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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:

• Welcoming Others, Luke 14:1,7-14, anonymous

• Humility, Luke 14:1,7-14, by Rev. Frank Schaefer

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Welcoming Others
a children's sermon seed based on Luke 14:1,7-14
anonymous

How does your congregation care for visitors? In advance, meet with families with a variety of ages of children who would be willing to meet with and sit with visitors. As they worship with visitors, the children in your congregation can mentor the children who are visiting, helping them to follow the order of worship, locate hymns, and bringing them up for the eucharist.

Visitors will feel welcome and at ease knowing someone is caring for them, leading them through the maze of a Sunday worship service. Children, who are members, will experience the joy of hospitality.

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Humility
a kids talk based on Luke 14:1,7-14
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

props: no props necessary

Greetings my little friends. Today, I would like to talk about being humble.

Have you ever met somebody who thinks too much of himself or herself? Someone who thinks that they are stronger, better, or smarter than anybody else? Where did you meet that person?  Did you like that person? Do you think this person was humble?

What do you think a really humble person is like? Does that person think they are better than others?

No, a humble person would admit that they have weaknesses, that they make mistakes. A humble person does not think more highly of him/herself than of others.   I would like to tell you a story and I need you to pay real close attention to who is humble in the story and who is not:

There was a lion who thought he was the mightiest animal of the jungle. "After all," he thought, "they call me the king of the jungle." So the lion walked about like a king.  One day, he came across a giraffe. As soon as he saw the giraffe, he ran toward him, jumped on its back, and roared: "Who is the mightiest in the animal kingdom?" The giraffe answered: "You are, lion, you are!" The lion let the giraffe go. A little later he met a gorilla, ran toward him and jumped on his back, roaring," who is the mightiest in the animal kingdom?" "You are lion, you are." And he let the gorilla go too.

A little later, he met an elephant. He ran toward him and jumped on his back, roaring, "Who is the mightiest in the animal kingdom?" The elephant grabbed the lion with his trunk and flung him 50 feet through the air. "I don't know who the mightiest is, just get off my sore back!" And the lion, licking his aching body said, "just because you don't know the right answer doesn't mean you have to get rough."

Who do you think thought too highly of himself, the lion or the elephant?   Who do you think was the more humble animal in this story?  That's right, the elephant.

You know, Jesus wants his disciples to be humble too.  God didn't give us talents and strength or possessions so we can brag about them or think too highly of ourselves (like the lion).  God wants us to be aware,  and to know at all times, that our strengths and talents and possessions come from God--and God can take those things away from us too.

Instead of bragging, God wants us to use our talents and gifts and wealth to help others.  To look up to them and not down on them.  That's part of what it means to be humble.

We all need to learn to be more humble.  How about asking God to help us be more humble?

Let's pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, help us to be humble before you and people, help us not to be like the lion who thought too much of himself, bragging about his strength, but instead let us use the strengths you gave us to help others. Amen."