to show us your ways. Thank you for giving us the church, and help us to remember that you are much bigger than the church. No building can contain you. No words can express your greatness and your love for us. Help us never to forget that we can experience you not just here on Sundays but everywhere we go in the world. Thank you, God, for all your blessings. Amen.