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Please choose from the following children's sermons:
 

• Don't be a Whiner! Exodus 17:1-7, by Rev. Frank Schaefer
  (see below)
   
• Doing Chores,  Mt. 21:23-32. by Rev. Frank Schaefer  (scroll down)

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Don't be a Whiner!
a children's sermon based on Exodus 17:1-7
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Greetings, my little friends!  It's so good to see you.  You know, here we are with the first month of school or pre-school already under our belt.  And all of you are doing well, I take it?  Whose doing well?  That's what I thought.

But there are times when we are going through times of anxiety--when we're scared or confused. There are times when we are not sure where we're going, or where we're supposed to go.

Like when you start a new year in school, and you're not sure who your teacher is going to be, who's going to be in your class, where your new classroom is, etc.  Or perhaps it's a whole new school you're going to. Do you guys know what I'm talking about?

And sometimes you find yourself moving and you lose all your friends, and you have to go to a new school and make new friends. Did any of you ever move?  I moved 9 times in my life, and it wasn't fun for me either!

The point is that we will all go through times in our lives when it feels like the going is very tough.  Just like Moses and the people of Israel as they found themselves in the wilderness.  They were hungry, they did not know where to go, they were dusty and thirsty.

And when times are rough, people have a tendency to whine.  The people of Israel whined in the wilderness -- a lot of times.  And yet, God always saved them, and gave them what they needed.  In our lesson this morning, God gave them water out of a rock.  Then they were happy for a while, but shortly afterwards they started whining again.

What do you think: does God want us to be whiners and complainers?  No, you're right.  Because God made a promise to us (as God did to the people of Israel).  And that promise is:  God will always be with us and provide for us what we need--even in rough times.

What do you think, should we stop whining and start trusting God?  O.K. but I think we need help with that.  Let's ask God to help us remember his Promise.

Prayer

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Doing Chores
a children's sermon based on Mt. 21:23-32
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
props: none

Welcome, my dear friends.  Today's lesson is about chores.  What are chores?  That's right, chores are little jobs that you do around the house.   Do any of you do chores?  What kind of chores do you do?  Do you take out the trash?  Dry dishes?  Fold socks?  Feed pets?

I'd like to tell you a story Jesus shared. It's about a father with two sons.  One day the father asked one of his sons: "can you help me bring in the harvest in the vineyard?"  Guess what the son said?  He said: "Sure dad, I'll be out there as soon as I can."

But what do you know, he never showed up. The father also asked his other son: "can you help me bring in the harvest in the vineyard?  I have so much work and no one to help me."  And guess what the other son said?  He said: "no, dad, I'm sorry, I'm really busy today; I got so much homework..."

Of, course, the father was very sad.  But after a while the second son felt sorry for saying "no" to his dad and he came and helped him after all.

Who do you think is the better son?  The one who said would help or the one who said "no" and than helped?

To me the moral of the story is that with God we can always change; we can always come back to God when we were bad and say: "I'm sorry."  God will always welcome us back and forgive us.  Isn't that good news?  I think so too.

Let us thank God for being such a gracious and loving heavenly father to us: "Thank you dear Father God that you call us to come back to you again and again, even if we messed up, and even if we did bad things.  Help us Lord, always to remember that your arms are always open wide to receive us, to forgive us and to love us. Amen"