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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:

• Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve
  John 12:1-8, by Rev. Randy Quinn      (see below)

• We Can Bless Jesus Too, John 12:1-8,
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer   (see below)

• Water in the Desert,  Isaiah 43:16-21
   by Rev. Frank Schaefer   (see below)

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Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve
John 12:1-8
by Rev. Randy Quinn

Do you know what perfume is?  What do we use it for?  (It makes us smell nice.)  Do you know where people put it?  I mean, do they put it in their hair?  What about on their elbow?

We put it in places where a major blood vessel is near the surface of our skin so it will stay warm and will help the smell spread – like on our wrists and on our necks.

Does anyone know what this is?  (I have a scented candle.)

What do we do with scented candles?  (We light them and it makes the room smell nice – kinda like putting perfume on a room instead of a person.)

In the old days, when the people of Israel made animal sacrifices, the sanctuary could start smelling funny so they used incense to help make it smell better.  Incense is like a scented candle.

Did you know that in some churches they still use incense?  They want to remind God that they have come to make a sacrifice of their time and their treasures so they use incense

In our story today, a woman uses perfume that becomes like incense.  Instead of putting a little on herself, she pours out a whole bunch on Jesus’ feet and then wipes up the mess with her hair!  It was probably $25,000 worth of perfume that became incense and made the whole house smell good

She wanted Jesus to know that she was willing to give everything she had to make God happy.  It seemed like a waste to some of the people there, but to her it didn’t matter.  She was just trying to make God happy.

And that’s what we want to do, too, isn’t it?

Let’s pray

God, we don’t use incense in church, but we do offer ourselves.  We are here today to please you and to honor you.  Teach us how to serve others so we can make you happy in everything we do.  Amen.

 

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We Can Bless Jesus Too
a children's sermon based on John 12:1-8
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Good morning, my little friends, today's bible story is about a very special woman.  Her name was Mary.  She was not special because she is famous, or because she is anybody important in her community; she was one of Jesus' friends.  But what made her very special in our story is that she bought a gift for Jesus--she got  some very expensive and good smelling ointment for Jesus.

Have you ever given an expensive gift to someone?  Who die you give it to? Your mom or dad? Your brother or sister? Your grandma or grandpa?  Your friend?  Could you tell that they were happy about your gift?  Did they smile? Did they thank you?

What do you think, did Jesus like Mary's gift?  Yes, Jesus loved her gift--a lot.

Here is the thing: when some of the disciples saw what she had done, they said that she was wasteful.  They said that the ointment was too expensive and that she should have rather given the money to the poor.

But Jesus came to her defense.  He said that what she had done was a good ministry to him, because Jesus felt tired and his feet hurt from all the walking and ministering.  Jesus knew that the ointment was going to make him feel better.  Jesus blessed so many people, but this time Mary really blessed Jesus.

Do you think that we can bless Jesus too?  How do you think we can bless Jesus?  How about when we praise him?  Yes.  How about when we share with others about Jesus?  Yes.  How about when we tell him that we love him?  Yes.  How about when we give to the poor?  You bet.  How about when we give to the church?  Yes.  And when we give of our time to help in church?  Yes, all good answers! 

Isn't it amazing that we can bless God?  And do you think that Jesus will smile on us as we bless him and do things for him?  You bet!  So, let's keep in mind next time we do something for God that we are blessing God and that God smiles on us as we do so.

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Water in the Desert
a children's sermon based on Isaiah 43:16-21
 by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Props:  a plastic container filled with fresh top soil from your
            backyard, a glass of water.

Good morning, my little friends.  Today, I brought a few exciting things I would like to share with you.  First, I would like to read to you from the writings of the prophet Isaiah.  It is a promise that God gives us. Listen to this:

(Read the following extract from Isa 43): "For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert! The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and ostriches, too, for giving them water in the wilderness. Yes, I will make springs in the desert, so that my chosen people can be refreshed."

Have you ever been in a desert?  Or have you seen one in a movie or in a picture?  What does a desert look like?  That's right, it's dry and hot, not many things grow there.  And when you get stuck in a desert, what you will need the most is water.  That's the one thing that is very hard to find in a desert: water.   Without water you can only last a couple of days in a desert.

But here is the thing: did you know that if we could somehow bring a lot of water into the desert that it will actually turn into a paradise of plants and flowers?   And that's exactly what God promises to do.  God says that he will make rivers in the desert for the people of Israel.  Isn't that wonderful?

Just like the people of Israel we are God's people too. And God promises to turn the desert into a place where we can survive.  God is promising to turn all the deserts in our lives into good places--when we are poor and hungry, he will give us food; when we are sick, he will make us better and stronger again; when we are lonely, he will be by our side; when we are in trouble, he will help us get through it.

I would like to do a little experiment with you.  I got some soil from my backyard and put it into this container.  Do you see any life in this soil--any grasses or plants?  You're right, it's just dry dirt.  I also brought a glass of water and I would like to see whether it's true that water will cause dry soil (like the one found in deserts) to produce plant life.  Now, I promise that I didn't put any seeds into the dirt. But in every soil there are a multitude of seeds from trees, plants, and grasses.  And all they need is water to start growing. (Pour water into container with soil)  Do you think those hidden seeds will come to life with the help of the water?  Let's see what happens over the next two or three weeks as I keep watering the soil in my office.  I'll show you soon.

What do you think, should we give thanks to God for water? And for turning our deserts into places we can live? O.K. let's bow our heads and pray: "Dear God, we thank you for giving us water.  Thank you for refreshing us when we are tired, when we are sick, when we are worn out.  Thank you for promising to turn our deserts into places we can live in.  Please help us to be always thankful for everything you bless us with.  Amen. "