Sermon and Worship Resources

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Matthew 7:7

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To encourage children to actively seek the things of our faith. Materials: A bucket half full of water. Special Preparation: Hold the bucket at your side with your arm stiff and straight down. In a rapid circular motion swing the bucket to the front, up and over and down in the back. As the bucket reaches the downward position again, continue on around in the circular motion without sto...

2. A Disappearing Act

John 1:18

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

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...

3. A Good Deed Is Like A Candle

Proverbs 22:1

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To encourage children to do good things for other people. Material: A candle and a jar. A dime for each child in individual envelopes. Lesson: This is something that we see each week as we gather here and I am sure you know what it is. At the beginning of the worship service, we light the candles up front. (At home, candles on the table could be used.) These candles stand for many thin...

4. A Lesson From A Bouquet

Lk 12:27 · Mt 6:28

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To see in a flower the greatness of God's creation and the wonder of our own individuality. Material: A bouquet of flowers, either at the front of the church or one you brought with you. Lesson: Today, I would like to play a guessing game with you. Here is the first clue. Almost every Sunday, when we gather here in our church, we all look upon something that is always different, yet it ...

5. A Lesson From A Broken Arm

Isaiah 55:6

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help children understand the need to take time to consider important things. Material: Make a sling that you can put on to hold your arm. Lesson: This is what is known as a sling. Does anyone know what it is used for? ... Right. To hold your arm still after you have injured it. Have any of you ever had a broken arm? ... When that happens, you have to keep your arm still for a long ti...

6. A Lesson From A Mirror

James 1:23, 24

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To encourage children to be willing to accept help. Material: A hand mirror. Special Procedure: Before your time with the children, stick a piece of paper on your face. Lesson: Most people use a mirror like this every day. They will look into it to see if their face is clean, or their hair looks all right or maybe to check out a sore on their face. You see, we cannot see our face like ...

7. A Lesson From A Shell

Proverbs 10:7

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To remind the children of the importance of each day and to make the most of each day. Material: Seashells or pictures of seashells. (If you have a large quantity of seashells, you may want to share one with each child.) Lesson: Have any of you ever been to Florida? One of the things people like to do in Florida is to walk the beach and look for shells. There are all kinds of shells to ...

8. A Lesson From Paper

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help the children understand that as we grow older, we change; and we need to watch how we change. Materials: A candle and several sheets of paper. On one piece of paper, write a word like Hello. Lesson: A piece of paper is a very interesting object. You can fold it and it becomes a toy airplane that can fly. (Do so.) If you touch it to a flame, it turns into smoke and black ashes. (...

9. A Winter Experiment

1 Corinthians 13:8

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To think about how love affects us all. Materials: A large piece of ice. A thin strong wire and two heavy weights that can be attached to the wire. A dish pan to hold the ice. Special Preparation: Tie the weights on the ends of the wire. Place the wire over the ice. Make sure that the weights hang free so that they can move downward as the wire cuts through the ice. Start the procedure ...

10. Being At Peace With One Another

Matthew 5:38-42

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To encourage children to do their part in building friendships or being at peace with someone else. Material: Two jars and two small candles. Place one candle in a jar. Fasten the other candle to a piece of wood -- in the center -- so that it can float and stand upright, in the jar. (Experiment at home.) You will also need a way to add water to both jars. A baster will work. Matches to l...

11. Beware Of Imitations

Matthew 7:14

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To remind children not to accept imitations as something real. Material: An artificial flower, an imitation gemstone; and perhaps a real flower and/or stone for comparison. A picture of Jesus, if available. Lesson: This morning I want to show you something that I received in the mail (or wherever you might have obtained a cubic zirconia simulated diamond or artificial gemstone). What do...

12. Bubbles

2 Timothy 2:5 · Prov 17:17; 18:24

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To learn that making certain choices in life can make a difference in what happens to us. Material: Four small glasses. In one glass place a small amount of flour. In the next glass place a little baking soda. In the third glass pour some water, and in the final glass add a little clear vinegar. I suggest you identify each glass with a letter or notation on a piece of masking tape. Less...

13. Changing Nature

Colossians 1:9-10

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To show that the type of world we live in affects us. Material: The wildflower, Queen Anne's Lace. Red food dye. Special Procedure: Cut two flowers from the wildflower known as Queen Anne's Lace. Place one cut stem in water colored with red food dye. Let it remain in the water until the flower is colored. (If Queen Anne's Lace is not available, you might try another white flower to see ...

14. Don't Worry

Philippians 2:12-13

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help children exert some personal effort when faced with a problem. Material: An egg. If available, a toy or live chick. Lesson: Today I want you to look at something that I am sure you have seen before. (Show them an egg.) What comes out of this egg? ... If it is allowed to hatch, in a normal way, a chick will come out of it. And the way it comes out is to break through the shell fr...

15. Earphones

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To share with the children our need for time alone and time with other people. Materials: A portable radio, like a Walkman and earphones. Lesson: I have several things I want to show you this morning. First, what is this? ... (a radio) What do you do with a radio? ... (listen) Now, what is this? ... (earphones) Have any of you ever used earphones? ... What are they used for? ... (to lis...

16. Easter Is Colorful

John 20:1-18

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To remind the children that life is beautiful with Jesus and because of Jesus. Materials: Easter lilies and/or Easter eggs, plus some small colored candy eggs to hand out. Lesson: This morning I want you to think with me about what we see on this day that we call Easter. Let's look around and you tell me what you see that we do not always see in church ... (If the children do not respon...

17. Even Children Can Be Good Samaritans

Luke 10:25-37

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To encourage children to be good Samaritans. Material: No special material is needed. Lesson: Today I would like you to help me tell a story. There was a little boy who came to (Name your city or town.) to visit his grandparents. He had never been here before. Then one day, he decided to take a walk, all by himself, to look around this new place. After a while, he discovered that he was...

18. Fine And False Speech

Proverbs 17:7

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To encourage children to tell the truth. Materials: Two paper hats; one in the form of a crown and the other in the form of the cone shape of a dunce cap. Lesson: Here are two types of hats. Each one is worn by a special person. This hat is called a dunce cap and when it is worn it means that the person wearing it is not very smart. This hat is a crown that is worn by a king to indicate...

19. Fishing With A Net

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To show the need for each one to accept responsibility for the total group experience. Material: A fishing net. Lesson: There are many ways to catch a fish. You can use a hook and line, or a spear, or even your hand, if you are fast enough. But the best way to catch a lot of fish at one time is to use a net like this. The net will cover a large area and will allow the water to go throug...

20. Flowers Follow Showers

Romans 5:3-5

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Object: Put some beautiful flowers in a paper sack. Bring them out when you talk about flowers. Lesson: To think about using hard times for personal growth. Special Instructions: This illustration should be used in the spring when there have been a lot of rainy days. There is an old saying that reminds us of what has been happening this week. Let me see if any of you have heard it: "April showe...

21. Freedom

John 8:31-32

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help the children understand the nature of freedom. Material: A long-sleeved shirt, or a regular straitjacket, if available. A bowl containing wrapped candy. Lesson: Does anyone know what a straitjacket is? ... It is a special kind of jacket that has long arms, like this shirt, which can be tied behind a person so that person's arms are crossed in front of him like this. This morning...

22. Fun With Seeds

Luke 6:32-36

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To remind children about the importance of what they produce each day. Daily actions reveal each one's character. Material: A package of seeds for each child. Lesson: Do you know where seeds come from? ... (From plants and trees.) When do they come? ... (When the plant or tree is mature. Some seeds come in the spring and some in the fall.) And what happens to some of those seeds when they...

23. Hands

Acts 14:3

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To share with the children the wonder of our hands and to encourage them to use their hands for good. Material: No special material is needed. Lesson: This morning I want you to think for a few moments about something you all have. In fact you have two of them. They are out in the open where everyone can see them. You used them this morning to get dressed and to eat your breakfast and t...

24. Happy New Year Noises

Romans 8:28-32

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To think about what influences life. Material: Noisemakers Lesson: Did any of you stay up last night (or whenever New Year's Eve was) until midnight? ... Many people do this. They stay up until that time so that they can welcome in the new year. And very often people welcome in the new year with noisemakers like these. (Share whatever noisemakers you can find. Let them make noise togeth...

25. Hidden Treasure

Matthew 6:19-21; 13:44

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: True life with God is like a great treasure. Materials: A small chest or fancy box, and a bag of coins or play jewelry. Lesson: Most boys and girls have imaginary adventures. Perhaps you have imagined that you were an explorer hunting for a lost treasure. How exciting it would be to dig up a container like this and open it and find a bag of money or jewels in it. Jesus said that the Ki...

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