Category Archives: Matthew

Christ the King A

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Day: Christ the King Sunday

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 25:31-46

Scripture Focus: Matthew 25:32-33

Object: Team logo signs

Preparation: You will need to print out both team logo signs. If you are United Methodist, you may want to choose the sheep logo with the cross and flame. Click Here for Team Logos

This morning I want to tell you about two teams and then you get to pick which team you want to join. The teams are called the Sheep and the Goats (reveal the team logos).

The Goats go to church and say they follow Jesus. But they don’t like to help people who are hungry, and they don’t give clothes to people who need them, and they never visit people who are sick because germs are gross!

The Sheep also go to church and believe in Jesus. They love to help other people. They feed people who are hungry. They give clothes to people who have none. And they visit people who are sick because they want to comfort them. God is very pleased with the Sheep.

Now that you know about the two teams, I want you to stand up and pick the team you want to be one: The Goats who say they follow Jesus but don’t like others. Or the Sheep Team who believe in Jesus and love others. (Let the kids pick and if they seem confused, help guide them to the Sheep Team.)

I’m so pleased you picked the Sheep Team! That is the team Jesus loves! As members of this team we need to remember to love other people by helping them in any way that we can because that’s exactly what Jesus wants us to do.

Let’s pray: Thank you God for sending Jesus to teach us to love other people and to reach out to them and care for them so that we don’t just say we believe in Jesus but we really live it. Amen.

Pentecost 20A

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Day: Pentecost 20

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 23:1-12

Scripture Focus: Matthew 23:3

Object: Cowboy hat or costume (the more you look the part, the better!)

Good morning everybody! Today’s Bible story talks about an important idea when it comes to following Jesus. In fact it’s a warning. A warning against hypocrites. A hypocrite is a person who acts like one thing on the outside, but are totally different on the inside. It would kind of like putting on this cowboy hat and declaring that I’m a cowboy. I may look like a cowboy on the outside, but do you think wearing this hat really makes me a cowboy? No, of course not. It’s just acting. (Add more examples, like a firemen hat or princess tiara, as you have time) And acting can be a lot of fun. The problem is when you want others to really believe you are a cowboy or a princess or whatever else when you’re not. That’s being a hypocrite.

Jesus warns his friends not to be hypocrites. Jesus wants us to really love God and God’s ways from the inside out. Jesus doesn’t just want us to act like we love God; that’s no better than putting on a cowboy hat and saying you’re a cowboy. Jesus doesn’t want hypocrites, Jesus needs real friends! Friends who love God and God’s ways from the inside out.

Let’s pray: God, help us to be real friends with Jesus from the inside out. Amen.

Pentecost 19A

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Day: Pentecost 19

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 22:34-46

Scripture Focus: Matthew 22:36-39

Object: None

Hello everyone! In our Bible story for today some folks asked Jesus a very important question. They wanted to know what the most important rule was. And Jesus answered: “To love God with your whole heart, soul, and mind.” Then he said that the second was to love others as yourself. Since those two rules are the most important for us to remember and live by everyday, I thought we should learn a little song. It’s to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” Let me sing it once through for us:

I love God, I love God

Heart, Soul, Mind; Heart, Soul, Mind

Show by loving others, show by loving others

I love God, I love God

Now, let’s learn it together, line by line. I’ll say a line and you repeat it…. (say each line slowly and then lead the children in repeating it). Great! We’ve got the words, now let’s sing it together…. (sing the song together).

Let’s pray: Thank you God for sending us Jesus to teach us the two greatest rules to follow: to love you and love others. Help us remember to live by those rules everyday. Amen.

 

Pentecost 13A

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Day: Pentecost 13

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 18:21-35

Scripture Focus: Matthew 18:32-35

Object: Dry Erase/Black Board and Eraser

Note: You can modify this sermon to work without the object because kids will be very familiar with a board and eraser from school.

Hey everybody. I bet you’ve all seen one of these at school (show your board). I love my little dry erase board because people can leave me messages (write something on the board) when I’m out of the office and after I’ve seen them, all I have to do is go zooop (erase the message) and it is gone. It’s like it was never there!

And that reminds me of an important lesson from the Bible. Our story today is all about forgiveness. Forgiveness is when someone says they are sorry for doing something wrong to us and we accept their sorry. That can be a really hard thing to do. But it is easier to do when we remember that God has forgiven us. We’ve done some bad stuff and God has forgiven us and wiped the board clean — just like with a big old eraser! So, we have to do the same with others who might hurt us.

Let’s pray: God help us to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Amen.

Special Study: Remembering 9/11

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As the tenth anniversary of September 11 draws near, we should remind ourselves that we are walking this journey with children who do not remember that day. Because I wanted to help others talk with children about September 11, I have written a special study, “Tough Topics 4 Kids: Remembering 9/11.” This study is free to use and may serve well as a special program or Sunday School lesson or with families at home.

Click Here to open “Tough Topics 4 Kids: Remembering September 11″

Pentecost 10A

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Day: Pentecost 10

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 16:13-20

Scripture Focus: Matthew 16:15-17

Object: None

Good morning! Today’s Bible story is about something really important. In fact, it’s probably one of the most important passages in the whole New Testament because it tells us exactly who Jesus really is. Are you ready to find out?!

Okay, first we learn that Jesus is the Messiah. Can you say that word with me? Messiah. Great job! Jesus is the Messiah means Jesus is the one who comes to save us from all the bad stuff we’ve done. And that’s really good news!

The second thing we learn is that Jesus is the Son of God. Whoa! Jesus is the Son of God. That means Jesus isn’t just a regular guy like you and me. He is special and one of a kind. He is God’s only Son. And God sent Jesus so that Jesus could help you and me.

So whenever someone asks us who is Jesus, we can tell them two things, let’s count on our fingers as we say them together: One, Jesus is the Messiah and Two, Jesus is the Son of God. Awesome job!

Let’s pray: Thank you God for sending your Son to save us. Help us remember to share with others that he is the Messiah. Amen.

 

Pentecost 8A

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Day: Pentecost 8

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 14:22-33

Scripture Focus: Matthew 14:28-31

Object: This is an opportunity to share a talent you have with the children, like playing a musical instrument, card tricks, or knitting. It can be anything you learned over time and through practice.

Preparation: Gather together the materials you will need to briefly share your talent with the children.

Good morning everyone! You know I love to learn all kinds of new tricks and this morning I want to show you one of my all time favorite paper cutting tricks. As I’m cutting, I’ll confess to you that the first time I tried this trick it didn’t work at all! In fact, the whole thing fell apart in a heap of paper. But, I kept practicing and eventually I learned all the right cuts to make and voila! I can make a pretty cool paper ship wheel now.

All kinds of things take practice. I bet a lot of you play sports or take music lessons and you have to practice to get better at those things. A lot of the best things in life take practice. We have to work at learning how to do them well.

And that reminds me of our Bible story. It takes place during a scary storm. The disciples were in a boat in the middle of the sea when a huge and nasty storm was blowing all around them. Suddenly, they saw Jesus walking toward them — on the water! Jesus was walking ON THE WATER! Peter wanted to go to Jesus, so he got of the boat and started to walk on the water, too. It was an amazing moment. But then Peter got scared and instead of walking on the water, he started to sink. You see, Peter had to trust Jesus 100% to walk on water and that’s a really hard thing to do especially in the middle of a really, really scary storm. Jesus knew it was a hard thing for Peter to do and that’s why he didn’t get mad at Peter. Instead, Jesus reached out and caught Peter before he sunk deep into the water.

I want us to remember that Jesus wants us to trust him 100% and sometimes that can be hard and we get scared. But you can always count on Jesus to be there to catch you no matter what, just like he did for Peter. Because Jesus knows that learning to trust takes practice and time.

Let’s pray: Thank you God for your Son Jesus. Help us to practice trusting him every day so that day by day we can grow closer and closer to him. Amen.

_______________________

Alternative Idea (For the brave and crafty!)

Scripture Focus: Matthew 14:24-27

Object: Paper ship wheel

Preparation: You will need a large piece paper and scissors for this lesson. Start with a large square remembering that the larger the square the bigger the ship wheel will turn out. Then, follow the diagramed instructions to create your ship wheel. Click Here for Diagram Instructions

TIP: During the children’s sermon, don’t try to fold the paper while you’re talking with the kids. Instead, have the paper folds done in advance and just make the cuts to create the ship’s wheel. 

(Begin cutting the paper ship wheel) Sometimes I get really scared when it’s storming outside. When the lightening hits and I hear thunder, I want to run and hide. I really don’t like storms.

In the Bible we learn about a really big storm that hits right when the disciples are in a boat. I bet the wind was blowing really hard and the waves were crashing into the boat. It was probably really scary!

But then, they see Jesus walking out to them. He was walking on the water! And Jesus tells them not to be afraid.

And you know, we don’t have to be scared during storms either. Because Jesus is right there with us. Jesus is in control (begin to unfold the ship wheel). Jesus will guide us through the storm just like a captain guides a ship through the water (move the ship wheel back and forth like you’re steering).

So next time it storms, remember that Jesus is right there with you. And he’ll make sure you make it to the other side. Because Jesus is always in control just like a ship captain.

Let’s pray: Thank you God for always being with us, especially when it is storming and we may be scared. Help us remember not be afraid because you’re in control just like the captain of a ship. Amen.



Pentecost 7A

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Day: Pentecost 7

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 14:13-21

Scripture Focus: Matthew 14:16-21

Object: None

Good morning everyone! Our Bible story for today is amazing. It tells about one of Jesus’ miracles. A miracle is a wonderful event that shows us the power of God. We can’t explain how miracles happen, but when they do, we know God’s been at work!

Well, one day, Jesus ran into a huge crowd of hungry people. They were starving! They hadn’t eaten anything in days. Instead of sending them away, Jesus decided to feed them. Because he didn’t want them to be hungry anymore.

Do you think he game them pizza and coke? No! What about hot dogs and punch? No! I know! He gave them bread and fish! And the miracle happens when Jesus takes only five loaves of bread and two fish and feeds the whole crowd — way more people than are here this morning! We don’t know how he did it; that’s what makes it a miracle.

And guess who helped him out? His friends! Jesus’ disciples helped pass the bread and fish out to everyone who was there waiting and when the meal was over they picked up the leftovers. That’s important for us to remember because we can all be Jesus’ helpers. We can help Jesus feed others even today when we … (suggest ways that kids can get involved in a ministry at your church or in your community that feeds the hungry; if you don’t have one, then think about starting one as part of the children’s moment once a month).

Let’s pray: God, thanks for giving us Jesus and asking us to be his helpers. We want to remember that others don’t have as much food as we do and that we can help feed them. Amen.

Palm Sunday A

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Day: Palm Sunday

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 21:1-11

Scripture Focus: Matthew 21:9

Object: None

Preparation: This sermon uses a popular sports tradition in Arkansas known as “Calling the Hogs” in support of the University of Arkansas football team, the Razorbacks. If your area has a similar tradition, go ahead and change out the Hog Call for your tradition. Otherwise, teach your children a little something extra this Sunday about the state of Arkansas!

Well, you guys know that I’m not from around here. When I first moved to Arkansas I heard all these people talking about “Calling the Hogs”. I didn’t have any idea what they were talking about, but I kept picturing a bunch of pigs running down the driveway while an old farmer yelled. Eventually I learned that “Calling the Hogs” is something Razorback fans do at games when they get excited. I wanted to make sure I knew how this “Hog Call” thing worked so I asked around. According to my sources, a proper Hog Call has three “calls” and you slowly raise you arms from your knees to above your head during the “Woo.” The “Woo” should last about 8 seconds. When the “Woo” is done, both arms are brought down to the side to yell “Pig” and finally the right arm is extended up and out with the “Sooie.” You do that three times. And at the end you yell “Razorbacks!” You want to try?

Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie!

Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie!

Woooooooo. Pig. Sooie!

Razorbacks!

That was fun! I bet it’s a lot of fun at games when a whole crowd is yelling in excitement. And that reminds me of our Bible story. It’s about another crowd yelling something kind of strange when they got excited. They were yelling “Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.” That isn’t something you hear every day! The word “Hosanna” means “Savior” and the crowd was shouting it to… can you guess?… that’s right, Jesus! Because Jesus is the Savior! They were so excited to see him that day because they knew he was the one God sent to save them. And they had their very own special chant to yell over and over again as Jesus road through the city.

Let’s pray: God, we give you thanks for sending Jesus who is our Savior, who is Hosanna! Help us always greet with excitement! Amen.

Epiphany 8A

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Day: Epiphany 8

Lectionary Passage: Matthew 6:24-34

Scripture Focus: Matthew 6:30-33

Object: None

Note: This sermon draws attention to how children dress for church. Be sure to compliment every style and be positive and reassuring that any kind of clothing is acceptable to God.

Good morning everyone! My oh my, doesn’t everyone look very nice today! I love to see all the pretty dresses and the sharp looking sweaters, and don’t you look stylin’ in your jeans, and I bet you are nice and comfy in your sneakers — not like me in this silly dress shoes. As much as I love that all of you look so nice, you know what? It wouldn’t bother me one bit if you came to church in clothes that weren’t so nice. You see, we’ve got this idea in our heads that you’ve got to wear certain clothes to church, but that’s not true at all!

Our Bible story for today tells us that we don’t have to worry about clothes at all! God doesn’t care what clothes we wear and neither should we. It doesn’t matter if we have fancy dresses or expensive jeans or the most fashionable stuff. Clothes aren’t important. What’s important is God. Especially when it comes to church! We shouldn’t worry about clothes especially if it gets in the way of coming to church and learning more about God. God and the things Jesus teaches us are way more important than clothes.

Let’s pray: God help us remember that it doesn’t matter how we dress just that we show up to church to learn more about you. Amen.