Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1701 to 1725 of 4943 results

1701. The Storms Of Life

Mark 4:35-41

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

... started to blow. Start the fan on the low setting. It should be set up to oscillate across all the children. And then it started to rain. Shoot several streams of water upward so that water rains down. Try to cause it to fall on all the kids as you continue with the story. They weren’t too worried but then the wind picked up fan at medium setting and the boat started to rock back and forth. Rock back and forth and tell the kids to join you. Start rocking the boat! (children rock in rhythm with you) Then ...

1702. Cats, And Mice, And Mercy

Matthew 5:7

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... thing for this cat to do?" I ask. "Let the mouse go!" the children answer.1 "Have you ever seen a cat do that?" I continue. This elicits laughter (and not just from the children) as the children give me a vehement, "No!" "You don't expect a cat to let ... love you.' If you can let go of your anger and tell her that, you will be showing mercy. "You know, that's how God is," I continue to the group as a whole. "When we mess up, when we do something that's wrong, God is merciful; God is forgiving. God is like that ...

1703. Inextinguisable Light

Matthew 5:10

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.'3 What happens when you put a light in the dark?" I ask. "You see the light," several children answer. "So, which is stronger, the light or the dark?" "The light!" comes their unanimous response. "Well," I continue, "that suggests to me that if hatred and meanness are darknesses, they can be overcome by the light of Jesus." To illustrate this idea of light being stronger than darkness, I ask one of the children to blow out the birthday candle. She does -- but ...

1704. Forgiveness

Matthew 6:12

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... not a good feeling to need to be forgiven for something. And it's even more difficult to go to the person from whom you need the forgiveness and to ask him for it, isn't it?" "Yeah, that's REALLY hard," one child agrees. "Well, what about anger?" I continue. "Have any of you ever been angry with someone?" This time there are no smart replies as the children acknowledge their past angers. "You know, sometimes it's just as difficult to let go of our anger with another person as it is to have to go ask someone ...

1705. Helping Hands

Matthew 14:16

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... help them out.' "'How can we?' the disciples asked him. 'There are thousands of people here and we only have five loaves of bread and two fish.' "Do you know what Jesus did then?" I ask the children. My question is greeted by silent, expectant stares, so I continue. "Jesus said for the disciples to bring him the loaves and the fish. And then he gave some to each of the disciples and said for them to distribute it among the crowd. And you know, there was enough for everyone there. In fact, after everyone had ...

1706. In Praise Of God

Psalm 95:1-11

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... When someone sings well, or plays well, or speaks well, sometimes we clap to show our appreciation -- even in church. "Do any of you ever whistle?" I ask. Some of the children indicate they do, but none of them purse their lips to perform. I realize they continue to suffer the effects of the almost ingrained instructions to "sit STILL and shut up!" So, I whistle a few bars of "Jesus Loves Me" and indicate they can try whistling too, right now, right here in church, if they want to. And, much to my delight ...

1707. Light

John 12:35

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... of the night when you were camping?" Again there are several nods. "Well, wasn't it dark?" I ask. "How did you see?" "I had a flashlight!" "Used a flashlight!" "Turned on the flashlight!" The operative word here is definitely "flashlight." "Well, there it is again," I continue, "the need for light. It's pretty hard for us to see in the dark or to take pictures in the dark isn't it?" The children agree. "You know, Jesus had many names for himself. He called himself 'the bread of the world,' he called himself ...

1708. Let Me See Your Shoes!

John 13:4

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... nod affirmatively. "Did you know it has books in it not just for adults, but also for children?" A couple of children smile now as they nod, obviously remembering books they have read or have had read to them from the church's library. "Well," I continue, "last Sunday our librarian had a book display in the hall outside the library. I saw a book there that I've thought about for a whole week. It's called Most Ministers Wear Sneakers."1 The children giggle (along with many adults). "Why would a minister ...

1709. Christmas Presence

John 1:1

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... lived long enough with their new things to really own them. "As I was thinking about this first Sunday after Christmas," I continue, "it occurred to me that you might want to talk about presents. I started thinking back through the Christmases I have known ... so much more than just a pin that day." By this time the children are passing the pin around for a closer look as I continue to speak. Some of them look puzzled, wondering what else my father might have given me. "You see, the day my dad pinned this little ...

1710. A Tale Of Two Trees

1 Corinthians 13:13

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... In fact, this evergreen grew up right next to a dogwood tree. "The first time the evergreen noticed the dogwood was in the spring. What happens to dogwood trees in the springtime?" I ask the children. They think for a moment. "Remember," I continue, "it's springtime ..." "They have flowers!" several children answer. "Yes; they have flowers. And so did this dogwood tree that was growing next to the evergreen. Well, the evergreen tree looked at how beautiful the dogwood was and caught its breath. 'Oh!' gasped ...

1711. Risking It All

Mark 5:25-29

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... try to get close enough to Jesus at least to touch his robe. Why, if anyone realized who she was and what she was doing she might have been killed! She was taking a really big risk! "But the risk was worth it, because for her life wasn't worth continuing the way it was. So, she went out to the countryside where Jesus was walking down the road in the middle of all these people. And she managed finally to get close enough just to touch the hem of his robe. Instantly, she felt his power flow through her, and ...

1712. Getting Ready

Luke 3:4-5

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... to sweep, using the broom I have brought for this purpose. As the children arrive, I move to one side so they can take their places on the steps. "What was I doing as you walked up here?" I begin. "Sweeping," they answer. "Why was I doing that?" I continue. "To get the floors clean," comes their response. "That's right," I affirm. "I was sweeping away some of the straw that has fallen out of the manger, so you wouldn't have to sit on it. I was preparing the steps for your coming." Then, changing my line ...

1713. Letting Go

Ephesians 4:26b, 31-32

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... ." "Yeah," Alan agrees. "The rubber band breaks!" Lucy winces noticeably with this pronouncement. "In some ways," I continue, "our lives are like this rubber band. Many situations and relationships tug us in many different directions. Tension ... ask another question. "What happens when the sun goes down?" "It gets dark," the children tell me. "And what do you do when it gets dark?" I continue. "Go to bed," many of them answer. "So, when Saint Paul says, 'Don't let the sun go down on your anger,' he's saying if ...

1714. Grapes And Donuts

John 6:1-15

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... Yes, we eat for all of those reasons. We eat because our bodies need food to create bone and muscle, and to give us energy. When we don't eat, we get hungry. That's our body's way of telling us it's time to eat. "So," I continue, "have you been enjoying summer?" This brings affirmative nods but no vocal responses; I seem to have an unusually quiet mix of children this morning."How many of you have been separated from good friends this summer because you or they have gone away on vacation?" Numerous hands go ...

1715. Don't Lose Your Marbles!

2 Timothy 1:7

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... . I want every one of you to take a marble." At this suggestion, there is a noticeable intake of breath from some of the adults in the sanctuary. "Now, this is VERY important ..." I stop speaking until I have made eye contact with every child present. Then I continue: "I want you to have enough self-control that you don't play with your marbles until AFTER church -- and whatever you do, don't drop them during the rest of our worship service. If you think you might have trouble, you can ask your mom or dad ...

1716. Alone

Matthew 28:19-20

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... a dictionary?" "Words!" many of the children reply in concert. "Yes, WORDS!" I agree, with emphasis on words. "I love words," I continue. "I was thinking about a particular word this week, the word 'alone.' Have any of you ever been alone?" The hand of ... , as they think back to times when they have been alone. "I think most of us have been alone at some time or another," I continue. "Well, the neat thing about a dictionary is that when you look up a word, sometimes it tells you other words which that word is ...

1717. God Was A Child Too

Luke 2:41-52

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... listener when someone else is talking." I stop reading and ask the children, "Do any of you ever have that problem?" My question elicits their grins; after all, who hasn't been caught talking in class at one time or another? "Well, the point of this discussion," I continue, "is that, believe it or not, your parents were children once. Now, because your parents used to be children, they used to be in school, and they had problems from time to time just like you do. That's why most of the time when you have ...

1718. Spare Change

Exodus 20:1-21

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... know there is a soda machine downstairs?" I begin. Every one of the assembled children raises a hand. "Oh, good!" I continue. "Since all of you know the church has a soda machine, you probably also all know how much a soda costs." " ... costs fifty cents, how much change do you think I got back?" "Fifty cents!" they answer again. "Well, that's what I expected to get back," I continue. "But, in addition to two quarters, I also got a nickel! I got fifty-FIVE cents in change." I hold up the two quarters and the ...

1719. When Hope Is Gone

Luke 7:11-17

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... the tarantula, do any of you know of any other spiders that are black?" After a moment of silence, it becomes obvious that I have exhausted their repertoire of spider types. "Have any of you ever heard of a black widow spider?" I question. "Oh, yeah!" says Joe. "Well," I continue, "since this is just a toy spider, I can have it be whatever type of spider I want it to be. And I thought of the black widow because I wanted to ask you why it's called a widow. Does anyone know what a widow is?" Just when I ...

1720. A Feast Of Love

Psalm 23:1-6

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... go of their anger with each other," Matt answers. "Otherwise, they'd go away without any love," he continues. And once again I am blessed by the wisdom of a young theologian. "That's right, Matt. In order to receive love," I suggest as I pick up the heart, "and ... in order to give love," I continue as I hand the heart to the child beside me, indicating she should pass it on around, "we have to open our fists; we have ...

1721. Where Does God Live?

Acts 17:24-28

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... , "Indeed God does live there, Ricky. And here ... and here ... and here ..." Each time I say "here," I point to a different spot on the map. "And if God lives every place in the world, does God need a passport?" "No!" the children answer together. "No," I continue, "God doesn't need a passport. People do, because of all the rules, laws, borders, and barriers we have set up. But God doesn't. In fact, God sent Jesus to us to break down all the barriers we put between ourselves and other people because God ...

1722. What's Inside

1 Corinthians 1:28-31

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... I bet you don't," John immediately responds in a sing-song voice, echoing his statement with a mocking, "Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh-nyeh, nyeh!" "Ooooh, thank you, John," I compliment, refusing to be drawn into whatever has caused such sourpuss behavior. My thanks bring a glance of surprise as I continue: "You've not only got something to brag about, you've given us an example of your bragging! You're boasting that you have a cat and you bet I don't -- and even if I do, it can't be as good as your cat, right?" This ...

1723. Third Sunday of Easter

Luke 24:36b-48

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... has kept the promise to clothe the church with the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, as a disciple of Christ and a member of his church, I am determined to witness to the truth of all these things. And through my mouth, my hands, and my feet, Jesus continues to work wonders in this world. I will serve Jesus until he returns from heaven, in the same way that we saw him ascend there. Commissioning and Blessing The law, the prophets and the psalms had to be fulfilled. Jesus had to suffer and be raised from the ...

1724. Second Sunday after the Epiphany

John 1:43-51

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... bias to accept without restriction, and to welcome without reservation, reform our bondage to the prejudices of ignorance. Left: Let your Nazareth-child pry open our closed minds, Rigt: And give us new eyes to see your good in all our brothers and sisters.(Continue in silent prayer.) Leader: Jesus knew Nathanael before Philip called him, and Jesus saw into Nathanael's heart, and said, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" In the same way, Jesus sees into your hearts, and finds the good ...

1725. Coming Clean

Mark 7:1-23

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... me wisdom in my secret heart.Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.Restore to me the joy of your salvation.(Continue in silent prayer.)The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.Fellow sinners, rejoice; for God has purged and washed you with forgiveness.With clean hearts and right spirits, open your lips and declare your praise to ...

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