Children’s Sermons

Sermon #1

By Frank Ramirez
Frank
Ramirez is the pastor of the Everett (PA) Church of the Brethren. He has been a
pastor for over thirty years, is the author of many books and with his wife
Jennie shares three adult children and three grandchildren.

Preparations

You
will need two
small planting pots, one with just dirt, and the other with dirt, plant food, and
seeds. You could alternately illustrate this story by drawing two pots
on a sheet of newsprint, and
augmenting the drawing as you tell the story.

Concept

Welcome. I’m glad you are here for the story today. As you can see, we have
two small pots for growing plants. Can you share your ideas with me about
things you think would be good or fun to grow, or maybe share what you have grown
in a garden?

(Listen for a few moments, repeating what children
suggest would be fun to grow.)

Those are all good ideas. I hope you all get the chance to grow
something good. It is amazing to think of a little seed becoming something we
can eat, or a flower that makes the world a little more beautiful. But today,
all we have in this pot is dirt. Just dirt.

But in this other pot I have dirt, plant food, and seeds. I have watered
the plant, and also made sure it had sunlight every day.

Now in which pot do you think we might see a growing plant? That’s
right: in the one with the seeds, water, plant food and sunlight.
Now, you never know, maybe the plant won’t grow. But there is a much better
chance that something will grow in this pot than the one with no seeds, or
water in it!

One of Jesus’ friends named Paul, shared a similar message. He wrote to
the Christians in the city of Corinth two thousand years ago. He said: “the one
who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully
will also reap bountifully (1 Corinthians 9:6).” If you don’t plant any seeds,
you won’t get anything, and the more seeds you plant, the more you’ll get!

But the apostle Paul wasn’t just talking about plants. He was talking
about the hungry people in Jerusalem, hundreds of miles away. Food would not
grow there because there was no water. And Paul was asking some other churches
to send money to help out. And part of what he meant was, the more you give,
the more good you will do. And if you don’t give to help others, you won’t help
at all. It’s like our pots of dirt—if we don’t plant any seeds, nothing
happens!

Then Paul said one more thing. He said. “Each of you must give as you
have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver (1 Corinthians 9:7).” And that’s just as important. We should
give with happy hearts, not because someone made us do it. Being cheerful about
our giving is like putting plant food in this little pot. The plant might grow
without it, but the extra boost can help it grow even stronger and more
beautiful.

I hope you will be able to give something to help. It’s like planting
seeds and watching them grow. That’s what our One Great Hour of Sharing is
about. Helping people and communities around the world grow stronger. No matter
how much you can give, I hope you will give with happy hearts. When we share
what we have, joy springs up!

 

Sermon #2 –
 (can also be used as an
Intergenerational Activity)
By Kathy Fuller
Guisewite

Kathy
Guisewite is a licensed minister in the Church of the Brethren and is a trained
Spiritual Director.  Most recently, Kathy
was approved as a Pastoral Care Specialist through the American Association of
Pastoral Counselors.  Kathy is also one
who loves exploring life and spiritual matters through various artistic
ventures.

There is this
beautiful contagious element to laughter, and this activity is sure to add joy
to a time of worship, a church meal or fellowship time.

For use as a
Children’s Sermon:

This week, our
church is joining together with lots and lots of churches all over the country
for something called One Great Hour of Sharing. We share our money so that it
can be used to help take care of people in need all over the world. The theme
for One Great Hour of Sharing this year is “Sharing brings joy to others.” What
better way to share joy than through laughter? 
Laughter is one of those gifts that doesn’t cost a dime and is so easily
shared! No matter how old or young we are, no matter how much money we have, we
can all share joy with others through laughter.

Now, I know we
don’t normally laugh in church, but we’re going to today, and some of the
grown-ups might need your help doing it. There are lots of different ways we
can laugh. Let’s try a few, and maybe when the grown-ups see us do it, they can
try it too. Let’s try to:

Laugh like you
are trying to hold it back
Laugh with your
shoulders
Laugh without
showing your teeth
Laugh with your
mouth wide open
Laugh without
making a sound

(You may think
of others as well).

Good job! We’ve seen
that when we share our laughter, it brings joy to others. The same is true when
we share other gifts, like our time, our talents, and our money. This week,
think about ways that your sharing can bring joy to others.

Let’s close with
a prayer: O God, help us to remember that we all have simple gifts to share
with others in need.  We never know when
a smile or a song or a kind word will add joy to the heart of another.  Thank you for this fun reminder, and for all
the laughter so easily shared in this place. Amen.

For use at a
group gathering, such as a church dinner or fellowship time:

Use a similar
introduction as the Children’s Sermon, but as long as there is ample space,
involve everyone in trying “Laughter Circles.”

Half of the
participants will form an inner circle that moves clockwise.

The other half
of the participants will form an inner circle that moves counter-clockwise.

Both circles
will walk in their designated circle throughout this activity and acknowledge
each person they pass.

One person will
call out various styles/forms of laughter for all participants to join in.

Some suggestions
for various ways to laugh could include:

Laugh like you
are trying to hold it back
Laugh with your
shoulders
Laugh without
showing your teeth
Laugh with your
mouth wide open
Laugh without
making a sound

At the end, you
may close with a prayer:

O God, help us
to remember that we all have simple gifts to share with others in need.  We never know when a smile or a song or a
kind word will add joy to the heart of another. 
Thank you for this fun reminder, and for all the laughter so easily
shared in this place. Amen.