Children’s Sermon, Sunday, July 24, The Parable of the Leaven—Matthew 13:33 6th Sunday after Pentecost

So all week, I have been thinking about rice krispy treats. I think it is because I have been wanting to make something sweet and cookie-ish, but it has been so hot, that I haven’t wanted to warm up the kitchen--so rice krispy treats seemed like the perfect treat to me.

Now, I have also been thinking about today’s scripture and how I was going to talk with you all about it. Today, we get a whole bunch of parables--6 to be exact. I’d like to read you one of them: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Do you know what yeast is used for? It is used to make bread rise. As I was reading this parable, I pictured a woman working really hard at kneading a hunk of dough, working all of that leaven through it.
And because I was hungry for rice krispy treats, I thought about how much work it takes to mix the krispies into the marshmallow.

So here’s what I came up with. . . Without yeast, bread would just be a sticky flat dough. Without the marshmallows, there would be no “treat”--only a bowl of dry cereal. They become a part of each other. I think that is how God works in us as Christians. Can you imagine if someone handed you a rice krispy treat and asked you to take out all of the marshmallow? You couldn’t do it. Maybe it is the same with us. Being a Christian is just a part of us--mixed into who we are so much that we cannot separate the Christian from the rest of us.

In the Presbyterian Brief Statement of Faith, the last line states, “We rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God Through Christ Jesus our Lord.” AMEN!!

Let’s Pray:

Loving God

We are thankful that you are a part of us

And we pray

That you remain in us--

Now and always.

Amen.

Children's Message, July 17--Jacob's Ladder--Genesis 18:11-22--5th Sunday after Pentecost

Children’s Sermon, Jacob’s Ladder (Genesis 28:11-22)—Prayer Rock

So did everyone have a good sleep last night? What do you sleep with? Raise your hand if you sleep with a stuffed animal or special blanket. . . how about a pillow. . . how about a rock. No one sleeps with a rock? Me neither! I love big fluffy pillows, so I don’t think I’d like to sleep with a rock! The reason I was thinking about sleeping with rocks is because of the Bible story that we are looking at in worship today. We will be hearing about the story of Jacob’s ladder. This story is about a very special dream that Jacob had, where he saw a ladder that led up to God, and in this dream, God blessed Jacob’s descendants. When Jacob went to sleep the night that he had this dream, he slept with a rock, and in some versions of the Bible, they say that he used it as a pillow. After he woke up, to remember his special dream, Jacob set that stone on a pillar and anointed it.

So, I wanted to think about a way that we could use a rock to help us remember that special dream. I remembered a poem that I had seen years ago about a prayer rock. This poem, using the rock, helps remind us to pray before bed (by leaving the rock in your pillow to “bonk” you in the head) and in the morning (by leaving the rock on your floor to step on).

So I hope that this prayer rock helps you to do two things:
1) remember to take time in the morning and evening to say a prayer to God, and
2) to remember the story of Jacob’s dream about the ladder up to God where Jacob used a rock as a pillow.

Let’s pray:
Loving God
Be with us when we are awake
Be with us in our dreams as we sleep
Help us to remember your stories
And to pray always.
Amen.

**poem**
(This rock and poem could be a craft to do with the kids in Sunday School time)
I'm your little prayer rock
and this is what I'll do.
Just put me on your pillow
'til the day is through.
Then turn back the covers
and climb into your bed,
and, whack! your little prayer rock
will bump you on the head.
Then you will remember
as the day is through,
to kneel and say your prayers
as you intended to.
Then when you are finished
dump me on the floor.
I'll stay there through the nighttime
to give you help once more.
When you get up next morning,
clunk! I stub your toe,
so that you will remember
your prayers before you go.
Put me back upon your pillow
when your bed is made,
and your clever little prayer rock
will continue in your aid.
Because our God in heaven
cares and loves us so,
God wants us to remember
to pray each day, you know.
(I do not have a source to cite for this--all entries I find list "author unknown", and I somewhat edited it from the original)





Another Jacob's ladder idea can be found here:http://beckyveitch.blogspot.com/2008/07/jacobs-ladder-childrens-sermon.html

Childrens' Message--Parable of the Sower--Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23--July 10--4th Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus used to tell stories to help people understand lessons that he wanted to teach them. He told these stories using everyday people and everyday things as examples.

I’d like to tell you a story that Jesus told. It is called the Parable of the Sower, but I’d like to tell it to you in a way that I imagine that Jesus would tell it if he were talking to a group of kids today.

There was once a piano teacher who had four students.

The first student made an appointment for a lesson, but before he could have the lesson, he joined the soccer team and started karate classes and before long, he realized that his schedule was full and he did not have time for piano.

The second student started out very excited about playing piano and played every day for a week, but soon, she lost interest and before long, her piano was covered in dust.

The third student played piano for a while, but all the other kids made fun of him when he went to practice, and before long, he quit too.

The last student faithfully attended her lesson each week. She practiced and played regularly for years until finally she had learned well and became a piano teacher herself. She taught many students—many of whom taught others to play as they grew up.

When Jesus told this story, he was trying to give us an example of how he wanted us to be as Christians. and just like a piano teacher wants his students to work hard and spend time and grow to love playing the piano, so too, God wants us to pray and spend time and grow in our faith.

Let’s have a moment of prayer:

God our teacher,
Help our faith to grow,
Like a seed planted in good soil.
And help us to share it with others.
Amen.