Exegetical Aim: To teach the incarnation. Props: Fingers and Toes. Lesson: Good morning! Hey, do you know what's going to happen in a few days? (response) I will give you a hint: Happy New Year! Now do you know what will happen? (response) It will be a new year! What year will it be? (response) You know what that means; we're all getting a little older. How old are you now? (response) Let's see .....
Exegetical Aim: To teach the incarnation. Props: Fingers and congregation participation Lesson: Good morning! Hey, do you know what happened the other day? (response) If they don't know: What if I was to say Happy New Year! Now do you know what happened? (response) It's a new year! What year is it? (response) You know what that means; we're all getting a little older. How old are you now? (respons...
Exegetical Aim: To give an understanding of John's prologue and his understanding of Jesus' nature.
Props: Flash Cards: nine pieces of paper with the following words boldly written: WORD, GOD, LIFE, LIGHT, FLESH, GLORY, GRACE , TRUTH, ONE and ONLY. Distribute the words around the sanctuary for the children to find. You will need a good grasp of the sequence of the words and the basic development ...
Object: Fanfare and banners.
Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this first beautiful Sunday in the New Year? Isn't it wonderful to get started off in the right way by coming to worship? I think it is so right that I want to show you how we ought to do it. [If someone can play the trumpet, have him play some opening bars of a stirring fanfare. Perhaps the organist could use the trumpet s...
Object: A Christmas tree pin; any present of special significance to the speaker.
Lesson: Memories; God's presence; love; Christmas.
It is the first Sunday following Christmas. I begin by asking the children if they enjoyed this special holiday. Faces immediately light up with recent memories of this day which is approached with such eager anticipation by most children each December.
"Did any o...
Object: A lot of girl's clothing.
Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to kid the girls, and while we are doing it, we will hope to learn something great about the way that God cares for us.
Have you ever heard a girl say, "I don't have a thing to wear?" Girls say that all of the time. Your mother says it, your sister says it, your grandmother and aunt say it, and all of their girlfr...
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Children's Sermon · John 1:6-8, John 1:19-28, Acts 13:47
Object: Remove the batteries from an ordinary flashlight and then fill it with junk such as shoe-strings, paper clips and other trash. Carry the batteries in your pocket.
Good morning, boys and girls. The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the light of the world and that we are to bear witness to the light. Later in the Bible we are told that we are the light of the world. I brought this flash...
Object: Need at least a double socket and if possible a three-way outlet, then and electric light bulb, a toaster, or maybe an electric razor.**
Happy New Year, boys and girls! Did you all welcome the new year in the other day with shouting and whistle blowing? New Year’s is sure fun time, isn’t it? It’s also a time that makes you think and wish.
Have you ever wished for something even when you ...
Object: Your ordination papers
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a very special paper with me. This is the document that I received when I was ordained as a minister. It says on it . . . (Read the appropriate part.) This paper means that it is official. I am a minister. I enjoy being a minister. I believe this is where God wants me to be--serving as your minister. The other day, however, I ...
Object: A large Advent wreath with one lighted candle and a birthday cake candle.
Lesson: Advent candles help us remember that Jesus was born and grew up to be a man who showed us how to love one another.
Today we lighted one of the candles on this big Advent wreath. I like to watch a candle burn because of its soft light.
When do we burn a candle like this little one? Right. On birthdays. When...
Objects: Some light-bulb packages with the light bulbs.
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is a good day for us to continue to understand something about the person of John the Baptizer. We are only a short time away from the day when Jesus will be born again into our world as the Christmas child, but before then we need to get ready, and no one helps us more to get ready than John the Baptizer....
Object: photo illustration of mother and daughter.
Good morning, boys and girls. Let's look at a picture together this morning. (Show them the illustration.) What do you see in this picture? Do you think the little girl and the woman are good friends? How can you tell? That's right. They seem to be enjoying their time together. Do you suppose the woman is the little girl's mother? Yes, there are ...
Object: A box with a hole in one end and a blanket that will shut out the light attached to the other end.
Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to have a little fun and also learn something about Jesus. I brought a special box with me that I want to share with you. I want you to put your head in the box and shut out all of the light with the blanket. I want you to see how dark it is i...
Object: a basket with a selection of Christmas cards
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought some of my Christmas cards to show you today. I know most of you have Christmas cards that have come in the mail to your house. Some of you put them in a basket like these are. Or maybe you put them on a table standing up. Or maybe you tape them to a door. We usually save the cards because they have speci...
Object: None
Preparation: Sing or read the first verse of "Joy to the World."
Do you guys know what 'Joy' is? (Let them answer.) Have you ever worked really hard to accomplish a task? (bike riding, reading, math equations, etc.) Did you ever want to give up because it was so hard? How did you feel after you learned the task? Really, really happy? Joyful? That joy we feel is wonderful, isn’t it?
...
Object: A small pine tree
Lesson: Here it comes again: Christmas! No other time is quite like it. So much fun! So much to do! So much to look forward to! There are cards to be sent, gifts to be bought and wrapped, decorations to be put up. Many of us have favorite decorations - a wooden choir boy Daddy painted or a cloth hanging that Mother made. This morning I've brought a decoration all of us e...
Purpose: To understand why the date of Easter changes from year to year and to think about what that means for us.
Material: If available, a big picture of a full moon.
Lesson: Look at the people who are in church today. This must be a special day with so many people here. And so it is. This is Easter. Now, you may have noticed that Easter comes on a different day each year. That is because the ...
Purpose: It is not necessary to see God; but we can still experience God.
Materials: An electric fan and a paper straw.
Lesson: All of us have had many opportunities to see an electric fan in use. Because we have seen one in operation so often we may not have noticed the way the blades seem to disappear when they go around. (Turn on the fan.) We can see right through the fan because the blades a...
Purpose: To help children see that even little deeds of kindness are important.
Materials: A large piece of black cardboard or heavy paper and a sharp instrument like an ice pick, plus a floodlight.
Lesson: Behind this black paper is a light, but you cannot tell if the light is on or off, for none of the light is shining through. However, if I put a small hole in the paper, like this, you can se...
Purpose: To stress the importance of Bible reading.
Materials: A Bible with a black cover.
Lesson: Have you ever noticed that many Bibles have a black cover? I wonder why? It could be so that the dust of the room will not soil the cover since many people have the Bible set out on a table. I do not know the real reason behind the traditional black cover; but if you think about it for a moment, th...
Exegetical Aim: To teach servitude to Christ and adherence to his message.
Props: Items representing adult vocations--hammer, cowboy hat, stethoscope, stuffed animal, toy race car--and a bible.
Lesson: Good morning! (response) I want to show you a few things this morning and I want to ask you two questions. First question is this: What do you want to be when you grow up? Hold up the hammer. Do y...
Object: Cleaning supplies - dust cloth or mop, some "Pledge," "Comet" cleanser, etc.
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you got up early this morning? Did you get dressed as soon as your mother asked you to? Who was the first one to the table for breakfast? Did anybody forget to brush his teeth, or shine his shoes, or comb his hair? (Let a few of them answer each one of the questions) Boy,...
Object: a canvas shoe.
Boys and girls, I brought a shoe to church today. The shoestring is not tied, because nobody is wearing the shoe right now. How many of you already know how to tie your own shoes? (Let them answer.) I need to have a volunteer show us how it's done, using this canvas shoe. (Let a volunteer do it for you.)
Thank you. That was very well done! Once you know how to tie shoes it...
Sharing This Week's Gospel Theme At Sunday School
Teachers: Here is a simple project that will teach some of your students a practical, as well as spiritual, lesson. It will work best if you have a variety of age groups represented in your class - or coordinate several classes together on this one. First, read today's Gospel to your class. Make the connection between the sandle thong and their sh...
Object: Small packets of restaurant salt.
Boys and girls, it is only a few more days until we have a birthday party. The best birthday party in the whole world. Do you know who is going to have a tremendous birthday party this week? That's right, Jesus was born and made it Christmas Day. Pretty important day for all of us, isn't it? Can you imagine how many people in the world are going to rememb...See all 34 children's sermons for Gospel →
Exegetical Aim: To remind the children of the importance of constant prayer.
Props: None needed.
Lesson: Good morning. I want to teach you a game. It's called the prayer game. Here is how to play. I will say that it is time for something, and you will try to be the first to put your hands together like you are praying. Demonstrate by placing your hands together and hold them up in front of your ...
Object: a small chalkboard and chalk
Good morning, boys and girls. This morning we're going to pretend we are in school. Some of you are already in school, maybe in kindergarten or first grade. I brought something this morning that you might see in school. What is it? (Let them respond.) It's a chalkboard and some chalk. I brought it because I want to write some rules on the board for you to reme...
Object: A lot of mall and a wastebasket.
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is just eight days away from Christmas and that makes all of us feel good. How many of you are looking forward to Christmas? (Let them answer.) I am, too. But before we get to Christmas, there are a lot of things to do and this is a really good part of the season, too. I love to decorate the house and church, smell the f...
Object: some flash cards which say things like "Hard Worker"; "Wastes Times"; "Works Well With Others"; "Is a Troublemaker"; etc.
Boys and girls, if I asked your friends what sort of worker you are, what do you think they would say? Would they say you are a good worker, or somebody who is lazy and goofs off a lot? (Let some of them answer if they wish.) I brought some cards with me to church toda...
Object: Four candy bars, without the wrappers, cut into very small, bite-size pieces
Good morning, boys and girls. Did you ever see those television commercials where some person is asked to try out three or four different kinds of pop? (Let them respond.) Does the person know what kinds of pop he is drinking? (Let them respond.) No, he doesn't because the labels are all covered up. Of course, th...
Purpose: To help children to remember that part of being human means giving thanks.
Material: A batch of homemade cookies (or some other homemade treat) to share.
Lesson: Do any of you have a dog at home? ... Do you do anything special when you feed your dog? ... In our house, we have the dog do a trick, like sitting up, before she is fed. And you know what she does when we put the food down? Sh...
Object: A mirror Boys and girls, I was reading in the newspapers recently about Dr. Bill Sanders of the Aardvark, etc., Veterinary Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Sanders provides an unusual medical service for pets. He performs cosmetic surgery on them. That is, he is a plastic surgeon for pets. If you don't like the way your pet looks, you can take it to Dr. Sanders and he will try to improve you...
