Living Water Children's Sermon Lent3A

Scripture Focus John 4:5-42

Children’s Sermon #1 (Within Worship/shorter version)

Faith+Open--Welcome children to gather with you.

Props: a fish bowl/aquarium or pictures of water life.

We heard story today of Jesus meeting a woman at a well where she was getting water. He tells her that she is loved by God even after knowing the things she had done wrong in life. Jesus says that the water she needs is from him—Living Water.  What do you think of when you hear the words ‘living water’?

Faith+Share:

Show your ‘living water’… I think of this kind of water. Fish and plants and mud and dirt and all those things that live in the water. What else needs water? What do we use it for?

We need water for life, all of us, every human and plant and animal. And we have water in our church building all the time—where is it? Yes, the baptismal font helps us remember what Jesus said about the kind of water we need from God. That water is a water of promise that we are loved and forgiven and held by God all the time, no matter who we are and no matter who we meet in our lives, humans are held by God’s grace in living water.

Faith+Prayer: God, thank you for water, for giving us what we need to live. Please help those who do not have enough water or clean water. Fill our hearts with your living water of love and mercy. Amen

Children’s Sermon #2 (Children’s worship time/longer version)

Faith+Open--Welcome children to gather with you.

Props: a fish bowl/aquarium or pictures of water life.

We heard story today of Jesus meeting a woman at a well where she was getting water. He tells her that she is loved by God even after knowing the things she had done wrong in life. Jesus says that the water she needs is from him—Living Water.  What do you think of when you hear the words ‘living water’?

Faith+Share:

Show your ‘living water’… I think of this kind of water. Fish and plants and mud and dirt and all those things that live in the water. What else needs water? What do we use it for?

We need water for life, all of us, every human and plant and animal. And we have water in our church building all the time—where is it? Yes, the baptismal font helps us remember what Jesus said about the kind of water we need from God. That water is a water of promise that we are loved and forgiven and held by God all the time, no matter who we are and no matter who we meet in our lives, humans are held by God’s grace in living water.

Activity ideas:

Art—create pictures of living water either from cutting out shapes and gluing or coloring

Science—have buckets or milk jugs filled with water. Talk about the well water and what that may have been like to have to carry water a long way. Have kids do a relay to see if they can carry the water across the room.

Faith+Prayer: God, thank you for water, for giving us what we need to live. Please help those who do not have enough water or clean water. Fill our hearts with your living water of love and mercy. Amen

Written by Rev. Leta Behrens

March 20 Lent 2A Children's Sermon

Scripture Focus: Genesis 12: 1-9

Background: In this travel narrative Abraham faithfully listens to God and leaves his home and goes where God leads him. When God tells Abraham that God will give his offspring the land, Abraham builds and altar and praises God. So too, does Abraham build an altar and praised God as he traveled through the land.

Children’s Sermon #1 (Within Worship/shorter version)

Faith+Open--Welcome children to gather with you.

Ask: Have you ever played a game where you had to follow someone else or copy what they did? Follow the leader and Simon says are good games for that! Let’s try it out now.

Play “Simon Says” and walk them around the sanctuary (or around whatever part of the church makes sense in your context). At a natural place to pause, stop and say, “Abraham and Sarah were called by God to follow God away from their home. They did not really know where they would end but they traveled and did their best to follow God.” Keep going.

Faith+Share:

After “traveling” a bit, lead them by the altar area where you have already placed a set of building blocks.

Explain that each time Abraham and Sarah found a place to stay for awhile, they built and altar to the Lord. This way they remembered who they worshiped and that they were trusting in God. It’s kind of like how we come together to worship God. We can also worship God at our homes. We can built altars or simply pray around the table together.

Have them build an altar and then sing a praise song such as “Hallelu-Hallelu-Hallelujah-Praise-ye the Lord.”  Talk about how no matter where we are or what we are doing we can praise God every day in our lives and God will hear us! God travels with us in our life and is always present! That is reason to sing indeed! Blessings on your week!

Faith+Prayer: God, sometimes it is hard to know how to follow you. Help us to remember that no matter where we are or where we go we are called to your children and you are will us. Amen.

  

Children’s Sermon #2 (Children’s worship time/longer version)

Faith+Open--Welcome children to gather with you.

Read the Genesis verses from a children’s Bible. Talk about who Abraham and Sarah are and why they are important to us as Christians.

Ask: Have you ever played a game where you had to follow someone else or copy what they did? Follow the leader and Simon says are good games for that! Let’s try it out now.

Play “Simon Says” and walk them around the sanctuary (or around whatever part of the church makes sense in your context). At a natural place to pause, stop and say, “Abraham and Sarah were called by God to follow God away from their home. They did not really know where they would end but they traveled and did their best to follow God.” Keep going.

Faith+Share:

After “traveling” a bit, lead them by the altar area where you have already placed a set of building blocks.

Explain that each time Abraham and Sarah found a place to stay for awhile, they built and altar to the Lord. This way they remembered who they worshiped and that they were trusting in God. It’s kind of like how we come together to worship God. We can also worship God at our homes. We can built altars or simply pray around the table together.

Have them build an altar and then sing a praise song such as “Hallelu-Hallelu-Hallelujah-Praise-ye the Lord.”  Talk about how no matter where we are or what we are doing we can praise God every day in our lives and God will hear us! God travels with us in our life and is always present! That is reason to sing indeed! Blessings on your week!

Faith+Prayer: God, sometimes it is hard to know how to follow you. Help us to remember that no matter where we are or where we go we are called to your children and you are will us. Amen.

Written by Brigette Weier

Edited by Leta Behrens, M.Div

Children's Sermon Transfiguration Year A March 6, 2011

 Scripture Focus: Primarily Matthew 17:1-9; includes Exodus & 2 Peter readings

Children’s Sermon #1 (Within Worship/shorter version)

Preparation: a short letter that has information about yourself in it written about you by a parent or a friend (write it from the perspective of someone else)

Faith+Open--Welcome children to gather with you.

Say: We just heard three passages from the Bible and they probably sounded very different. But they had at least one thing in common—they told about ways that God is revealed to us. God is revealed to Moses on the mountain, Peter retells the story of Jesus’ baptism when God is revealed in the voice that says “this is my beloved son with whom I am pleased. And our Gospel story tells us about Jesus being as God’s son through his appearance and a voice from heaven. They are stories about some ways that we can know God.

How do can you get to know someone? (encourage responses) We can ask them questions. Like, what is your favorite color or animal. Or what they like to do or eat. Maybe about their family or who they know well? Could my mom or dad or my kids tell you something about me? Sure!

Pick one child to ask a couple of questions to: What is your favorite color? What was the best thing you did this week? You have revealed things about yourself to me.

Faith+Share:

Read the short letter you wrote "from your parent or friend" to the kids about yourself.

Do you now know EVERYTHING about me? do you know more about me? yes!  How do we know about God? (Jesus and the Bible maybe answers, encourage other responses as well like prayer, creation, other people, etc.)

In our gospel story today God tells us to listen to Jesus as Jesus is God's son. We can learn about God through Jesus. Reading about Jesus in the Bible helps us to know how much God loves us and how God wants us to love others. And then we can tell others about who Jesus is and how much Jesus' loves everyone! 

Faith+Prayer: God, we know you love us and you know all about us. Thank you for revealing yourself to us. Help us to show others your love. Amen

Children’s Sermon #2 (Children’s worship time/longer version)

Preparation: a short letter that has information about yourself in it written about you by a parent or a friend (write it from the perspective of someone else)

Faith+Open--Welcome children to gather with you.

Say: We just heard three passages from the Bible and they probably sounded very different. But they had at least one thing in common—they told about ways that God is revealed to us. God is revealed to Moses on the mountain, Peter retells the story of Jesus’ baptism when God is revealed in the voice that says “this is my beloved son with whom I am pleased. And our Gospel story tells us about Jesus being as God’s son through his appearance and a voice from heaven. They are stories about some ways that we can know God.

How do can you get to know someone? (encourage responses) We can ask them questions. Like, what is your favorite color or animal. Or what they like to do or eat. Maybe about their family or who they know well? Could my mom or dad or my kids tell you something about me? Sure!

Pick one child to ask a couple of questions to: What is your favorite color? What was the best thing you did this week? You have revealed things about yourself to me.

ACTIVITY: Now put kids in partners or groups of three. Ask them to ‘reveal’ things about themselves to one another. Explain that when they are done they will share one new thing they learned about their partner.

Faith+Share:

Read the short letter you wrote "from your parent or friend" to the kids about yourself.

Do you now know EVERYTHING about me? do you know more about me? yes!  How do we know about God? (Jesus and the Bible maybe answers, encourage other responses as well like prayer, creation, other people, etc.)

In our gospel story today God tells us to listen to Jesus as Jesus is God's son. We can learn about God through Jesus. Reading about Jesus in the Bible helps us to know how much God loves us and how God wants us to love others. And then we can tell others about who Jesus is and how much Jesus' loves everyone! 

Faith+Prayer: God, we know you love us and you know all about us. Thank you for revealing yourself to us. Help us to show others your love. Amen

Materials: Children’s Bible, letter about yourself

Written by Brigette Weier

Edited by Leta Behrens