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For the Fifth Sunday in Lent
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Scripture Reference:Â Psalm 51
Preparation: Bring a small bottle of vegetable or olive oil, a damp cloth, and soap.
Have you ever gotten oil on your hands and then tried to wash it off with water? Does the oil rinse off? (Let children respond.) No, it doesn’t come off with just water, does it? What else do you need to get oil off your hands? (Someone may offer the correct answer.) Right: you need soap.
Psalm 51 talks about getting clean. King David wrote this psalm after he had done something very wrong. He was sorry for what he did, and he asked God to forgive him and make him clean again. King David wrote, “Wash me thoroughly and cleanse me from my sin. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow†(v. 7 author’s paraphrase).
King David didn’t really need soap to get himself clean. He needed forgiveness from God. Forgiveness is a little bit like soap, though. When we sin, we may try to cover the sin up, to ignore the “dirt†or to hide it from others. We may tell ourselves, “Well, it’s not so bad what I did; other people have done it, too.†That’s like trying to wash dirty oil off our hands with water; it doesn’t work.
Just as we need soap to get oil off our hands, we need Jesus’ forgiveness to come clean from our sins. God wants us to admit that we’ve done wrong. This is called confession. And when we confess to God that we’ve done something wrong, God forgives us and makes us clean inside.
I brought oil with me this morning, so let’s experiment with it. I’ll rub oil over my hands and then I’ll try rinsing it off in this bowl of water. (Do this now.) I’ll let some of you feel my hands. (Let those nearest you check your oil.) Did the oil come off? It didn’t, did it? You can’t really see the oil, but it’s still there. And sometimes other people may not know about our sins or see our sins, but God knows—God knows us completely. He knows we need forgiveness. The sin sticks to us sort of like the oil sticks to my hands.
Now let’s try soap. (Wash with soap and water; dry your hands. Then have kids check again.) Are my hands finally clean? Yes, now they’re clean, but I needed the soap to get clean, didn’t I? We also need God’s forgiveness to make us truly clean inside.
The next time you need to get really clean—clean inside—remember that only God’s forgiveness can wash away our sin. And remember that God is happy to forgive us because he loves us.
Prayer: We’re sorry, dear Jesus, for the times when we do the wrong thing. Thank you for forgiving us and making us clean inside.
For the Fourth Sunday in Lent
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference: Numbers 21:4-9 and Ephesians 2:8
Preparation: Bring a cross to hold up so that the children can look up to it.
How many of you can remember a time when you felt very sick? (Children can raise their hands or respond.) Have you ever felt so sick and weak that you couldn’t get out of bed? Or so sick that you could hardly move at all?
When Moses was in the desert with the Israelites, there was a time when lots of people got bitten by snakes and became very sick. They were so sick they couldn’t move, and they almost died. God told Moses to make a statue of a snake mounted on a tall pole and to show it to the sick people. The people needed only to look up at that snake and they would get better right away.
This morning, I’d like for us to try something. We’re going to pretend that we’re so weak and sick that we can’t get up. You can lie down if you want to or just sit right where you are. Just make sure that you can still see me from where you are.
We’ll pretend that we’re so sick that we can’t move our toes, our feet, or our legs. We are so weak we can’t move our hips, and our stomach muscles don’t work anymore. It’s getting worse now, because we can’t move our fingers, our hands, or our arms. I’m not going to be as sick as all of you, because I have to keep talking; but I want you to pretend that you are so sick now, that you can’t even move your head.
Keep your eyes open, though, because I want you to look at me. Even though you can’t move your body or your head, you can still look at me, can’t you? You can look up. (Hold a cross up so everyone can see it.) Can everyone see this cross? All you have to move is your eyes, and you can see the cross.
When we sin and do things we know we should not, it is like being sick. We’re sick in our hearts, and we need to be made better. When Jesus died on the cross, he was raised up like that snake on a pole that Moses made. And, like the Israelites in the desert, everyone who looks up to Jesus on the cross and believes in him, will not die. They will be saved and have eternal life.
Do we have to jump up high or climb up to God in heaven for God to save us? No. We are not saved by anything we can do. As Ephesians 2:8 says, “by grace you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God” (NIV). Jesus saved us when he died on the cross. We only have to look up to him and believe in him.
Do you know the Bible verse, John 3:16? Let’s say it together: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life†(RSV).
Prayer: Jesus, we cannot be saved or even come to believe in you by any effort of our own. We look to you to save us from sin and to bring us everlasting life.
For the Third Sunday in Lent
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Exod. 20:7
Does everyone here have a name? Names are important aren’t they? Everybody has a name. Let’s hear some of your names. (Let children respond.) How do you feel about your name? Do you like it? (Children may share.) You should feel good about your name. It is very precious. When you were just a tiny baby, you received your name. The best name for you that could be thought of was picked.
What names does God have? Tell me all the names you can remember. (Responses may vary.) Lord, Father in heaven, Jesus, Christ, Holy Spirit; those are all names that refer to the one God whom we worship. God’s name is very special, too, isn’t it?
How would you feel if someone wrote your name on a piece of paper, held it up for everyone to see, and then stepped on it? That wouldn’t feel very good, would it? Has anyone ever teased you about your name or used your name to say something mean? That’s not a nice thing to do, is it? You wouldn’t want someone to misuse your name and step on it or say something mean about it. It would be just like they were being mean to you.
Have you ever heard someone using God’s name in bad ways? In the middle of a conversation, you might hear someone say something like, “Oh, God! I was so embarrassed!†Or if someone is angry, they might say, “Jesus! That hammer hit me right on the thumb!†Are those people really thinking about God when they use his name that way? No. It’s like stepping on the name of the Lord. When someone uses God’s name in that way they are not honoring God’s name; instead, they are being careless with it.
God gave us Ten Commandments, and the Third Commandment is a very important one. It says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain†(Exod. 20:7 RSV). Another translation reads, “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God†(NLT). Using God’s name without thinking about God, or using his name to say something bad, is misusing God’s name. This is something that displeases God.
It’s sad when people misuse God’s name. It’s just the same as being mean to God. But you’ll probably hear people doing just that. Sometimes even Christians forget and misuse God’s name. You won’t be able to stop everyone from stepping on God’s name. But if, for example, you have friends over to play, and you hear them using God’s name carelessly in your house, you can politely ask them to stop. You can tell them that in your house, God’s name is special.
Prayer: Help us to honor your name always, Lord God, in all of the words that we speak. Keep us from using your name in a careless way.
For the Second Sunday in Lent
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”Â
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Mark 8:31-38
Preparation:Â You may bring along a photo of one of your best friends and be ready to tell the children about your friend.
Raise your hand if you have a really good friend—a best friend—that you like to play with. Can you tell me about one of your friends? What do you like about that friend? (Let several children describe one of their friends.)
I have some good friends, too. (Here you may show the children a photo of your friend and tell them what you like about the friend. My example follows.) My best friend is my husband, Joel. One of the reasons I enjoy his company so much is that we can play silly games together. We used to play a game where we’d run around and try to catch leaves that were falling to the ground in our teeth. It’s a very difficult thing to do because leaves flutter this way and that way as they fall. It makes you laugh trying to do it, and it is very funny to watch! It’s fun to play silly games with friends.
Did you know that Jesus had close friends, too? The Bible talks about one of Jesus’ closest friends, Peter. Jesus called Peter a “rock.†Peter was a good friend; he was someone you could count on. Do you have a friend like that?
What would you do if your friend tried to get you to do something that was bad? How would you answer them if they told you to hit or tease someone? What if they wanted you to take something that wasn’t yours? If that happened to you, what should you tell your friend? (Let children answer.)
We like our friends, and we want them to like us, but if they want us to do the wrong thing, we need to tell them that we can’t go along with them. If they are true friends, they will remain your friends even when you say “No†to their bad ideas.
Peter once tried to get Jesus to do the wrong thing. Jesus told his disciples that he would have to die on the cross. That was what he came to earth to do. God sent Jesus to save us from our sins. But Peter did not want this to happen. He told Jesus not to go to the cross. Do you know how Jesus answered Peter? (Someone may offer the correct answer.)
To Peter, his very good friend, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan!†(Mark 8:33 nrsv). Satan is another name for the devil. Would the devil want Jesus to save the world from sin? No, he wouldn’t. Satan would try to stop Jesus, even if he had to use one of Jesus’ friends to do so. Jesus was showing Peter that it was wrong to try to stop him from dying on the cross. Maybe Peter’s feelings were hurt, but he didn’t stop being Jesus’ friend. He knew that Jesus had to do the right thing.
Prayer:  Dear Jesus, thank you for blessing us with good friends. Help us all to encourage each other to do the right thing—the thing that would please you. And if our friends want us to do bad things, make us strong to tell them “No.â€
For the First Sunday in Lent
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference:Â Gen. 9:8-17
Preparation: Bring a picture of a rainbow or of Noah’s ark with the rainbow above it. You may also bring candy in rainbow colors to hand out at the end of the sermon.
Raise your hands if you’ve ever seen a rainbow. Can you tell me what a rainbow looks like? (Choose a volunteer to describe a rainbow.) Rainbows are beautiful, aren’t they? What is the shape of a rainbow? (Let a child answer.)Â
We usually see a rainbow as an arc in the sky. Sometimes we might even see a half-circle stretching from the land, up into the sky, then back down to the land. (Describe the shape with your gestures as you talk.) But did you know that a rainbow is actually a circle? Usually, we can’t see the whole circle from where we’re standing. Clouds or buildings may get in the way, or there may not be enough moisture in the air to catch the light, and then you can’t see the whole rainbow.
If there is enough mist in the air and the sun hits the mist just right, you might be able to see an entire rainbow circle. You can create your own rainbow if you go outside on a sunny day with a hose and spray a fine mist into the air. Then watch the mist carefully; you should be able to see a rainbow form. And if you’re sitting just right, you will see a rainbow that starts on one side of you, goes up into the air, and comes down to end on the other side of you. You will be sitting in the middle of a rainbow!
(Here you may offer your own rainbow story. My example follows.) One day I saw an entire rainbow—the whole circle! I had hiked to the bottom of a huge waterfall. I thanked God for such an awesome, beautiful place. Suddenly, something incredible happened—a brilliant rainbow started to form. On my right side, the bright colors began. The rainbow circled up into the waterfall then around back to me and ended at my left side. I could put my hand through the rainbow. I was sitting on a rainbow!
The rainbow is a beautiful reminder that God made a promise to Noah and all the creatures of the earth after the great flood. God promised that he loves all his creatures, and he would never again cover the world with water. This was a promise to Noah, but it is also a promise to us. God loves us very much, too, and he wants to be first in our lives.
We are a part of God’s rainbow promise. The rainbow promise is a circle. It begins with God, comes to us, and goes back up to God. You are sitting on the rainbow—in the middle of God’s promise.
Prayer: Thank you, dear God, for sending the rainbow as a promise of love to us. Help us always to remember that each one of us is sitting on that rainbow.
For the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Scripture Reference:Â Mark 2:1-12
Preparation: Bring several bottles of medicine, including a bottle of cough syrup.
If you couldn’t get to sleep because you were coughing so much and coughing so hard that your throat was getting sore, what might your mom or dad do to help you? (Let children respond.) They might give you cough syrup to calm down the cough so you could sleep. (Show cough syrup.) That’s what this medicine is used for—to calm coughs. Of course, you would drink this only if a doctor or a parent gave it to you. You have to be very careful with medicine!
I have some other medicines with me. They are all meant to take care of one thing or another: headaches, allergies, upset stomach. I can’t find a medicine for one thing, though. What if I had a friend who was lying in bed and couldn’t move—someone who was paralyzed? Is there a pill that could make the person get up and walk again? (Children may respond.) I have wished many times that there was, but a medicine like that does not exist. Maybe someday, but not yet.
Just like nowadays, there was no medicine for paralyzed people back when Jesus was teaching and healing here on earth. One day when Jesus was preaching in a very crowded house, some men opened a hole in the roof above him. Through that hole, they lowered a paralyzed man until he was lying right in front of Jesus. This man’s friends couldn’t get through the crowd to take him to Jesus, so they went to the roof and used ropes to lower their friend to Jesus. These friends knew that Jesus was the only one in the world who could heal the man.
Jesus did heal their friend, but do you know what he said first? He said, “My son, your sins are forgiven†(Mark 2:5 nlt). Many people thought that was a strange thing to say and a strange way to heal someone. But what do you think is more important to God—the health of our bodies or the health of our souls? Can you be close to God if your body is healthy but there is hatred and sin in your heart? No! Can you be close to God if your body doesn’t work the way it should, but your heart is full of joy and love for Jesus? Yes! Jesus was healing the inside before healing the outside.
Does Jesus always heal our bodies? We may have to wait until we get to heaven before some sicknesses are healed. But will Jesus always forgive us and heal us on the inside? Yes! Always! Jesus forgives our sins and heals our hearts so that we can be close to God. That’s the best medicine there is.
Prayer: Â Dear Jesus, thank you for healing our hearts. We pray that you would make us healthy on the inside, and we also ask for health and healing for our bodies.
 For the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference: 1 Cor. 9:24-27
Preparation: Bring or wear a pair of running shoes.
I brought along a pair of running shoes to help remind me to get some exercise today. (Show your shoes.) How many of you exercise most days? What do you do for exercise? (Children may answer.) Exercise is good for you, isn’t it? (Here you may share an example of a fitness regimen. My example follows.) I try to exercise at least every other day. I do some jogging, some sit-ups, and some pull-ups. Sometimes if I exercise a lot, I feel really tired.
Let’s say I wanted to run in a marathon. That’s a very long race, more than twenty miles. A marathon takes hours to run. If the race was tomorrow and I had never run twenty miles in my life, do you think I would win the race? (Children may respond.) If I haven’t trained for the race, there’s not a very good chance of me winning, is there? If I really wanted to win that marathon, what do you suppose I would have to do? (Let children respond.) I would have to run almost every day and for a long time. If I trained hard and made that race the most important thing in my life, then I might have a chance at winning.
Did you know that all of you are in a race? You should be training hard. I don’t mean that you should be running many miles every day, but you should be practicing listening to God and doing the right thing.
When you are a Christian, the most important thing in your life is following God—and this is like a race, something that takes a lot of effort and strength. Sometimes it’s hard to say, “No!†when a friend wants you to do a bad thing. At times, the right thing to do is also the toughest thing to do. But the more you do the right thing, the stronger you become.
The apostle Paul did not have an easy time following Jesus. People threw him in jail and hurt him because he believed in God. It was not easy, but he didn’t give up. He was in training, and he was determined to win. First Corinthians is a letter he wrote to encourage other Christians to keep following God’s way. He wrote, “Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. So run to win! All athletes train hard. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize†(1 Cor. 9:24-25 NLT, author’s paraphrase in italics).
At the end of our race, our eternal prize will be that Jesus will be waiting to welcome us into heaven. So the next time you have a tough time doing what God wants you to do, remember that we are all in training, and we need the exercise. Train hard! God has promised to help us get better and better.
Dear Jesus, help us to keep on doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult and we want to give up. Make us strong in your love.
 For the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
Artwork by Elsa Ingulsrud
Scripture Reference: Isa. 40:29-31
Preparation (optional): Bring a picture of a soaring eagle to illustrate your sermon.
How many of you have seen an eagle or a hawk soaring high in the sky? (Let children respond.) It’s amazing to watch, isn’t it? The beautiful bird will spread its wings wide and make big circles in the sky. An eagle can make flying look easy. It doesn’t have to beat its wings to stay way up in the air.
But, a hummingbird is quite different from an eagle, isn’t it? Both are incredibly beautiful birds, but an eagle is very large with huge wings, and a hummingbird is tiny. Can anyone tell me the differences between the way an eagle flies and the way a hummingbird flies? (Discuss with the children.) A hummingbird has to beat its wings very fast to get where it wants to go or just to keep itself up in the air. An eagle can beat its wings slowly—or not at all—and still keep flying.
Have you ever felt like an eagle? There’s a verse in the book of Isaiah that says people who trust in God are like eagles. Isaiah 40, verse 31 gives a wonderful word picture. Try to see this in your mind as I read the verse. “Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint†(nlt).
I have a question for you. Do eagles soar in the sky on their own power? How can they stay way up in the sky for so long without even flapping their wings? (Someone may offer the correct answer.) It’s not the eagle’s own strength that keeps it up in the sky; it is the wind. When the eagle finds a place where warmer air is rising quickly, it can ride that rising column of air higher and higher into the sky, then glide back down to earth. The warm air rising up beneath the wings of the eagle is what keeps the eagle soaring in the sky. (You may have the children spread their “wings†like eagles and pretend to soar.)
When we are tired of doing the right thing, tired of being nice, tired of obeying our parents, and are not sure if we can keep doing what we know God wants us to do, where do we get the strength to keep going? (Children can respond.) Our strength comes from God, doesn’t it? He is like the wind under our wings, helping us to soar like eagles.
If we try to do things on our own, we’re more like the little hummingbird, using all our energy just to stay a little way above the ground. We can’t do it on our own. But God gives us the strength we need to obey, and he even gives us the faith we need to believe in him. (After the prayer, you may encourage the children to spread out their “wings†and glide back to their places.)
Dear Lord, when we are tired or frightened, help us to rely on your strength and let you be the wind beneath our wings.
For the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
From “Sitting on the Rainbow”
 Image from Half a World Away exhibit Scripture Reference:Â 1 Cor. 8:1-3
Preparation: You may bring a hammer and nails or some other construction tools.
The Bible reading from 1 Corinthians today talks about building up the church. If you were going to help build up the church, what sort of tools do you think you might need? (Discuss.) I brought some tools with me (show the tools), but the trouble is, I’m not sure I know enough about how to use these tools to build. And I’m not sure I know enough about other things either—about the church, about the people in church, and about God. I may not know enough to build up the church.
I’d like you to raise your hand if you think you know a lot. Raise your hand if you think you have lots of knowledge and could answer lots of questions about the church and about God. (Let children participate.) Now who thinks your parents know even more than you do? Raise your hand if you think your parents know more about these things than you do.
Okay, now I have a question to ask you. Do you think it is the people who know the most that can really build up the church? Are they the ones that make the church strong and healthy? (Let children answer.) Listen to how the Bible answers that question.
First Corinthians 8:1-3 says, “While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for†(NLT). It isn’t the people who know a lot that build up the church, is it? What really builds up the church? (Let children answer.) Love builds up the church. The church is really the people who make up the family of God. The building isn’t as important as the people, is it?
And it turns out that knowing a lot isn’t as important as loving a lot. Being smart may make us feel important, but loving others and being helpful with your words and actions is really what makes the church grow strong. Love makes God’s family stronger, and love also brings more people into God’s family.
It looks like I won’t be needing these tools. I think all of you are plenty skilled enough to build up this church. All of you know how to show love for each other, so let’s get to work. On your way back to your places this morning, I want you to help build up the church by showing two other people that you care about them. You could give them a smile, a hug, or a handshake, or just tell them that you love them.
Loving God, help make us good workers in your church by teaching us how to build up the family of God with love.
For the Third Sunday after Epiphany
Gospel Reading
Scripture Reference:Â Mark 1:14 – 20
Preparation: (Optional) Bring outreach pamphlets or invitations to your church. Have them ready to pick up by your designated exit door.
Good morning everyone! Nice to see you all this morning. OK, we’ve got to get busy. Everyone, FOLLOW ME! (Get up and immediately start down the aisle or walk towards the nearest exit. When you get to the door, turn around to see how many of the children followed. At this point you may pick up the pamphlets and have the kids help carry them back to the front of the church.)
Come on back to the front of the church. I was checking to see how quickly you all were able or willing to follow me. Today’s Gospel lesson talks about how Jesus called his first disciples to come and follow him. It sounds like he did not have to call twice. He called two brothers who worked as fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew, and they threw down their nets and followed him. Then he walked up to two other brothers, James and John and told them, “Follow me.” They also dropped their nets and followed Jesus.
I wonder how many of us would be so quick to drop what we were doing to follow Jesus? How many of you jump right out of bed as soon as your alarm clock rings or as soon as your mom or dad says that it’s time to get up? Raise your hand if you jump right out of bed in the morning. (Acknowledge any raised hands.) Okay, now I’m going to ask the parents in the congregation… How many of you have kids that immediately follow your instructions in the morning to get up? Â (Note any discrepancies in the responses.) When we are called to do what we are supposed to do, we don’t always respond right away, do we?
I think Mark is pointing out something very important in these verses that describe Jesus calling his first disciples. It is a message to us. Jesus is calling each one of us. I hope that we can be like those fishermen and we can realize that the call of Jesus is more important than anything else we are doing with our lives. Following Jesus is the most important thing we will ever do. Of course, Jesus is in heaven now, not walking around on the earth, so we can’t follow him just like the disciples did, but we can follow Jesus with our hearts. We can follow Jesus by inviting him into our hearts and living the way God wants us to live. May God give us the strength and the wisdom to always put Jesus first in our lives. (Here you may send each child back to their places with several invitations to church to hand out to friends and neighbors. Remind them that those first disciples became “fishers of men.”)
Prayer: Â Dear Father in heaven, help us to be eager followers of Jesus. Help us to keep Jesus as the first and most important thing in our lives always and forever.
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