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Choose from the following children's sermons:

• My God Will Take Care of Me,  Psalm 23
  Rev. Frank Schaefer   ( see below )
   

• Follow the Leader, John 10:11-18
  by Rev. Randy Quinn ( see below )
   

• Christians Serve Others ( please scroll down )
  a children's sermon seed reflecting 1 John 3:16-24
   

• Jesus--the Good Shepherd ( please scroll down )
  a children's sermon based on John 10:11-18 & Psalm 23

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My God Will Take Care of Me
a children's sermon based on Psalm 23
Rev. Frank Schaefer

no props needed

Share the basic concepts of Psalm 23 with the children, by segments:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters (23:1-2)

The writer of this Psalm says that God looks out for him;  God provides for his basic needs.  What are basic needs, do you think?  What does every person need every day?  (Food, drink, and rest) That's what the writer of Psalm 23 is saying, that God takes care of his basic needs.

Question: Do you think that God takes care of you too?  Do you think that God gives you what you need every day? 

Ok, I think, we can find out whether God loves you and cares for you like he did for the writer of Psalm 23 by asking this question: Was there ever a time when you went hungry and did not have anything to eat for more than a day?  No?  You see, God is looking out for you, because God loves you too, and God is taking care of you too.

Now listen to this:

23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.

Here the writer is saying that no matter what we go through in life--even if we go through something very sad, or painful, or terrible; he says: God will be walking with us.  Even through the dark valleys.  Has any of you ever been afraid in the dark, when you lie in bed perhaps and you hear some creaky noises?  Yes?

Well, according to Psalm 23, we don't have to be afraid--not even in the dark.  Because God is with us all the time, and especially when we're sad, or scared.  Just as God  makes sure we have enough to eat and drink, God will protect us when we need protection.

God will always take care of us, just like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.

Let's pray: "We give you  thanks, o God, for being our good Shepherd, for making sure we always have enough to eat and drink and thank you also for being with us and protecting us when we are sad or confused or scared.  Amen."

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Follow the Leader
a children's sermon based on John 10:11-18
by Rev. Randy Quinn

 

Have you ever played “follow the leader”? Of course you have. We all have.

How do you decide who the leader is? Do you take turns being the leader?

I remember playing a game where we had to guess who the leader was. I don’t remember what the game was called, but I remember how to play it:

Someone was sent out of the room while a leader was chosen. Then when the person came back in the room, they had to guess who was leading – while everyone else was doing whatever the leader was doing. Sometimes the leader was clapping hands or snapping fingers or patting their head or something else. Everyone did what the leader did, making it hard to figure out whom was leading.

Let’s try it. (I’ll send one of the older children out and choose an adult to be the leader in the congregation. Then we’ll see if we can fool the child. We may try it more than once, depending upon how well it goes.)

It isn’t as easy as it sounds, is it? It’s hard because everyone seems to be doing the same thing. (But it is easier if people don’t follow very well.)

Do you know who the leader is in our church? Some people think it’s me, but it isn’t me; and it isn’t one of our Lay Leaders either. The real leader is Jesus.

And I hope we are so good at following Jesus that when people come to our church they will know that we are all good followers.

Let’s pray:

God, thank you for being our leader. Help us all seek your will and do your will so that we are all doing what you would do. Amen.

 

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Christians Serve Others
a children's sermon seed on Christian service
Text: 1 John 3:16-24
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Props: a stole from your vestment or any other symbol of Christian service

Gather the children, and show them your stole (or other symbol), symbol of servanthood, that you're wearing.   You may tell them about how this stole (or symbol)   was presented to you on your day of ordination (or lay ministry / deacon's dedication) as a symbol for your charge to serve the people of God.  Tell the children about Christians as servants, people touched by God's grace and forgiveness called to serve God and others.

Name some examples of how you as a pastor (or lay minister) serve in your congregation.   Ask them what they feel they could do to serve God and others in church and beyond the church walls (affirm all their answers, don't forget that Jesus even lauds the giving of a glass of water to a child as an act of cherity).

Praise them for the acts of service they are already doing and encourage them to think of more ways to serve God and others.  Share from your own experience how service can be rewarding, how it can make you feel very good on the inside, etc.  Close with a prayer asking God to help us be better servants.
 

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Jesus--the good Shepherd
based on John 10:11-18 & Psalm 23
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

props: no special props needed.

Good morning boys and girls. Today, I didn't bring anything to show you because you can all help me with this children's sermon. I need you to pretend to be sheep.  Can you all go: baaaaaaa....?

Now that we know what sheep sound like, what else do we know about sheep? What do they do? What do they eat? Are they by themselves or in a group with other sheep? Who makes sure that all the sheep stay together? (the shepherd).

How does a Shepherd take care of his sheep?  Do they lead them to where green grass grows?  Do they lead them to fresh water?  Do they take care of them when they are sick?  Do they protect them from wild animals?  Do they go looking for a sheep that got lost?

Who is our Shepherd? That's right it's Jesus/God. And God has promised us to take care of us, to keep us going on the right path and to teach us what we need to know. He is the Good Shepherd.

In today's Bible reading Jesus says that he is like a devoted shepherd who loves his sheep so much that he lays down his life for them.  And, as we all know, Jesus actually did die for us.

That's how much Jesus loves us. That's how much he loves you and me.  What do you think, should we thank Jesus for loving us so much?

You may either close with a prayer of thanks and dedication or by inviting your children or congregation to sing "Jesus Loves Me" to reinforce the message of the Good Shepherd.