Lent 5B

Posted on March 21, 2012 by DDitmer

Day: Lent 5B

Lectionary Passage: Psalm 51:1-12

Scripture Focus: Psalm 51:1-2

Object: Laundry stain remover

Good morning everyone! I bet all of us have gotten a stain on a shirt or pants before and needed to use some of this stain remover to get it out. It’s great that we have things like this to help us get clothes clean, even from really bad stains!

Our lesson for today talks about getting clean. We think King David wrote this psalm after he had done something very wrong. He was sorry for what he did, and he asked God to forgive him and make him clean again.

He wasn’t talking about dirty laundry. He didn’t need laundry stain remover. He needed forgiveness from God. Forgiveness is a little like stain remover. When we sin, we have a stain on our lives. And just like we need something to remove a stain from a shirt, we need forgiveness to remove the stain of sin from our lives. All we have to do is admit that we’ve done something wrong. Then, God forgives us and makes us clean inside. Forgiveness is powerful stuff!

Let’s pray: Thank you God for the power of forgiveness. Amen.

Epiphany 4B

Posted on January 23, 2012 by DDitmer

Day: Epiphany 4B

Lectionary Passage: Psalm 111

Scripture Focus: Psalm 111

Object: None

Note: This sermon uses the Doxology. If your congregation does not use this in worship, then choose another praise song that is familiar to the children. During the sermon, kids will lead the congregation in singing the song. If possible, coordinate beforehand with your music director to help with this portion of the children’s sermon.

Good morning! I’m so glad each of you are here for worship. You know, one of the most important things we do in worship is praise God. In the Bible, the book of Psalms talks a lot about praising God and that’s where our story comes from today. Well, actually it’s not a story so much as a song. It’s a song about praising God for all the amazing things God does every day for us and for the whole world.

You may not know this Psalm by heart yet but we all know a praise song because we sing it every single Sunday. It’s called the Doxology! We usually sing it after the offering because we want to praise God for all the ways God provides for us as we give a little bit back. Let’s all stand up and sing the Doxology together (this is the cue to the music director; lead the singing)

That was awesome! Thank you for leading the singing. I hope you will remember to praise God in worship and all the time. If you are thankful to God for something, like a beautiful day or a meal or anything, then you can sing the Doxology to praise God just like the book of Psalms teaches us.

Let’s pray: Thank you God for all the many ways you have blessed us. Help us to be thankful always and to give praise to you for your wonder and care. Amen.

Epiphany 2B

Posted on January 9, 2012 by DDitmer

Day: Epiphany 2B

Lectionary Passage: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Scripture Focus: Psalm 139:13-14

Object: Something handmade, like a piece of woodwork or a quilt

Note: Whatever object you choose, be sure to explore all the ways that it was wonderfully and creatively made and put together.

Good morning boys and girls! This morning I brought with me a quilt that my grandmother made. Do you see each of these pieces (point to each individual square and triangle of fabric)? She cut each and every piece of fabric out of much larger pieces and then she carefully laid everything out so that each piece was in just the right place. Then she put all the pieces together so that one whole quilt was created. I think it is one of the most beautiful and wonderfully handmade things in the world!

Imagine if a person could make this beautiful quilt, how wonderfully made you are inside and out because you’re made by God! That’s exactly what our Bible story is about. It says we are all wonderfully made by God. God made all the inner parts of our body and then knit them all together before we were born. So each and every part of us, and you just have to look around to see that we’re all different, was wonderfully made by God!

I hope you remember this always because it’s powerful stuff! If you are ever faced with a bully who tries to poke fun at you for some reason, please stand up and say, “I’m wonderfully made by God!” If you ever feel bad about yourself, say to yourself in the mirror, “I’m wonderfully made by God!” Let’s practice together, say after me, “I’m wonderfully made by God!” (let the children repeat, encourage them to say it louder)

Let’s pray: Thank you God for wonderfully making each of us. Help us always remember this each and every day. Amen.

Pentecost 15A

Posted on September 19, 2011 by DDitmer

Day: Pentecost 15

Lectionary Passage: Psalm 78:1-4 12-16

Scripture Focus: Psalm 78:1-4

Object: A storybook (This is a great opportunity for you to share a little about yourself by telling the kids about your favorite childhood storybook or a story that you read with your (grand)children.)

This morning I’ve brought with me my very favorite story! It’s the Chronicles of Narnia. I bet some of you know this story, too. Maybe you’ve seen the new movies. But let me tell you, the book is way better. I love it so much that I read it over and over and over. And, I’ve started to read it to Caleb even though he is only a baby. I want to start reading it to him early because I want him to grow up knowing the characters and the story as well as I do so that we talk about it! I hope it will be one of our special things.

And that reminds me of our Bible lesson. It tells us about sharing the stories of the Bible. You know, there is a lot of good stuff in the Bible! There are stories like Noah and the Ark, Adam and Eve, Jesus Feeding the 5,000, David and Goliath, and so many more that I can’t even name them all! But they all tell about the wonderful deeds of God. And when we read them and learn about them and share them with each other, we grow closer to God. That’s why every Sunday we read from the Bible and learn just a little more about what it says. And, I hope each day you are reading your Bible at home on your own or with help from your parents or an older brother or sister.

There are some really amazing stories in the Bible and the only way you’re going to discover them is if you open up the book and read!

Let’s pray: Thank you God for giving us the Bible so that no matter where we are we can read about the amazing things you have done. Amen.

Pentecost 11A

Posted on August 22, 2011 by DDitmer

Day: Pentecost 11

Lectionary Passage: Psalm 105:1-6 23-26 45c

Scripture Focus: Psalm 105:2

Object: None

I bet you’ve noticed that in worship we do a lot of singing. Every Sunday we sing songs together. Have you ever wondered why we do that? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Do you want to know? Okay, I’ll tell you. We sing songs in church because the Bible tells us to!

It says that we should sing praises to God and tell of all God’s wonderful works. So, whenever we get together for worship, we sing songs about God to God. And, you know what? No matter what, we can all sing to God. Even if you’re not the best singer, God made your voice and wants to hear it! So, remember to sing songs to God and sing them loudly!!

Let’s pray: God thank you for giving each of us a special voice to sing praises to you. Help us to sing loudly in church because we are singing to you. Amen.

Pentecost 9A

Posted on August 8, 2011 by DDitmer

Day: Pentecost 9

Lectionary Passage: Psalm 133

Scripture Focus: Psalm 133:1-2

Object: Olive Oil and a bowl

Welcome everyone. This morning I’ve got some olive oil with me. I keep this in my kitchen to cook with, but there is another very special use for oil that our Bible story talks about. Our story comes from the Old Testament. That’s the part of the Bible that comes before Jesus was born. So the stories happened a long, long time ago. But they are all still very important for us to learn. And our story for today mentions a special thing that people used to do with oil.

In those days, when a person was picked by God to be a priest, oil was poured over their head (pour some of the oil into the bowl to show the kids). That may seem like a pretty strange thing to do, but it was a special way to show that person was chosen by God to lead and teach others all about God’s ways.

Pouring oil over someone’s head who was chosen to lead others is called “anointing.” Can you say that word with me? Anointing. Very good! It’s a big word for a big deal celebration of one of God’s chosen leaders. And I hope next time you see someone cooking with olive oil that you’ll remember anointing.

Let’s pray: Thank you God for anointing people to lead us in learning more about you way back then in Old Testament times and especially today. Amen.

Ascension Sunday A

Posted on May 30, 2011 by DDitmer

Day: Ascension Sunday

Lectionary Passage: Psalm 47

Scripture Focus: Psalm 47:1-2

Object: None

How many of you know the song “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands…?” Well, our Bible story talks about clapping our hands because God is so wonderful. And when I read that I couldn’t help but think of that song. Only, I want to change up the words a little. Let’s sing it like this: