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Choose from the following
children's sermons:
- Smiley Faces,
mainly based on Exodus 34:29-35
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
(see below)
- Our God is an
Awesome God, Ex 24:12-18 and Mat 17:1-9, Frank
Schaefer (scroll down)
- Metamorphosis seed
based on the Transfiguration of the Lord
Diane, Rhode Island
(scroll down)
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Smiley
Faces
mainly based on Exodus 34:29-35
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
Props: piece of paper on a sturdy piece of
cardboard or a clipboard and a marker
Good morning
my dear little friends. Today, I want to share my great artistic
gift with you. I'm going to draw something on this canvas (piece
of paper) and then we'll see if you can tell me what it is. (Draw
a simple smiley face).
Well, what
is it? That's right, it's a smiley face. What does it
make you feel when you look at it? (happy? giddy? smile right
back?...) That's good, isn't it? It doesn't seem to take
much to make you guys happy. When you see someone smiling at you in
real life, like in Sunday School or on the play ground, how does that
make you feel? (demonstrate by smiling at them).
Why do
we smile? (if they don't answer ask: when we win in a
softball/soccer game? How about when someone gives us a
present?...)
Did
you ever go to school with that big smile on your face after something
nice happened to you and people asked you: "what are you smiling about?"
Well
that happened to Moses, too. Moses came down from the mountain and
he was all smiles--his face looked just like this smiley face I think.
And you know why? Because he had a meeting with God on the
mountain. And that made him very happy. So, he came down
from the mountain and he couldn't stop smiling. It almost seemed
to the people that his face was beaming. That's how happy Moses looked.
You know, when Jesus was on a mountian one day,
the disciples that were with him saw Jesus face smile and beam too.
That's why on this Sunday we celebrate the "Transfiguration of the
Lord." Jesus's face changed and beamed and was all smiles, I
imagine.
Let's
imagine what happened when Moses came down from the mountain--all
smiles. People were probably asking him: "what are you so happy about?"
And Moses told them: "I'm happy because I had a talk with God and God
gave me something for all of us: the 10 commandments."
Now
that's something, isn't it? Just imagine God would give me
something as important as the 10 commandments." I would be very happy
too. My face would look like this smiley face (point to the
drawing).
What
do you think? Will God ever talk to me like God talked to Moses?
Will God ever give me something like the 10 commandments?
Wait a
minute...that's right, God does talk to me sometimes. Especially
when I pray. And ...why didn't I think of this...God does give me
something important almost every week: he helps me with a sermon.
Do you
think that God will talk to you, too, when you pray? (nod to encourage a
yes answer) Yes, of course. God wants to talk to you too,
and maybe he already did talk to some of you. And God wants to
give you helpful and encouraging and kind words for others too.
So, keep praying and listen for
God's voice and for the gifts God gives you to give to others. So,
when I see any of you running around the church with a face that looks
like this (point to smiley face) then I know that God talked to you too.
Let us pray: "Dear God,
thank you for talking to Moses and so many other people and for making
them smile. Please make us smile too. Talk to us Lord, help
us to listen for your voice when we pray. Give us helpful and kind
words for others. In Jesus name. Amen."
Our
God is an Awesome God
a children's sermon based on Ex 24:12-18 and Mat 17:1-9
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
Props: none needed
Have you ever heard the song: Our God is an awesome
God?
You know, that's what Moses found out when he went up on the
mountain of God. He couldn't really see God, but the bible says that
he saw fire and smoke coming out of the mountaintop--a little like a
volcano perhaps. And out
of the fire and smoke God
spoke.
You know, I don't think any human person has ever seen
God. In fact, the bible says that no person can see God while living.
God is so holy and so awesome and so powerful that a human
person could not stand to see God.
The prophet Elijah once said to God: I want to see you with my
eyes; and God said to him: you can turn around and I will pass by you
with your back toward me. Just don't turn around, because you would not be able to
stand the sight of my holiness.
So, God surrounded himself with smoke on the mountain
top so that Moses could come near him.
And on the mountain top, God revealed to
Moses his holy laws--God gave Moses the ten commandments.
About 1200 years later, there was another group of
people on a mountain top--Peter, John and James...and Jesus.
And suddenly, God's voice appeared.
I think they were a little startled.
And it says that a
"bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said,
"This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to
him!""
Just for a moment, God allowed the disciples to see
Jesus for who is is--the son of God.
They were blinded by the light that came from Jesus' face, and his
clothes were suddenly sparkling white.
All this goes to show that God is an awesome God; God
is high and mighty....and here is the surprising part: even though God
is all powerful, he still loves us and treats us very gently and with
great care.
That's something, isn't it?
Even though we cannot see the almighty God with our human eyes,
God still cares for us little ones and is always near us.
Let's say thanks to almighty God for loving us and for
taking care of us:
"Dear God we thank you for your awesome power that you put
to work in the world for the good of all people.
Thank you for being so awesome and, yet, you handle us so
gently, caring about us and loving us.
You are always near us to wipe our tears, to encourage us and
to lead us on the path of righteousness.
Be with us today and in the days to come and watch over us
little ones. Amen."
Metamorphosis
a children's sermon seed based on the Transfiguration of the Lord
Diane, Rhode Island
I am going to focus on Metamorphosis
for Transfiguration. Defining it as a miraculous change. I have lemon seeds to
show them, and a lemon. (what it turns into)
I will talk about caterpillar into
butterfly as another example. I will ask parents if they have infant photos of
the kids present. I will talk about the miraculous transformation they have gone
through, themselves and wrap up by talking about how God is behind all of these
and behind the transfiguration of Jesus too. What a miracle!
