Ideas for:
Children's Talks and Sermons
Giving talks or sermons to children or youth is not easy and it's not unusual to be stuck for ideas, so to help you we have started to compile here a list of ideas and talks that have worked for others in the past. Feel free to see what's here at the moment or even add some of your own. All we ask is that it's a sermon you've tried and found successful. Send details of it to us at: kit@funandgames.org
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Children A good site with lots of ideas and searchable database. Maintained by Rev Donald McCorkindale, Dalgety Bay, Scotland, UK. |
Luke 13:1-9
Exegetical Aim: To explain that God is patient with us when we don't live as
we should.
Props: Crayons, a blank sheet of paper, and a little bit of artistic talent (but not much). On your sheet of paper draw a jumbled picture of a house, tree, and landscape, but make all the colours appropriate to the object. Draw the horizon. Put the roof's flat side on the horizon. Then on the tip of the roof, place the frame of the house upside down so that the door is up and the windows are down. You've got the picture now. Place the trees and birds in awkward places and draw the sun square. Draw a stick person walking on the sun. That should do it!
Lesson:
Place the drawing face down.
"This morning, I want to show you a picture I drew. I'm really proud of it. I worked really hard. It's a picture of my house on a sunshiny day. I mean it's got sunshine, a pretty house, trees, and birds in it. You want to see it?" (response)
Show the children the drawing.
Isn't this great! (response)
Do you like it? (response)
What? (response)
No, no, no, there's nothing wrong here. Here's my roof on the ground. (response)
Doesn't the roof belong on the ground? (response)
It doesn't? Where does it belong? (response)
Okay, I'll remember that. The roof belongs on the top of the house. I'll do
better next time. Well, what about the sun? It's just shining! (response)
What? (response)
While they are shouting out it's square or it's supposed to be round, continue
with your thoughts. I don't understand. (response)
Interrupt them. No, look, it's shining nice and bright and making the grass
grow. (response)
What's wrong? (response)
You mean, it's not supposed to be square? (response)
It's supposed to be round? (response)
Okay, I'll remember that. The sun is supposed to be round. I'll do better next
time. Well, this one is neat. This is me up here walking on the sun. (response)
What? (response)
You mean this is wrong too? (response)
I got it all wrong, didn't I? (response)
Okay, I need to remember this.
Point to the objects as you remember your corrections.
The house goes under the roof and the roof on top of the house. And I'm not supposed to be walking on the sun. That's all wrong. I need to be down here on the grass. And the next time I draw the sun, I need to make it round not square. I'll do better next time.
Application:
Sometimes we do get things all mixed up in life. Do you ever
fight with your friends? (response)
Have you ever been stingy and refused to
share with your brother or sister? (response)
Did you know that from time to
time your mom and dad get things all mixed up and they get mad at each
other? (response)
When we fight and say bad things, our lives are all mixed
up hold up the drawing like my picture. We need to do better.
I want you to know that God loves us all and is patient with us. And when we
fight and act ugly, he is waiting for you and me to straighten up our lives.
Now I will remember to put the roof and the sun and the little stick person
in the right places next time. And I want you to remember not to fight with
one another, not to be ugly, and to do as God asks: to love one another.
Let's Pray: Father, we make mistakes so we ask for your forgiveness, but help us all to do better next time. Amen.
"Childrens talk at church Apia Protestant Church, Samoa. I used this early in 2003 and I still feel joy at the "uncanny" way it fitted into the sermon that day. I'd had the task of delivering the talk at the short notice. But the following talk "came to me" - yes, we know where from:"
Started by asking about special types of words -
"what's an adjective?"
"what's a noun?"
"what's a verb?"
Think of some examples of each, briefly. Perhaps even act out a couple of verbs.
"stand"
"turn" (to face congregation)
"smile"
"wave"
"face me"
"sit down"
"behave"
Link that all verbs are actions. "Doing" words.
Love is a verb (is also a noun depending how used, but this lesson is focusing on the verbal use).
We must show love in what we "do". It's no use saying we love our parents or family with out showing it. What's more, Jesus said "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you."
Congregation can all sing the song
Finish by emphasising the verse, and that love is a verb.
This can be used as a basis for a childrens' talk.
PRACTICE FIRST!
You will need an empty jam jar, one LARGE marble and lots of smaller ones.
Who goes swimming? or dancing? or plays in a sports team? or drama? or belongs to a band? or likes watching cartoons? (you name it...) When all these things happen is is sometimes difficult to fit God in to our lives at all. We want to but there just isn't time to do everything. It's rather like these marbles in the jar.
(Drop all the marbles in the jar until it is nearly full, and try and put the lid on. )
All these things we do are the marbles. Now let's try and put God in
(put the large marble on top)
.....Oh dear, there just isn't room for God as well.
(pause.....)
I know, lets see what happens if we put God in first.
(Tip all the marbles out on to a tray so you can be seen not to lose any and put the large marble in first. Then put in the smaller ones and fill the jar completely).
Wonderful! If you put God first in your life, then everything else will fall into place.
Preparation: Take a large piece of white paper, and write across it in LEMON JUICE the word "Jesus" - i.e. in "invisible ink.". let dry. Candle and match to light also required for talk.
State that many people ask questions like "Why does a good God allow
suffering ?".
Give a few examples of suffering. Say that there is no simple answer to this,
but that you are going to show the class one reason why God may allow problems
and hardships to come into our lives.
God is interested in what we do, but He is more interested in what we are i.e.
our character.
God can use our problems to develop our character. Use your own words for your
particular class, but you could go along the lines suggested below.
"God has a wonderful plan to change you into someone far better. If none of us ever had any troubles, not many of us would give God a second thought, and we would never change. God sometimes allows suffering in our lives and uses it - as He helps us to overcome our problems - to change us. The Bible says "Suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character" Romans 5.3,4.
Hold up the 'blank' paper at this point
I am going to have an imaginary conversation with this paper.
Self: "Nice to see you paper, but I am now going to put you over a flame"
Light the candle. Explain that the flame stands for troubles or problems.
Paper : " I don't like the sound of that. I might get too hot. I might even get burnt". "I do like you paper, but I have a wonderful plan to change you into something better, and I have to place you over the flame to make this happen."
Begin to move the paper over the flame, following the word "Jesus" which you should just be able to see. Brown writing will start to appear. Continue your dialogue while still moving the paper.
Self: "How are you feeling now paper?"
Paper - "Stop it. I am getting far too hot."
Self: "I haven't finished my plan for you yet. I must complete the job I know this is tough for you, but I won't let you burn."
Complete the heating of the paper. As you hold the paper to show the class the word "Jesus" conclude your teaching.
"This is what God's plan is for you. To build your character, and make you to be like Jesus. Often He uses our problems and difficulties to bring this about. "
Preparation: We got one of the leaders to pose as a real bad person with lots of problems & issues carrying baggage from the outside world - This guy who acted as a bit of a bum, walked into the room drunk, swearing, cursing, full of hate, smoking - all the things he shouldn't do, real angry. He yelled out, I hate my life, there is no love, i am never happy, i have no friends, he then sat down and started to sob about his life...
When another leader approached him as one of the " Godly Doctors " and spoke to him about God. He told him how God was the biggest Doctor of all kinds, that he could heal the blind and bring back the dead to life. The man looked up and said but how ??? The doctor of God (Could also be an angel) reached out his hand and said, all you have to do is call on him, reach out and he will help you, so he reached out and the God doctor helped him up, and guided him to the operating room.
We stuck him on an operating table and pretended to operate. We cut him open and took out a black heart and replaced it with a " Heart of God " then proceeded to extract (Signs which we cut out and had been singed with a lighter to look really burnt and rotten) of hurt, abuse, negligence, lack of love, hate, anger, selfishness and all sorts of signs that you can pull out of his heart.
Then we put back in all the fruits of the spirit one by one. We then washed his brain and took out (Slime) and replaced it with a dose of " The word " - knowledge, wisdom & poured this into his brain. Followed by a hack sawing of his back pack which was his " Past luggage " which he carried. After the operation he became a renewed man - a man of God . The man jumped up off the table, smiling and happy !!! (And you can add your own bit in here if you like). And he was singing a song and jumping in the air clicking his heals!!
(Go with the currency over your neck of the woods :) )
Props: Dollar sets taken out and dropped on a loud metal tray in the
following order:
100 pennies,
20 nickels,
10 dimes,
4 quarters,
and a dollar
bill. Try to place each set in a different pocket.
Lesson: I have a dollar in my pocket and it has been rather difficult carrying it around.
Take the pennies out of your pocket and drop them slowly on the tray. Create as much sustained noise as possible. Try speaking over the noise.
They make a lot of noise and they are difficult to keep up with. Some of them actually get lost from time to time. They are a real burden to carry, too, because they are heavy.
Remove the pennies from the tray.
So I thought I would try to bring the dollar together, so I started carrying around these.
Take the nickels from your other pocket and drop them slowly on the tray.
The dollar has been a little easier to keep up with. Some of them still get lost, and they continue to make quite a bit of noise. They're still a bit of burden though.
Remove the nickels from the tray.
I thought it would be easier if the dollar could be carried around like this.
Start dropping the dimes. Drop a dime at a time.
They don't make as much noise, and I can keep up with them but occasionally I lose one. They aren't nearly as heavy though.
Remove the dimes from the tray.
Finally it occurred to me that this would be the best way to keep my dollar together.
Drop the quarters one at a time.
There's only four of them, and I rarely lose any. And even though these make
a big noise, it doesn't last very long. So, do you think this is the best way to
carry around a dollar? (response)
Why not? (you need a dollar bill)
But these four quarters are a dollar. (a paper dollar)
Application:
I want you to listen to a prayer that Jesus prayed. He said, "I
pray for all those who believe in me that they may be one." What did Jesus
mean by that? (response) You're right. There are so many Christians in the
world, and some of them live in America, some live in Africa, and some live
in Russia. There are Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic, and Orthodox
Christians. There are so many they are hard to keep up with and they
actually get lost from time to time. There are also a lot of Christians in
this church of ours. Sometimes they can be difficult to deal with because
they make a lot of noise and sometimes they're even a real burden.
Remove the quarters from the tray. You said I needed a dollar bill. Did you
mean like this? Drop the dollar bill on the tray. You're right. That is a
lot easier.
Let's Pray: I pray that these children will be one; that they will bring the church together; and that they will be a witness to this world. Amen.
Page last updated: 02 March 2008
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