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October 2015
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World Community Communion

Children’s Message on World Communion Sunday

Scripture Reference: John 13:2 – 17;

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

Preparation: Cut from cardboard tubes or create from stiff paper enough elbow sleeves to accommodate at least a couple of volunteers. These segments of tube will be slipped over the children’s arms to help illustrate the sermon. 

Makeshift Elbow Tube

Makeshift Elbow Tube

You know what “communion” means, right? When the congregation comes together to have bread and wine and to remember how Jesus gave his life for us, it is called communion. Today is World Communion Sunday but it doesn’t just mean the communion meal in church. The word “community” is a lot like “communion.” On World Communion Sunday, we remember that believers all over the world are part of our church community.

For a community to be healthy, all of the people in that community must take care of each other. We must learn to serve each other. On the evening of Jesus last supper with his disciples, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. This washing of the feet was usually the job of the lowliest servant in the household, but Jesus himself did this for his disciples to show them that this humble way of serving one another was the best way.

I brought something with me today to show you how community works, but first I need two volunteers. (Choose a couple of children whose arms will fit the cardboard sleeves you have made, and slide the sleeves onto their arms so that they can no longer bend their elbows.) Now that your “community sleeves” are in place, you can both enjoy a snack. (Place a bowl of round crackers in front of them and help instruct them in finding a way to eat the snack.)

You will notice that you can no longer feed yourself. In a community, if people are only concerned with feeding or helping themselves, the community will not be healthy. Some will be hungry or lonely or left out. But if you concentrate on feeding or helping the other first, then it works. (Encourage the volunteers to feed a cracker to each other.) When we help each other, everyone in the community will be fed.

In most churches, communion is given by the worship leader directly to the person receiving communion. In some cases, the bread is placed directly on the tongue of the person who is receiving communion. This is done to remind everyone in the congregation that it is God who has done the saving. It is not our own doing. God provided us with salvation through Jesus. God has given us so much, it is only right that we serve others in the community that is our whole world.

(Optional:) I’d like everyone to take a snack, but don’t eat it yourself. Serve your snack to someone else as a reminder that we live in a community that needs to help each other.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for showing us the way of servant. Give us the strength and honesty and humility to serve others in our world community in your name.

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