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Please choose from the following children's sermons:

• In the Bulb there is a Flower, Matthew 25:14-30
  posted by Janet in MD  (see below)
   
• What's Your Talent, Matthew 25:14-30
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer  (please scroll down)

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In the Bulb there is a Flower
Children's Sermon Seed based on Matthew 25:14-30
posted by Janet in MD
 

Here is a children's message for the parable of the talents. I originally posted this to the "Talks with Children" website, http://www.mccorkindale.dabsol.co.uk/talks/ which is a great resource for children's messages from all over the world.

You will need crocus bulbs: one single bulb and another bulb that has started to multiply Show the children the crocus bulb. Explain how crocuses grow. If you keep your crocus bulb safe and clean, it will never grow -- it will shrivel up and rot. Crocuses can only grow if you plant the bulb in the dirt. And then, not only do they flower, but they multiply. Each year they spend in the soil, they multiply even more. Our faith is like the crocus bulb. If we want to believe in God, but never put our faith into action in the world (in the dirty world!), our faith will shrivel and die. But when we trust in God and put our faith into action, it grows and multiplies, and turns into something beautiful for God.

Give out crocus bulbs at the end of the message and encourage the children to plant them this week. Next spring, they will have flowers and more bulbs. I was surprised how many of our kids reminded me about the bulbs the following spring!

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What's Your Talent?
a children's sermon based on Matthew 25:14-30
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
props: a bag full of items that stand for different talents and skills, such as a musical instrument (harmonica, kazoo), a hammer, a calculator, a paintbrush, etc.

Greetings, my little friends, today I want to talk about talents--especially about what talents you may have.  I brought a bag full of things that all have something to do with different talents God gave to different people.

After every item is identified with a talent, ask: "who of you is good with a _____?"

Take out one individual item after another and ask the kids what talent this item represents:
harmonica/kazoo = musical
hammer = practical skills
calculator = smart with math/accounting
paintbrush = artistic skills

Now, all of these talents God gave us so we can make a difference in the world, to make the world a better and more beautiful place.  And with the talent God gave each of us we can make a life for ourselves--earn money and pay our bills.

Do you think any of these talents we talked about are useful in the church?

You bet (Explain how we need musical people, people who keep the church nice and in good repair, people who are good with art, renovation; etc.)!

In our bible lesson, Jesus tells a story of a master who gives different talents to different people and then he went away.  When the master came back after a long time, he asked every single one of them: "what did you do with the talent I gave you."  And he was excited about what they did.  Except there was one man who didn't use his talent at all, and the master was really upset with him.

The moral of the story is that God wants us to use the talent or talents he gave us.  And there is nothing more exciting if we can use out talents and share it with others.

Prayer: "Dear God, thank you for giving all of us talents--some of us know our talents already, and some will soon find out.  Remind us that you have given us talents so that we can share them and use them to make this world a better place and to your glorification.  Amen