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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:

• Humility, Luke 18:9-14
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer
   

• Run the Race, 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer

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Humility
a children's sermon based on Luke 18:9-14
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. 

Jesus wants us to be humble too; he wants us to be able to admit when we did something wrong.  That's why he told the story about the priest and the tax collector.  The tax collector went into church saying: I am a sinner, Lord forgive me.  And God forgave him.

But the priest came in and saw the tax collector and said: thanks, Lord that I am not like this sinful tax collector.  Jesus did not like that.  He said that the tax collector went home a righteous man, because he said to God that he was sorry for what he had done wrong.  But the priest, Jesus said, was not righteous because he did not confess any of his sins, and instead just thought that he was better than others.

Let us always remember to be humble, to admit our mistakes and to say to God that we are sorry for our mistakes. Amen.

 

 

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Run the Race
based on 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

props: a baton (a rounded stick will do)

  

Greetings, my little friends.  Today I want to talk about sports.  Are any of you involved in sports?  What is your sport? (Let the children talk).  One of our bible readings today talk about a running a race.

This race is a special race.  It's a race for Jesus and it takes every single one of us Christians to run this race.  You and I are invited to run in this race too.  It's a little like a relay race where one person starts, and after a while that person will pass a baton (a stick) to another person and then that second person will run.

Actually, I brought something that looks like a baton. Invite the children to visualize a relay race by passing the baton to a kid and have him/her pass it on to another kid, etc. If your situation allows it, you may even want to have a little "walking" relay race in your sanctuary.

Of course, the bible passage is not talking about stick batons, but about something else we need to pass on to others.  In this relay race we are supposed to pass on the love of God to others.

How do we do that?  How can we hand others the love of God?    (Let the children share; if nobody does, make a few suggestions).  Do you all think you can do these things?  Can you run in God's relay race?

Let us pray to God to make us strong for his relay race: "Dear God, thank you for inviting us to run in your race.  Help us to be strong for this race and to share your love with others.  Amen."