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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:

• Clothe yourselves with compassion, humility, love, ...
  Col. 3:1-11, by Janet in MD

• Kingdom Suitcase, Luke 12:13-21
  Cindy in MD

• God's Piggy Bank, Luke 12:13-21
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer

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Clothe yourselves with compassion, humility, love, ...
a children's sermon seed based on Col. 3:1-11
by Janet in MD
 

We'll spend a little time chatting about who received clothing for Christmas, and how underwear and socks are not usually our favorite gifts!

Today's Bible verse talks about a different kind of clothing that is a lot more important and wonderful than underwear, or even than the most beautiful princess dress or superhero costume. The Bible tells us to put on love, and kindness -- to wear them like we wear clothes. That's kind of a weird thought, isn't it? How do you wear something like love or kindness?

[hold up a glove]. I've been thinking about this a lot this week, and I think it's kind of like this glove. This glove isn't part of my body. It's totally separate from me. [put it on]. But when I put it on, a couple of interesting things happen. It protects my hand from the cold, and since it's a thick glove it even protects my hands from sharp things. But even though this glove isn't part of my body, it makes changes in my body. The longer I wear this glove, the warmer my hand gets. That's a change in my body. My hand might even start to sweat. All because I put on something that wasn't part of me.

It's hard to feel love or kindness toward somebody who isn't nice to us. But when we follow the Bible's advice and put on love, it's kind of like putting on the glove. We may not feel loving inside, but if we act loving and act kindly, and ask God to help us love, there will start to be a change in us. Just like the glove warms up my hand, behaving in a loving way can make real love grow inside us.

Sometimes we think that love is just a feeling inside us. But this Bible verse reminds us that love is also a choice that we make. Just like we choose to put on gloves, or a coat, or a princess dress or underwear, we can choose to put on love. And God's love will protect us, and warm us up, and change us into truly loving people.

 

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Kingdom Suitcase
a children's sermon seed based on Luke 12:13-21
Cindy in MD

So what would our "kingdom suitcase" look like? What would we choose to have "packed" and ready? Usually our lay readers do children's messages, but I get to do them this week, so think I'll bring in some examples - a plastic grocery bag, a wallet, a tote bag with my knitting, a cooler - nested like the Russian dolls - and let them reject them all until we get to just our hands. This is what God in Jesus asks of us - that we use our hands (and feet, and hearts and minds) in such a way that we ourselves are the kingdom suitcase, if we have lived the kingdom values, walked the Jesus Way, even in advance of the knock on the door. The only thing we get to take with us is that relationship, if we have chosen to live within its values - kingdom values.

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God's Piggy Bank
a children's sermon based on Luke 12:13-21
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Props:  a piggy bank filled with candy (chocolate) coins. A small hammer and a cloth (to crack it open)

Good morning boys and girls.  Today, I brought my piggy bank to show you.  Listen, when I shake it you can hear the coins inside rattling (demonstrate).  Do any of you have a piggy bank?  What are you going to do with all of the money you're saving? (Let the kids share...)

Jesus once told a story about a man who decided he was going to save so much that he would become the richest man around.  This man's goal was to just spend money.  This man did not want to share his riches with anybody or do anything to help others.  He just wanted to keep it all for himself and live a good life.

What do you think God thought about that?  That's right, God didn't like that at all. This man's attitude was very selfish.

Jesus said that man was a fool. He did not understand that God has blessed us with houses, food, cars, and money so that we can share it with others who don't have as much.  If all people in the world shared what they had with each other, nobody would have to be hungry and nobody would have to be poor.

Just to show you how wonderful it is to share, I decided to share my piggy bank with you. (Place bank in cloth and use hammer to crack it open, then distribute the candy coins).  If you haven't guessed it already, these coins are actually chocolate coins.  You see, just the smiles on your faces is worth so much more to me than eating all these chocolate coins myself (and getting a stomach ache from eating too much candy).

Let us pray: "God, we thank you for the gift of sharing which makes us richer than if we kept everything to ourselves.  Help us never to forget this lesson. Amen."