What are “first fruits?” Hamlet the Pig is trying hard to keep his attention on the Easter message and not think about Easter candy and food. But the epistle reading from First Corinthians is making him hungry. “What are the First Fruits?” asks Hamlet. “And will there be any left for me?”
Link to the video on Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/E9Ufk7GzXuM
Happy Easter! From Ruth and Hamlet
Reference Verse: 1 Cor. 15:20 – 28 (NIV) — 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
It’s Christmas Eve, and Mehhhgumi the Sheep loves all of the lights of Christmas, so she wants to be a light herself! Join Ruth and her puppet friend as they talk about lights, candles, glowing halos and the Light of the World, Jesus, who comes to us to drive away the darkness of sin and death.
Feel free to use this short video for your family devotions or as part of your online Christmas Eve worship service broadcast.
Goodwill offerings may be made to Ruth’s JOEE Foundation by clicking on the link here: Joyful Opportunity English Education — bringing free, lively English lessons to kids growing up in orphanages in Japan.
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I am glad that you have found the Kidsermons.com website to be a useful tool for your ministry. I have maintained this website for over 20 years. Please consider making a small donation on Giving Tuesday to the nonprofit foundation that I have started here in Japan. JOEE.jp has trained 12 new JOEE teachers and conducts lessons in a total of 6 orphanages across Japan, from Tokyo to Kobe. The children are delighted with the lessons and continue to learn English while they play and sing and dance. Joyful learning is our goal and we want to continue to expand, but we need your help. Giving Tuesday is fast approaching and we need to get the word out.
JOEE is struggling financially even as we expand; we especially need monthly donors and are actively looking for corporate donors. Please spread the word about JOEE and let your friends and family know about these upcoming giving opportunities through the Global Giving Fundraiser by clicking on and sharing the following link: JOEE at Global Giving
Monthly Donation Matching Funds
New monthly donations (up to $200 per unique donor) will have their first donation matched at 100% after four (4) total payments
Giving Tuesday – Nov. 29, 2021 (Eastern Standard Time)
24 hours to fundraise
$1,000,000 available in Incentive Funds for participating projects!
Donations up to $2,500 per unique donor per organization will be eligible to receive Incentive Funds
December 2021 Monthly Donor Drive – Dec. 13 to 17 (Eastern Standard Time)
New monthly donations (up to $200 per unique donor) started between December 13 and December 17, 2021 will have their first donation matched at 200% after four (4) total payments
Now that some teachers can enter the children’s homes and give JOEE lessons in person, we are delighted to be able to give the kids high-fives and hugs, have cozy read-aloud time and enjoy delicious snacks together. We hope to be able to continue to bring enriching lessons to children growing up in institutionalized care in Japan.
Blessings on your day and good wishes as we move into the holiday season!
Did a light bulb just come on in your head? Did inspiration whoosh in like a mighty wind? How is the flame of Pentecost like a fire of inspiration? Join Baabara the Sheep as she learns more about Pentecost by way of a candle and a light bulb. Join us as we celebrate Pentecost.
Be inspired this Pentecost and let God work through your life to bless others!
Acts 2:1-4 — “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Thank you for your support of Kidsermons.com. If you would like to support us financially, you can donate to my nonprofit ministry with orphanages in Japan where I teach and create videos. The link for donations to JOEE.jp at GlobalGiving: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/youmewe-collaboration-with-joee/
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Hamlet the Pig is snout-deep in a bowl of beans when his lunch is interrupted by a challenge to be “Easter-Minded.” What can that mean, and what can three little beans teach him about the resurrection? Join Hamlet and Baabara the sheep in an Easter message about thinking ahead to the new life of Easter.
Has anyone seen Grudge the Rat lately? Ever since the season of Lent has begun, he hasn’t been around much. And why is he hiding away, guarding a growing pile of lint? Perhaps he doesn’t quite understand what this long season before Easter is all about.
Are we observing lint… or “observing Lent?”
To discover more Kidsermons featuring Grudge the Rat and his puppet friends, subscribe to Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud’s YouTube channel and find the Kidsermons playlist.
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Baabara the sheep and Hamlet the pig have built a cozy blanket cave under the Christmas tree. They are hiding from the New Year, 2021, afraid that it will bring new disasters. What good news can help two worried animals as they look for light in the darkness? And can it be true that Christmas lasts all the way to Epiphany? Cozy up with some furry friends for a lesson on finding glimmers of hope in the midst of trouble.
“In the beginning was the Word…in Him was life, and the life was the light for all people.”
Enjoy and share this message of Epiphany light and hope with your family and friends. And subscribe to Kidsermons.com and to the Kidsermons playlist at Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud’s YouTube channel. Click on the link below:
Thank you for your support of Kidsermons.com. If you would like to support us financially, you can donate to my nonprofit ministry with orphanages in Japan where I teach and create videos. The link for donations to JOEE.jp at GlobalGiving: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/youmewe-collaboration-with-joee/
Grudge the rat is worried. Would a rat be welcome at the manger? Rats are often chased away and he wonders if among the cows and sheep in the nativity scene, perhaps there might have been room for a small rat. Baabara the sheep assures him that all are welcome at the manger. Jesus came to earth to make sure that everyone knew that they were loved and included in God’s family.
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For the 4th Sunday in Advent – RCL – Year B – Scripture: Luke 1:30-31
Hamlet the pig can hardly wait for Christmas. Why is it so hard to wait for good things to arrive? Did Mary have trouble waiting? After all, she had to wait nine months after being told by the angel Gabriel that a wonderful gift to the world was on its way. Baabara the sheep has a surprise for Hamlet, to help him wait for Christmas… a “Gabriel Gift” to be opened on the fourth Sunday of Advent. What’s a “Gabriel Gift?” Watch and find out!
A children’s message for the 3rd Sunday of Advent. RCL Year B. Scripture Reference: John 1:6-8
Hamlet the Pig trots outside in the cold of December to search the skies for… John the Baptist? Why does he think that the moon is John the Baptist? Might it have something to do with John 1:6-8? “John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.” (NLT)
See script below for reference: – Dec. 10, 2020:
Hamlet: Hey! That’s too bright! Turn off that light… I can’t see John the Baptist with that light shining in my eyes.
Me: What? You can’t see “John the Baptist?†Hamlet what are you doing outside at night, and what do you mean, you can’t see John the Baptist?
Hamlet: Well, Baabara was reading to me from the Bible today about how John the Baptist was sent ahead of Jesus to get people ready to listen to Jesus.
Me: Yes, the Bible says, “John the Baptist came as a witness to point to the light, so that all might believe through him.†I did hear you two talking about that. But that does not explain why you are outside here in the dark.
Hamlet: Baabara said that John the Baptist was the moon! So I came out here to see John the Baptist for myself.
Me: Oh, Hamlet! I think you might need to clean out your ears a bit.. Baabara said that John the Baptist was “like the moon.†She didn’t say John the Baptist was the moon!â€Â
Hamlet: Oh. So I’m not going to get to see John the Baptist?
Me: No, but you might get to see the moon tonight.
Hamlet: How is John the Baptist like the moon?
Me: Well, the moon does not create any light of its own. It just reflects the light from the sun back to the earth. John the Baptist told people very clearly that he was not the Light; he just was a witness to the light… a reflection of the light. He was there to point people to Jesus, the true Light of the world.
Hamlet: So the moon is sort of like John the Baptist.
Me: That’s right. Long ago, people thought that the moon was a source of light… that it produced its own brightness. But now we know that it only reflects the light from the sun.
Hamlet: I want to be like the moon.
Me: You do? What do you mean?
Hamlet: I want to reflect God’s light to the world. How do I do that? I can’t get up into the sky like the moon. Pigs don’t fly you know.
Me: Yes, I know that pigs don’t fly. But you can reflect the Light of the world by showing God’s love to others. You can be kind and caring and let people know that Jesus loves them. You can reflect the love of God in the things that you do and the kind words that you speak.
Hamlet: I can do that! I will practice on Baabara and then I will try to be kind to Grudge the Rat… even though that is more difficult.
Me: Sounds like a good plan, Hamlet. Now can we go back inside because it’s freezing out here. The moon is just not a very good source of heat.
Hamlet: Okay. My hooves are freezing. Can I have a cup of hot chocolate?Â
Me: Good idea.
Hamlet: With a big marshmallow?
Me: Sure.
Hamlet: Or maybe two marshmallows… or maybe just a bowl of marshmallows with hot chocolate poured on top?
