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Pentecost Proper 14; 12th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 12:35-39 Â 
Preparation: Bring small birthday candles to hand out. Arrange for someone to knock loudly on a door when you give the signal (to the pastor’s office, to the sacristy, anywhere where the children will be able to hear it during the sermon).
I’d like to read part of today’s Gospel reading to you. It’s from Luke, chapter 12: “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks†(vv. 35-36 RSV). Do you know what that means? First of all, “Let your loins be girded†means to get your long robes out of the way—to put a belt around them to hold them up so that you can run fast. To us today, this would mean to get dressed and be ready to go somewhere at a minute’s notice. Second, “let your lamps be burning†means something, too. In Jesus’ day, people used oil lamps that had a flame, sort of like a candle. The lamps should be ready to give light so the people can see to go outside in the dark. Then the Bible says to be like people who are waiting for someone special to arrive. In other words, Jesus is telling his listeners to be all ready to go and to wait for that special person—the master—to come.
Who do you think this verse is talking about? Who is the Master that we should all get ready for? (Let children respond.) These verses are talking about Jesus. He’s coming back someday to take us all with him to heaven. Does anyone know the exact day or time when he will return? (Someone may offer an answer.) Nobody knows for sure. The Bible just tells us always to be ready. How can we be ready for Jesus to come again? What kinds of things should we be doing? (Listen to responses.) Helping our parents, praying, sharing, learning about God, singing praises, telling others about Jesus.
If Jesus suddenly showed up at your house and knocked on your door, what would you do? You’d jump up and open the door, right? Well, I brought some tiny lamps with me today. These little candles can be our lamps—even though they’re not lit—and we’ll pretend that we’re waiting for Jesus to knock on that door. (Point to nearby door.) I want everyone to hold onto your candles and close your eyes. When you hear a knock, open your eyes, run to the door, and pretend to let Jesus in. Let’s try it. (Give signal for knock. Let children run to open the door.)
Good. It looked like all of you were ready. I know we’ll also be ready when Jesus really does return. Thanks for coming up this morning. You can all take your candles and go back to your seats now.
Prayer: Â Jesus, keep us always ready for the happy time when you come back.
Pentecost Proper 13; 11th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 12:13-21 Â 
Preparation: Bring a bottle of bubble liquid, a bubble-blowing wand, and a large opaque bag, such as a black garbage bag.
I brought a bottle of bubble mix with me this morning. (Hold up the bottle of bubble liquid and the wand so kids can see them.) I want to blow lots of bubbles, and I want to keep them all for myself. I brought a big bag to keep them in. (Start blowing bubbles into bag.) See all my bubbles? They’re all mine. I’m rich! And after I fill this bag with bubbles, I’ll get more and more bags and save more and more bubbles for myself. I’ll be the richest bubble owner in the world. (Blow more bubbles into bag, then squeeze it shut.)
Would you like to see all the bubbles I’ve saved? (Open bag to show kids without looking yourself.) Can you count all my bubbles? So many that you can’t even count them, right? (Children will observe that the bag is empty.) What! Where did all my precious bubbles go? Did you take them? Did someone steal my bubbles? (Let kids respond.) They popped? You mean I blew all those bubbles for nothing? All my riches are gone. I just as well could have shared my bubbles with you, then, I guess. Then we all could have enjoyed them.
You know, this all reminds me of a parable that Jesus once told. He wanted to teach a lesson to a couple of brothers who were fighting over money. In Jesus’ story, there was a rich man who had lots and lots of grain from his farm—so much grain that he couldn’t fit it into his barns. He decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He didn’t think to share his riches. He wanted to save it only for himself. But this story turned out a little like my bubble collection. Just when the rich man had stored up more and more grain, he suddenly died. All that grain—all those riches—didn’t do him any good at all. He couldn’t take the riches with him.
Do you think that man would have been happier if he had shared his food and riches with people around him? What else might he have done with all his riches? (Let kids answer.) He could have made a lot of people happy. He could have made God happy. All of us have riches and special things we can share with others. What are some things we can share? (Let kids answer.) We can share our toys and our money. We can do good things for each other and help our neighbors. We can even share our smiles and our friendship.
You know, I would have much more fun sharing my bubbles with all of you rather than trying to save them in a bag. (Blow some bubbles.) God gives us good gifts so we can share them with others. Thanks for sharing my bubbles with me before they disappeared.
Prayer: Â Lord, teach us to share the riches that you give us.
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Pentecost Proper 12; 10th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 11:11-13 Â 
Preparation: Hollow out the inside of a delicious-looking cupcake or roll and fill it with dirt or another inedible substance. Bring a cutting board and a butter knife.
Can you think of some really good things that you might ask your parents for? (Let children share their ideas.) Your parents give you lots of good things, don’t they? But what are some things you ask for that might not be so good for you? (Again let children list things.) If we asked our folks to let us stay up all night on a school night and watch movies, do you think they would let us? Our parents want to make sure we get rest so we stay healthy and happy and strong. How about if we asked our parents for a nice, juicy apple? Do you think they would give that to us? Of course. They would like us to have a good, healthy snack.
When Jesus was teaching his disciples about prayer, he said, “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish—do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Or course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him†(Luke 11:11-13 NLT). God wants to give us good things even more than parents want to give their kids good things.
If we ask God for something that really, truly is good for us, God will give it to us. What if we ask for something that we think is good for us, but God knows it would hurt us? (Let kids respond.) What if we asked God for a million dollars, but God knew it would make us greedy and unhappy; would God give that to us? No, God wants us to be happy and to love him more than things or money.
I have a delicious-looking [cupcake] here. Would anyone want to ask me for a bite of it? (Let kids respond.) You may think you want this [cupcake]; it looks good, doesn’t it? But I’m not going to give you a piece. I know something that you don’t. Let me cut the [cupcake] open so you can see what’s inside. (Cut the cupcake open on the cutting board to reveal the inedible insides.) Do you see why I didn’t give you what you asked for? God wants us to pray to him whenever we want anything, but we have to remember to trust that God knows what is best and will give us only things that would be good for us.
Prayer: Â Dear heavenly Father, thank you for being our Good Parent and for giving us everything we need.
Pentecost Proper 11; 9th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 10:38-42 Â 
How do your families get ready for church? What sort of things do you do in the morning so that everyone is ready to go to church? (Let children share their stories.) Most of us eat breakfast in the morning, brush our teeth, and comb our hair. Some will find nice, new clothes to wear. Some women may put on makeup and fix their hair. Some men may wear a tie or even polish their shoes. And, most important of all, some families say a prayer asking God to help them listen and learn in church. We can honor God by the way we get ready to worship on Sundays.
What if we went through all the motions of getting ready to go to church on a Sunday morning, but we never got out the door? What if we were so busy getting ready and making sure we looked just right and had the perfect outfit on, that we never made it to church? Would we have missed the most important thing? (Let kids respond.) Why do we come to church on Sunday? (Let kids discuss.) Is it just so we can get dressed up and see our friends? Sunday worship is for praising God and thanking God and joining with other Christians in prayer and singing. We go to hear about Jesus and to listen to his words read from the Bible.
Today’s Gospel lesson from the book of Luke tells about a time when Jesus went to visit some friends named Mary and Martha. Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and then went scurrying about cleaning the house and getting lots of food prepared for a big feast that they were having in Jesus’ honor. Her sister, Mary, on the other hand, sat down at Jesus’ feet and listened to Jesus as he taught her.
Martha did not think that Mary was being fair by not helping her. So she said to Jesus, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.†But Jesus replied, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing you need to be concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her.â€
Having Jesus come to your house and then not even taking time to listen to him is like getting all ready for church and then not going to church. Even if we do come to church, sometimes we start thinking about all kinds of things that take our mind off Jesus, and we may forget to listen to what Jesus is trying to teach us. For the rest of the worship service today, I want you to try hard to keep your mind on Jesus. When you join in the songs and prayers and really listen to the sermon, it’s like sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to what he has to teach you!
Prayer: Â Dear Jesus, teach us to listen to you with all our heart.
Pentecost Proper 10; 8th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 10:25-37
 Photo by Julian VanderVeen Once upon a time, Jesus was teaching about being kind and loving to one’s neighbors. One of the men listening asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?†The man wanted to know who he had to be kind and loving to. And to answer him, Jesus told a story.
I’d like to tell you a story that’s a little bit like the story Jesus told. Do you remember that man’s question? (Let kids answer: “Who is my neighbor?â€) See if you can find the answer to that question in my story. While you’re listening, if you like, you may hold hands with one of your friends.
One day, not too long ago at a school near here, a little boy was swinging on the monkey bars in the far corner of the playground. Because it had just rained and the bars were slippery, the boy lost his grip, hit his lip on the metal bar, twisted his leg badly, and fell smack into the middle of a mud puddle. The boy was bleeding and hurt. He couldn’t stand up by himself, and he was very dirty. He couldn’t cry very loudly because his ribs hurt when he took a breath.
The prettiest girl in his class walked by on her way to the water fountain. Her hair was always neatly brushed and her socks were never dirty. She saw the boy lying there in the puddle and could see that he was hurt, but she didn’t want to stop and help. “I might get mud on my lace socks,†she thought. “And I might get blood stains on my beautiful dress.â€Â “And besides, I’m not really friends with that boy.†So she walked by him, got her drink of water, and ran off to play.
The next child to see the hurt boy was in a big hurry. He was playing lightning tag, and he had only a few seconds to tag two more people and win. This boy was proud of being the fastest kid in his class. He was also very strong and could easily have picked the muddy boy up and given him a piggy-back ride to the nurse’s office. But he wanted to win the game, so he ran right past the boy with barely a glance.
Finally, along came a small girl who wasn’t even in the same class as the boy. She heard the boy crying softly and walked closer to see what was the matter. This girl was not very popular, she didn’t have many friends, and she was very shy. It took a lot of courage for her to walk up to that boy and ask him if he needed help. When he nodded his head, she walked right into the mud puddle, helped him up, and, even though she wasn’t very strong, helped him limp to the nurse’s office. And then she even helped bandage him up.
Now I’d like to ask you: which kid was a good neighbor to the hurt boy? (Let children respond.) Our friends are our neighbors, and so are the people who live near us. But Jesus wants us to be good neighbors to anyone who needs our help and friendship—even those people we don’t usually play with.
Prayer: Â Jesus, make us all good neighbors; help us show your love to everyone who needs your love.
Pentecost Proper 9; 7th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Gal. 6:7-10Â 
Preparation: Bring several packets of seeds and, if possible, a dried weed with the seeds intact.
Can anyone tell me what I’m holding here? (Show packets of seeds and let kids respond. Adapt the following examples to the kinds of seeds you brought to show.) These are seeds, aren’t they? If I wanted [sunflowers] to grow in my front yard, which packet of seeds would I plant or sow? “To sow†is another way of saying “to plant.†(Kids can choose appropriate packet.) If I wanted [red, juicy tomatoes] to grow, which packet of seeds would I sow? (Let kids respond.) Yes! If I sow tomato seeds in my garden, after awhile I will be able to reap ripe tomatoes. “To reap†is another way of saying “to gather†or “to pick.†We all know that in order to get a certain kind of plant to grow we have to sow the right kind of seed.
Here I have a weed. (Show weed.) This is the type of weed that could take over a garden and choke out all the other plants. What would happen if I sowed these weed seeds in my garden? Would I get anything good to eat or pretty to look at? (Children may answer.) No. I would just get weeds.
In the book of Galatians, the Bible says, “Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t always ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow!†Every day, each one of you is planting seeds—some are good and some are bad. The things you plant will either help to make you a better person or a worse person. I’ll tell you what kinds of seeds I’m talking about.
Let’s say you wake up in a grumpy mood and instead of trying to be happy and treat others well, you decide to stay grumpy. And before you know it, your grumpiness turns into anger, and you end up calling your sister or brother a bad name. Is that a good seed that you planted or a bad seed? (Let kids respond.) What you reap from that bad seed will be bad feelings and unhappiness, and maybe a punch or a shove in return. That’s a bad weed from a bad seed.
Or maybe you wake up in a bad mood, but instead of staying grumpy, you close your eyes and pray to Jesus to take the grumpiness away. And then you try to think of something good and kind, and you give somebody in your family a big hug. Is that a good seed you just planted or a bad seed? (Let kids respond.) Because you made a good choice and asked God to help you do the right thing, you will probably reap something good in return—maybe a hug back. Something good comes from a good seed.
Prayer: Â Dear Jesus, help us always to plant good seeds; help us to turn bad thoughts, feelings, and behaviors into good and kind ones.
Pentecost Proper 8; 6th Sunday after Pentecost
Note from the author: Sorry for the confusion of the previous weeks, but we are now on the “proper” Proper!
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 9:57-62 Â 
Preparation: Make a long straight line with tape on the floor near where you meet with the children—for example, from the steps of the altar partway down the center aisle.
If Jesus came into church right now and asked you to follow him, what would you do? (Let children answer.) Now, what if Jesus told you that if you follow him, you will be sleeping out in the rain in cardboard boxes? Would it be easy to follow him? (Let children answer.) What if Jesus said, “I want you to come and be my disciple right now. There isn’t time to run back and say good-bye to your family.†Would it be hard to follow Jesus then? (Discuss.) Of course, kids always have to tell their parents where they’re going. But if you were grown up, this could be a choice you would have to make.
Jesus was on his way to the city of Jerusalem, and he knew he was going to die on a cross. On his way, Jesus invited some grown-ups to come along with him; and some other people asked if they could go with Jesus. Not all of them ended up going with Jesus, however, because they had to make tough choices. Some of the people said they would follow Jesus, but first they had to take care of important matters, or first they had to say good-bye to their families. Jesus told them, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God†(Luke 9:62 NIV)
Have you ever tried to draw a long straight line on the sidewalk with chalk? It’s easy to end up with a wobbly line, isn’t it? Well, it’s even harder to cut a straight line in the soil with a plow. The person plowing has to use a big blade that cuts the soil. He has to keep his eyes straight ahead to see where he is going, and he has to concentrate really hard. If he keeps turning around to look behind him, what do you think will happen to the line in the dirt? (Let kids answer.)
I’d like two volunteers to help me out. (Choose volunteers.) I want you to take turns walking down this line. [Name of Child One], you will keep your eyes straight ahead, watching carefully where you’re going. Don’t look around, even if you hear us yell, “Hey!†(Try this with first volunteer.) [Name of Child Two], you will walk straight down the line, but when you hear us yell, turn your head and look at us while you walk. (Try this with second volunteer.) Who did a better job of walking a straight line? (Discuss.)
It’s not always easy to follow Jesus. But it always helps to keep our eyes on him, to watch and pray so we see where he wants us to go. When we take our eyes off Jesus, when we forget about him, that’s when our lives start to go crooked.
Prayer:  Jesus, we want to follow you. Help us keep our eyes on you and go where you lead us.
 by artist Daniel F. Gerhartz Pentecost Proper 6; 5th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 7:36-50 Â
Preparation: Bring two objects for students to hold—one that is heavy (perhaps a thick book or telephone directory) and one that is fairly light (a small book or tablet).
I need two volunteers. You have to be strong enough to hold these weights while I’m talking. (Choose two volunteers. Give one the heavy weight and the other the lighter weight. If the weights are not too heavy, have children hold them at arm’s length to make it more difficult.)
Jesus was once invited to an important man’s home for a meal. Jesus had walked a long way, and he was tired and his feet were dusty. Back in those days, when someone special came to dinner, the host had a servant wash the guest’s feet. Then the host would anoint the head of his guest with sweet-smelling oil. But when Jesus arrived, the important man did not have Jesus’ feet washed, and he did not pour sweet-smelling oil on Jesus’ head. After they sat down to eat, a woman came in with a jar of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped his feet with her hair.
The important man was shocked! This woman was not someone he wanted to have in his house. She had done many bad and shameful things. He thought to himself: This Jesus is not a great prophet like everyone says. If he were, he would know how bad this woman is, and he wouldn’t let her touch his feet. Jesus knew what the man was thinking, and he told a story that went something like this:
There were two people who were carrying heavy burdens. One carried a burden weighing a hundred pounds, the other carried a burden weighing ten pounds. They could only let go of their burdens if someone else offered to take them. Both of the people were so tired. The one with the heavier weight didn’t know if she could make it any longer. Suddenly someone offered to take their burdens. (Take the weights from the volunteers and let them join the rest of the kids.) Who do you suppose was more thankful: the one carrying the lighter weight or the one with the heavier weight? (Let kids respond.)
The woman who washed Jesus’ feet was carrying a heavy weight of sin. She knew she had sinned a lot; she knew what other people thought about her. But she also knew that Jesus loved her and forgave her and took that weight of sin away. And the woman wanted to show Jesus how happy she was. The important man didn’t think he had many sins. He thought he was much better than the woman. But he was wrong. All of us have sinned, and none of us is better than anybody else. Jesus forgives us all. And we should all be as thankful as that woman who washed Jesus’ feet.
Prayer: Â Jesus, thank you so very much for forgiving us and taking away the load of sin. We love you.
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Pentecost Proper 5; 4th Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â 1 Kings 17:17-24 and Luke 7:11-17Â Â 
Preparation: Bring a dead bug or butterfly mounted in a viewing box so children can observe it.
I brought a small creature with me this morning. If you handle the box very carefully, I’ll pass it around so that you can get a closer look at it. (Pass around dead bug in the box.) Can anyone tell me what is inside the box? (Let kids respond by describing the insect.) Is the [bug] alive or dead? How can you tell that it’s dead? (Discuss.) It’s not moving, is it? It doesn’t respond to anything. Sooner or later, do all things die? (Talk about this.) We’ll die someday too, won’t we? I hope we’ll all be around to enjoy a good long life serving the Lord, but someday our bodies will stop working and we’ll go to heaven to be with Jesus.
Is there any way that any of us could make this little bug live again? Can we bring this bug back to life? (Let children comment.) No, this isn’t something anybody on Earth can do. We aren’t stronger than death.
In reading the Bible, we learn about two sons who died. One son lived back in the time of Elijah the prophet, and the other lived while Jesus was walking around on Earth. Both of these boys were their mothers’ only children. And both of the mothers were widows—their husbands had died. These mothers and sons had only each other in the world. When their sons died, the mothers had no one left. The pain of losing their only children was causing the mothers’ hearts to break.
But God is the creator of life, and God is more powerful than death. And God loved these mothers very much. God had pity on the widow who was Elijah’s friend. And God had pity on the widow from Nain who lived in Jesus’ time. Maybe God was especially sad for them because God knew he would give his only Son up to die for the world.
God’s power moved through the touch of Elijah and brought one widow’s son back to life. Later, in the town of Nain, in the middle of a funeral procession, Jesus took the hand of the other widow’s son, and the mighty power of God returned that boy to life. He sat up immediately and started to talk to the people around him.
Death is a powerful thing; it strikes every day. And it happens to all of us. But God’s power is stronger than death. Because of Jesus, we will always live happily with God—even if our bodies die here on Earth.
Prayer: Â Dear Jesus, thank you for giving us life with you that will never end.
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Pentecost Proper 4; 3rd Sunday after Pentecost
From “Scolding the Snakes”
Scripture Reference:Â Luke 7:1-10Â Â 
Do you know what it means to “impress†someone? (Let kids try to explain. Help them understand that this means to make someone think good things about us, to think we’re special.) What sorts of things might you do to impress your parents, for example? (Let children give ideas.) In order to impress you parents, you might clean up your whole room without even being asked. You might try really hard in school. If you practiced a musical instrument and enjoyed playing it, you would impress your parents. When someone is impressed by you, they admire you and are proud of what you did.
What might you do to impress your friends? (Let children share their ideas.) You might build a really cool fort and invite your friends over to play inside it. Perhaps you could create a really good painting in art, and your friends would admire it. Maybe you’d learn a new skateboard trick, and that would impress your friends.
Now, how do you think someone could impress Jesus? That’s a tougher question to answer, isn’t it? What would Jesus be most impressed by? (Let children express their ideas.) Would Jesus be impressed by someone who made a lot of money and had a huge house and lots of stuff? If someone designed a spaceship that carried astronauts all the way to Mars, would that impress Jesus? What if someone memorized the whole Bible from cover to cover; would that impress Jesus? Well, Jesus might be happy for people who could do these things, but none of these things would make Jesus think they were special people or make him love them more.
Today’s Gospel reading tells about a man who really did impress Jesus. He was an officer in the Roman army who was respected by the Jews because he did many good things for them. One of the servants in this officer’s house was very sick, and the officer cared very much for him. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent a message to him. “I am not worthy to receive you in my house or even to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed†(Luke 7:6-7 NLT). When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. The Roman officer believed that Jesus was so powerful he could heal the sick servant just by speaking some words.
Jesus said, “I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!†(Luke 7:9 NLT). What impressed Jesus was the Roman officer’s faith or trust in him. Faith—trusting God with all your heart and soul—that’s what impresses Jesus.
Prayer: Â Dear Jesus, give us faith that is as strong as that of the Roman officer.
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