Children's message for May 29, 2005

Children’s Message
May 29, 2005
The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:18-28)

I have been thinking about rules a lot lately. In the Children’s Ministry committee, we are thinking about rules for our classes for next year. At home, I am trying to teach my daughter who is only 1½ some rules. One thing I’ve realized is that the problem with rules is getting people to remember them.

Raise your hand if you have rules in your house. . . what about school?

Now most teachers in schools, and lots of parents at home post the rules. They put them on the bulletin board or refrigerator. Does that happen in your schools and homes? Even driving to work today, I saw rules posted on the road. Stop. Speed limit, 55 MPH. No parking.

OK, so what about the Bible. Are there rules in that? Probably the most well known are some that God gave to Moses—the ten. . . (hopefully kids will fill in with “commandments”) In addition to the ten commandments, God gave the people many other important rules that built on those commandments. Today, I want to share some rules with you from the book of Deuteronomy that are called the Shema.

The Shema tells us that we should love the Lord with all of our HEART and all of our SOUL and all of our MIGHT.

God wanted the people to remember these laws, and god gave them ideas of how to do it—
God said, write them on your doorposts
Tie them to your wrists and forehead
Teach them to your children
Talk about them all the time!!

And I thought, what a great idea! Maybe we would remember to love the Lord with all our heart and soul and might in a different way if it were on our doors or our wrists or our foreheads.

Now almost everywhere I go, I see people with those wonderful “live strong” bracelets that people wear to support cancer survivors. And now there are lots of others, and I thought, what if we wore bracelets with “Heart. . . Soul. . . Might” written on them? So, I have some not very fancy bracelets that I hope you’ll wear to remember the Shema. (Pass out bracelts--extra thick rubber bands on which I have written Heart, Soul and Might)

Let’s Pray:
Loving God,
Help us to love you
With all of our heart and soul and might
And help us
To remember your laws always.
Amen.

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Many thanks to my colleague Rev. Rod Frohman for planting the seed for this children's sermon!

Please feel free to use or adapt this sermon. If you use it in print anywhere, please acknowledge me, Becky D'Angelo-Veitch, as the author. Thanks!