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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:
 

• Lasting Things, 1 Peter 2: 17-32, by Rev. Frank Schaefer (see below)
   

• God in the Stranger, Luke 24:13-35, by Rev. Frank Schaefer (please scroll down)
   

For Mother's Day: A Mother's Day Talk, by Rev. Frank Schaefer

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Lasting Things
a children's sermon based on 1 Peter 2: 17-32
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

props:  a rusty object (nail, old knife from the garage, etc.), a precious metal object, such as a gold ring or necklace, etc.

Show the children the rusty object and ask them to identify it?   Is it pretty?  No? What is that brown stuff on it?  Rust.  What does rust do to a metal object like this?  It eats it up.  So, today this is a (nail, knife, etc) but if a few years from now it's just going to be a pile of rust.

In one of our bible lessons today it says: "“Christians base their lives not on what is perishable but on what is imperishable; not on what is base but on what is precious.”

That's kind of like our rusty object and the gold ornament.  God is saying to us that we should not concern ourselves with rusty old things.  Things that are here today, but they will be gone in a few years.  God wants us to concern ourselves with precious things.  Things that last.  Like the gold ring I have here.

The same is true for other things in life.  God wants us to do and enjoy things that are lasting, like making friends, by loving others, building relationships, by helping others.

All some people care about are things that don't last, like playing games, or like earning lots of money, and like partying.

Now don't get me wrong: There is nothing wrong about enjoying life and making money, but if that's all we're interested in then that's not good.  God wants us to be interested in things that last, like our faith, our relationships to others (whom we will even see after they and we die: right there in heaven), etc.

Prayer: "Dear God, thank you for your love and concern for us.  Please help us to be interested in things that last and not just things that don't really matter. Thanks. Amen."

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God in the Stranger
A children's sermon based on Luke 24:13-35
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Today's gospel story is about being hospitable to strangers.

That's a big word isn't it: hospitable. Being hospitable means being nice, friendly or helpful to others.

Two disciples traveled with what they thought was a stranger, but it was really Jesus in disguise.  And they didn't recognize Jesus until they ate together.   And then, when they finally did recognize Jesus, he disappeared before their eyes.   It's a good thing that the disciples were friendly to the stranger or else they would have rejected Jesus.

Have you ever dressed up as somebody or something else? Like for a costume party? Or for Halloween? Did you have fun doing that?  Did people still recognize you?

One of the things we can learn from today's lesson is that we should be hospitable to everybody even when they're strangers.  In other words, we should be friendly and nice to everybody, because we just don't know who we have in front of us.   The stranger may be a very important person.  He or she may even be a person sent to us by God ("some have hosted angels unawares") or it may be Jesus in disguise.

Now, you all know that you should never talk to or follow a stranger in the street.  It is very important to remember that.

What I mean by being friendly to strangers is that we should be friendly and have a smile for people who may be new in your school, or here at church, or in any of your after-school or sports programs.

Or it may be a person who needs our help; like the person in the story of the Good Samaritan who was robbed and beaten and lay by the wayside.

But, of course, we should not just be hospitable and friendly to strangers, but to all people.

What do you think, can we do that?  Can we be friendly and have a smile for everybody, and be helpful today?

Prayer: "Dear God, we thank you for the bible in which you gave us many examples of how to live a good life.  Lord help us to be  hospitable, friendly, and helpful to others; and help us not to fear the new people we meet, but to receive them with a smile.  Amen."