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(Show balloons.) This balloon will play the part of the proud Pharisee, and this balloon will be the humble tax collector. I need two volunteers, one to hold each balloon. (Hand “Pharisee†balloon to a child old enough to blow it up.) Now as I read the story, whenever I look at the person holding the Pharisee balloon, I want you to blow some air into the balloon and then hold it shut. The person holding the tax collector balloon can just let it rest on your hand.
Continue reading All Puffed Up
The Bible is God’s word to us. God speaks to us through the Bible. It is not a book written just to be an interesting story or to teach us history. The Bible is a book written to change lives. God sent the scriptures to us so that we would know how much God loves us. The Bible tells us that Jesus came to take away our sins so that we would live forever with God. It’s not a fairy tale, and it’s not a myth. The Bible is the truest story that ever was. It is God’s message of love to us. And God wants us to read the Bible and to listen to its words just as often as we can.
Continue reading Truth vs. Myth
None of us has leprosy, but when we do bad things, it’s like having leprosy inside. We know we’ve done wrong, and we feel ugly inside. We feel bad, and we feel like everyone is staring at us, like nobody loves us or wants to be around us. Have you ever felt that way after you did something wrong? (Let children respond.) Now even though no one would be able to tell from the outside that we’ve done something wrong, Jesus knows. And when we’ve sinned, and we ask Jesus for help, what does he do for us? He forgives us and washes away our sins completely. He heals us and makes us clean inside.
Continue reading Erasing the Mark
Maybe Jesus was trying to get his disciples to see that it really wasn’t their faith that was so powerful; it was what God could do with that faith. God could do amazing things with their lives when they put their trust in him. Just as you have to put the seed in the soil for it to grow, you have to actually put your faith in God for your faith to grow. If we put our faith in our friends, would that work just as well? (Let kids respond.) No, that would be sort of like trying to plant our seed in a pot of yogurt or peanut butter. We have to plant our faith seed in good soil. Our faith must be planted and rooted in God. He will grow our faith for us. And then we can do all kinds of wonderful things through God’s power.
Continue reading Mustard Seed Faith
Do you think Jesus wants us to think it’s bad to be rich? (Let children answer.) Some people think the Bible says that money is the root of all evil, but it doesn’t say that. It says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It is hard to love God if riches are very, very important to you, because the money and things you can buy take up so much of your love. Can you take your toys or clothes or cars with you to heaven? (Kids respond.) In the end, those things aren’t very important, are they? It’s more important to be with God.
Continue reading Rich or Poor?
Let’s pretend we’re all standing on the platform at a train station. We’re getting ready to take a trip and there are two trains waiting at the station. One train is brand new and very fancy. It is painted with gold and silver paint and the seats are red velvet. The dining car is full of delicious food from the fanciest restaurants. The sleeping car has feather beds with satin sheets. This train has a big sign on it that reads, “MONEY.†In order to ride this train, you don’t have to have lots of money; you just have to agree that money is more important than anything in the world.
Continue reading Choose Your Train
Hurrah! We found the lost sheep. I am so happy. Do you know that Jesus is like that shepherd who went looking for the one lost sheep? Jesus wants everyone in the world to be a part of his flock. He wants everyone to know God’s love. It’s wonderful that some of us grow up in God’s family and have always known that God loves us. But there are lots of lost sheep out there, a lot of people who don’t know Jesus. And Jesus is looking for those lost sheep. He wants to rescue those sheep.
Continue reading Find the Sheep!
Before you make a big decision, it is important to count the cost. You have to ask, “How much is it worth to me?†Before we decide to follow Jesus with our whole hearts, God wants us to think about our decision very carefully. In the Old Testament reading, God told the Israelites that they had a really important decision to make: they could either follow the one true God or else follow the old, pretend gods. Choose God and life, or choose the pretend gods and death. (Let two kids hold the signs you made, one on either side of you.) Life or Death. It seems like an easy decision, doesn’t it?
Continue reading Count the Cost
I have here a penny. This is my penny. And I have one penny for each of you. (Hold out other pennies and hand one to each child.) Now if I told you that I really loved this penny, and that I had a special place for it to sit at my house, and that I held my penny every day and sang to it and kissed it, what would you think about that? (Kids may respond.) That would be pretty weird, wouldn’t it? I shouldn’t be spending my love on a penny.
Continue reading Give It Away
Jesus knows how special and wonderful hands are, and he used his hands to do amazing things. The Gospel lesson for today talks about a wonderful thing that Jesus did with his hands. A woman came to see Jesus. The woman was all bent over and could not straighten up; she had been that way for eighteen years. And do you know what Jesus did with his hands? He put his hands on the woman and healed her. She straightened up right away, and she said, “Praise God! Thank you for healing me!â€
Continue reading Hands for Healing
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