Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

 Encourage One Another

Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

 

How many of you have ever heard someone say, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me"? (Children raise hands accordingly). Now, how many of you believe that - believe that words can't hurt people? (Children raise hands accordingly again).

Boys and girls, words can hurt people. Most grown-ups I know can remember something that was said to them when they were a child that hurt them; I know I can. But in the same way that words have the power to hurt, they also have the power to help and make us feel good. There's a verse in the Bible that talks about how God wants us to use our words to help others. It's I Thessalonians 5:11, and the first part of it says, "Encourage one another, and build each other up."

I looked up the word "encourage" in the dictionary even though I knew what it meant. Sometimes I'll do that with a word that I already know because it helps me to understand it a little better. The dictionary said that "encourage" means to "give courage, hope or confidence to; to give support to or help."

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't encourage others because you are too young; the Bible talks about that, too. I'm a teacher of children just about your age, and sometimes when I'm having a bad day at school, one of the students will come up to me and say something to encourage me, or they'll give me a note or picture that makes me feel better.

I'm going to give each of you a small piece of paper. Would each of you please read the words written on your papers, one at a time? (Each child reads the phrase written on his or her sheet of paper aloud if they can, otherwise you can read it for them. If you have a large group, only select a few of them to read their phrases.The pieces of paper should have things written on them like, "Great job!" or, "You're awesome!", etc.)

Will each of you find someone this week who needs to be encouraged? It may be a neighbor, a person that you know in school, or even someone in your own family. You can use the words on the paper I've given you or even some of your own, to encourage someone and build them up.

Dear Lord, please lead each of these children this week to someone that needs to be encouraged. In Jesus' name, amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Be Careful What You Say

Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. (also Proverbs 13:3, Colossians 3:17, and James 3: 3-6)

Sing the song “Oh Be Careful Little Eyes.”

This morning we sang the song “Oh Be Careful Little Eyes.” We also mentioned the ears, mouth, mind, hands and feet. Today I want to talk more about the mouth.  (Turn over the easel board showing the “happy” and “grumpy” pumpkins.)

I am not good at drawing people, so I thought of pumpkins because it’s October and we sometimes put faces on pumpkins. These pumpkins represent people – you, me, and everyone. (Call up 8 students who were previously given sentence strips.)

Remember that I said we were going to talk about the verse, “Oh be careful little mouth what you say.” My helpers are going to read what we sometimes hear people say and then you decide which pumpkin said those words ~ the happy pumpkin or the grumpy pumpkin.  (Children read the sentences and put them next to the appropriate pumpkin as called out by the audience.)

1. Where did you get that weird old-looking sweater? (grumpy)

2. You look nice today. Is that a new sweater? (happy)

3. You have an ugly old bike. Don’t you just hate it? (grumpy)

4. I know your bike belonged to your older brother, but it’s still in good condition. I bet you’re glad you have it. (happy)

5. That job you’re doing is so easy. You’re must be a wimp if you can’t do it. (grumpy)

6. May I help you with that job. It’s always easier when two people work together. (happy)

7. Go away and leave me alone. (grumpy)

8. May I please be alone for a while? We can talk later. (happy)

Thank you, helpers. You may sit down. I think my helpers have done a good job of showing how much nicer it is to say a kind word. I’m sure you would agree that having your feelings hurt is not the way you would want to be treated. You need to remember how you would feel when you say something hurtful to someone else.

Who was the only “Perfect Pumpkin” that God created? JESUS! That’s right. That means that you and I are not perfect pumpkins and sometimes happy and kind people say something they shouldn’t.  (Move one of the unkind sentences from the grumpy pumpkin over to the happy pumpkin.)

When that happens, we should ask God to forgive us and apologize to the person we hurt.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for our wonderful bodies that You created. Help us to think of our bodies as a temple and to praise and glorify You. Help us to think before we speak and to not use our words to hurt others. Help us to use our tongues to encourage each other and to witness to others as children of God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 God Loves Us This Much

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

Imagine that you made something with your own hands all by yourself. It was very special to you. How does that make you feel? Call on children for responses.

You love it very much AND THEN you lose it – How would you feel? Call on children for responses.

What if, after searching everywhere for it, for a very long time, you found it – how would you feel? Call on children for responses.

What if, after you found this special thing that you made, you discover that it now belongs to someone else, who intends to keep it - What would you give to that person to get it back? Call on children for responses.

I would like to read a story to you called Twice Yours written by Nan Gurley.

READ STORY.

This story shows us how much God loves us. God sent His son who would give everything He had - His life – that we might have eternal life.

Have you ever seen parents say to a toddler – “How big are you?” And the child will raise his hands over his head and say “So big.” Have you seen a child respond to the question, “How much do I love you” – by outstretching his arms and saying, “This much!”

When your arms are outstretched, with your body you are making a cross. That can remind you of God’s love for you. If God loves us this much, that Jesus gave his life for you, then He must think that we are very special. God thinks that each one of you is a small wonder!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving us so much that you sent your son to die for our sins. Help all children to understand what a wonderful gift he or she is. Help them to know that they are a small wonder, one of a kind; that You have given each one special gifts and a special purpose. May they live their lives in such a way as to glorify You. I thank you for Nan Gurley and the special gifts You gave her. Her book has blessed us and brings glory to You. You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lord. Thank you for all the many ways you have blessed us. Thank you Lord, in Jesus name we pray, Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Family of God

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7, (Also Genesis 1:11)

(Hold up three varieties of apples that are noticeably different.)  Raise your hand if you think these three apples all came from the same tree. You’re right. They did not.

This Golden Delicious came from a tree where all the apples looked like this one.  This Red Delicious came from a tree where they all look like it, and the same with this little Fuji apple. In nature, you would not find one tree that had all three different kinds of apples. The Bible teaches us in Genesis 1:11 that every seed will bring forth a fruit of its own kind.

Now let’s think about people. Have you ever had someone say to you, “Boy, you look just like your sister, or your brother, or your mom or dad.”? Who thinks they look like someone else in their family? (Call on a couple children) Or maybe you have seen a picture of your mom or dad when they were your age, and they looked back then just like you do right now. I saw a picture of Mrs. Smith’s husband when he was younger, and he looked just like their son John. I have seen Katie Trott’s younger sister here at school, and I knew she was Katie’s sister. Even though they are not twins, they look alike. I could tell that they were sisters.

Just like with the apples, people from the same family tree will have the same looks – the same skin color, eyes, hair, height, shape of the nose, body shape, and many other things. This happens because all these physical characteristics are passed on from one generation to another. You may have red hair and your parents don’t, but maybe your grandmother or grandfather had red hair. Isn’t that cool?

Now as you know, there are exceptions to the families that I have been talking about. There is a wonderful thing called adoption, where parents have a special desire to bring a child into their family who probably doesn’t look physically like the other members of the family. We know that Allison has a sister Abby who was born in China. But we also know that a miracle happened for the Martin family, when they discovered that Abby’s biological sister from China was also adopted and now lives in New Hampshire. How did that happened? They found Abby’s sister when they saw Marie’s picture on the Internet. The two girls looked so much alike, they felt Marie had to be Abby’s sister. And they were right! God has a plan when He makes family members look like each other. It is just one of the ways that helps to bring you together as a family. It makes for a special connection. For Abby and Marie, their similar looks brought them together on the other side of the world from where they were born. Isn’t God wonderful?

But, without being adopted, there is another kind of family tree that we can all belong to no matter what our last name is. In this family we will not all look like each other. Which family am I talking about? -Pause- Yes, God’s family. No matter what your last name is, what you look like, or what country you live in ~ you can be apart of God’s Family Tree.

(Turn around easel w/ a drawing of a tree - “God’s Family Tree.”)

Now, if we all look different, (different skin color, eyes, nose shape, height, and many other things) how will we recognize our brothers and sisters who belong to God’s family? How will I know that someone is my sister or brother through Jesus Christ? - Pause - We will recognize each other by the many God-like characteristics we have. These characteristics are not physical. The Bible tells us in I Samuel 16:7, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I am going to put some leaves on God’s Family Tree that will show us how we can recognize each other.

Have a variety of leaf shapes, sizes and colors with one of the following words written on each leaf: loving, caring, sharing, forgiving, love Jesus, help others, humble, praise God, pray, read the Bible, giving, and grateful spirit. Attach each leaf to the tree as you mention them.

This is how we will recognize our brothers and sisters in Christ! (point to the tree)

Let’s look at this tree for a minute. Would you ever see a real tree that looks like this? No, because all the leaves are different. On a real tree in nature, it would have all the same kind of leaves; all oak leaves or all maple leaves. On God’s Family Tree, we will all look different on the outside, but we will be the same on the inside.

Here is one more thing to think about this morning. God chooses into which family we will be born and with what physical characteristics we will have. God chose which family I was born into and how I would look, but God cannot make you or me be apart of His family tree. God wants us to be one of His children in His family, but we have to make that choice ourselves to accept Him as our Heavenly Father and be a member on His Family Tree.

Sing the song “Family of God”

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, At this time of Thanksgiving, we are thankful for all the many, many blessings you have given us; for your son Jesus, who came to earth to teach us how to live and to die on the cross for our sins that we may come before You, washed clean in His blood. We thank you for our families where we are cared for by our earthly parents, grandparents, and other family members, and where we can experience the love that family members give to each other. But we are especially grateful that You have called us to be a member of Your Heavenly Family. In Your family, Dear God, we can feel a love that is greater than any earthly love, and we can have an eternal life that will be free of all pain and sadness. I pray for these children that they will hear Your call to be one of Your children. Lord, we praise and adore You now and forever. Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

 It Must Be Your Fault

The book of Job

Do you know the story of Job? Job was a righteous man. He was a good and blameless man who pleased God. Job had a life of happiness and prosperity. He was a rich man, who had everything: good health, great family, house, servants, etc... But he lost it all, his money, his family, his belongings, all of it because of Satan. Job hadn’t done anything wrong, he hadn’t done anything to have deserved such sadness and loss. It wasn’t his fault. So how did it happen?

Well, let’s imagine that God and Satan are playing a chess game. First off, its God’s game. And God allows Satan to play the game. You are God’s “king” or “queen”. He also allows Satan to take away or to win some of the playing pieces: let’s say your “castle” or house, your “horse” or car, even some “pawns” or friends. But with each move that Satan makes, God counteracts with a better move, until God wins the game and he’s left holding you in his hand.

It’s not the “king” or “queen’s” fault that they’ve lost some of the pieces. There’s a much bigger picture, it’s who’s playing the game: God and Satan. We’re just a small part of that game. So whether bad or good things happen may not have anything to do with what we have done. It might just be something that God has done while playing the game to win in the end.

Let’s pray… Dear God, thank you so much for having me be your “king” or “queen”. I know Lord, that you have me in the palm of your hand and that no matter what happens in my life you will take care of me and protect me. And that sometimes when bad things happen it’s not my fault. Thank you Lord, we love you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Are You Ready for Christmas?

As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Luke 3:4-6 (NIV)

Wow!  Look at that! (Hold up the calendar.) There are only fourteen days until Christmas!  Are you ready for Christmas?  That is a question we hear quite often these days, isn't it?  What do people mean when they ask if you are ready for Christmas?  Well, they usually mean things like...

    • Do you have all of your shopping done?
    • Have you finished wrapping all your gifts?
    • Have you put up your Christmas tree and all the decorations?
    • Have you sent your Christmas cards?
    • Have you finished baking all of the Christmas goodies?
    • Is your house clean and ready for visitors?

Are you ready for Christmas? What things do you need to do before you will be ready?  (Allow time for answers.) There is another question that is much more important than "Are you ready for Christmas?" That question is, "Are you ready for Christ?"

In our Bible lesson today, we hear the voice of John the Baptist crying out to the people, "Prepare the way for the Lord. Fill in the valleys and level off all the mountains.  Make the crooked roads straight and the rough places smooth."  Did John the Baptist really want the people to work on the roads?  No, what John wanted was for the people to get ready for the coming of the Messiah. What he really meant was that the people needed to get their hearts right and return to God.  You see, no matter how good people may think they are, there are always some crooked ways and rough places in their lives.  There are things such as dishonesty, selfishness, pride, jealousy, and many more.  John wanted the people to make those crooked ways straight and rough places smooth so that Jesus could come and walk among them.

During this special season of the year, you and I need to make sure that we are ready for the coming of the Christ of Christmas. We need to look into our hearts and ask God to make our crooked ways straight and smooth out the rough places so that we can walk with Jesus each day of our life.  Let's ask him to do that right now.

Dear Father, we want to be ready. Make our crooked ways straight and our rough places smooth. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Anger Scars

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.  Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)

There was a boy that was having a terrible time with anger. Every time he got angry, he said ugly things, "I hate you" "You're ugly" "I don't want to be your friend any more". These were things that were said in anger and the boy often regretted saying them later.

One day his father took him out to the fence out back and gave him a bag of nails and a hammer. He told the boy that every time he lost his temper, he should come to the fence and pound in nails until he was no longer angry.

The first week there were a bunch of nails (hold up block of wood full of nails, and comment - "He must have had a very bad week"). But the next week, there were not quite so many, and after a while, hardly any at all (hold up a block with only 1-2 nails.)

So he went to his father and showed him the fence and told him that he hadn't had to pound in a nail for one whole month. His dad told him that was wonderful, now what he needed to do is that every day the boy could keep his temper, he should go and pull the nails out of the fence until they were gone.

It took awile, but soon all the nails were pulled (hold up a block of wood that has alot of nail holes), and the boy went to his father again to show him the fence.

His father told him he was proud that the boy had learned to keep control of his temper, "but look at all the scars that the nails left in the wood. Every time you lost your temper, you left scars like that in the people that you love. These scars are not healed easily."

Discuss with the children different ways to deal with anger. Hand out a block of wood (I wrote on the top "Don't let anger get control, Eph 4:26) give each child a few nails and help them to pound them into their block of wood. Encourage them that the next time they get angry, to go look at the wood block and think about the scars that angry words can leave behind.

[Soldier4Christ]

 God's Recipe for Life

But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:5-6

Raise your hand if you enjoy cooking or baking with your Mom. When I was a kid, I loved to bake. I remember spending lots of time in the kitchen just watching my mother, trying to learn how to prepare some of my favorite foods. My favorite thing to bake was Christmas Cookies. When I was old enough to try baking on my own, I quickly learned that the first thing I needed to do before I began was to find a good recipe. My mom had a box of recipe cards that she had collected through the years, and she also had plenty of great cookbooks.

Who can tell me why it is so important when you're baking to begin with a recipe? That's right! You have to know not only what ingredients to use, but also how much of each ingredient to use. It's important to follow a recipe exactly if you want what you're baking to come out right each time. For example, if you put too much salt in your chocolate chip cookies, they would taste bad. Likewise, if you forgot to put the chocolate chips in the cookies, you wouldn't have chocolate chip cookies!! Following the recipe if VERY important!

Did you know, boys and girls, that much like my Mom gave me a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies, God has given us a recipe for how to live our lives? That recipe is found right here in the Holy Bible. The Bible contains all the ingredients that we need to live a life full of blessings. Who wrote the recipe? GOD! Just like a baker decides which ingredients to combine for the perfect tasty treat, God has determined what we need in our lives to make our lives better.

It's important to know that God didn't write the recipe so that our lives would be boring or hard to live. Instead, God wrote His "recipe for life" to help us to know how to live happier, healthier lives. Sometimes we think that God's rules are hard to follow-maybe there are too many ingredients and we get confused about how much of each ingredient to use--but the truth is that if we follow God and follow his recipe EXACTLY, we will be GREATLY blessed.

And we are so lucky because God gave us more that just the Bible to help us understand how to live a Godly life. He also gave us a perfect living example in His Son, Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to Earth to show us how to live and how to abide by God's rules.

God GATHERED the ingredients -- God WROTE the recipe -- God GAVE us rules - and God SENT His Son, Jesus as a living example of how to follow the rules.

Now he wants us to live our lives in the way that He intended-according to HIS perfect recipe. If we do that, we will live lives that are full of God's blessings!

Almighty God, Thank you for creating us. We are so lucky, Lord, that you have given us a recipe for life. Not only have you given us a written set of rules, but you have also given us the perfect example in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us, Father, to fill our lives with the perfect ingredients, to obey your commands, to follow Your recipe, to live a life like Jesus. In Jesus' precious name we pray. AMEN

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Parable of the Apple Tree

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:6 (NIV)

Once upon a time there was an apple tree which God had created. It was a young tree without any leaves or fruit. One night the young tree saw the brilliant stars and was very unhappy. He wished for himself to have these sparkling stars on his branches so that he too would be beautiful.

The next morning, God noticed that the tree was unhappy, and He said to him, "Let me make something for you. I will dress you up in a beautiful mantle of green so that you will be beautiful to behold. Then you will not be so unhappy."

But the tree was not content with God's plan. "I do not want a mantle of green, I want stars." The next morning the tree saw that God had not given him stars, but green leaves. And the tree frowned upon it.

Once again the tree said to God, "I want stars," but instead, God gave him beautiful red fruit. The tree was even more unhappy. The wind saw how unhappy the apple tree was and the wind became unhappy too. The wind blew and tried to set the apple tree free of the leaves and the fruit, but he failed. However, as the wind blew, some of the leaves and fruit fell to the ground. One piece of fruit broke into two pieces right in the middle. When the tree looked upon the broken fruit, guess what he saw? (Slice the apple in half and show it to the children. When you slice apple horizontal in the middle you will see the shape of a star.) Inside the fruit was the shape of a star!

Many times you and I, like the apple tree in the story, want a special gift like one God has given to someone else. We may even try to give God instructions as to what is best for us. We must remember that God gives each of us special gifts as he deems best. When we rejoice in the gifts he has given us and use them to do his work, then we will shine like the stars.

Father, help us to be content with the work that you do in us, and to use the gifts which you give us to be a blessing to others. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Apple and the Worm


An apple tree grew in an orchard. The apples on the tree were still small, but they dreamed of the day that they would grow to maturity and become tasty. Then they would be pleasing to children help them to grow healthy and strong.

One day a small worm appeared on the tree and began to speak to the apples about how boring it was to hang on a tree all day with nothing to do.

"Look at the birds," said the worm. "They can fly everywhere. There is so much to see and experience. "

One of the apples became interested in what the worm had to say. "I wish I could learn to fly!" the apple said. "What is necessary for me to learn to fly?"

"It is very simple!" said the worm. "I will teach you, but I am afraid that the birds will eat me. Let us be friends and let me live inside of you and then I will teach you to fly!"

The apple agreed and the worm began to live inside of him. Every day they talked about learning to fly. The worm asked the apple, "Who had told you that you could not fly? And who told you that you should give the vitamins that you have worked so hard to produce to help others?"

"God told me that was why he created me," answered the apple.

"That is very unfair," replied the worm.

"Well then, when will I fly?" asked an apple.

"Wait, it's not time yet," answered the worm while continuing to eat away at the inside of the apple.

Finally, one day the worm said, "It's time now! You are fully grown and there is no reason why you should not fly. The only thing that prevents you from flying is this apple tree! The apple tree is jealous because its roots grow so deeply in the ground that it cannot fly, so it does not want you to fly either. You must break loose from the apple tree and then you will be able to fly!"

The other apples heard what the worm said and began to try to pursuade the apple to stay on the tree. "We were created for others and we must help them by giving them vitamins to help them become strong and healthy! Stay here with us, do not trust the worm!"  But the apple would not listen! A gust of wind came and the tree was shaken. The apple turned loose from the tree.

"I'm flying, I'm flying," the apple happily cried. But the flight soon ended as the apple crashed to the ground. After a short time, the apple began to spoil.

The next day some children came to the garden and began to collect apples, but the apple that wanted to fly was thrown into the trash. "Who would want a worm-eaten, spoiled apple?" the children asked.

All the other apples were collected into baskets and went on provide vitamins to help others to grow -- just as God had intended them to do.

[Soldier4Christ]

 What Is in a Name?

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. Philippianas 2:9

We are all given names when we are born by our mom’s and dad’s. Everyone’s name has a meaning.

For instance my name is Doris Jean. Doris means “of the sea”, which is kinda strange to me cause I don’t like deep water very much. and my middle name Jean means “God is Gracious” . So I kinda figured out that Doris Jean means “God is gracious of the sea.”

Another example is Kenneth Todd: Kenneth means Handsome and Todd means “Fox”.So I guess that makes Kenneth Todd means "a handsome fox.”

No matter what name our EARTHY parents gave us or what they mean, each one of us are very special to God.

I looked up on the computer how many names there are for Jesus. It told me, that in the Bible, there are 144 names or titles that referred to Jesus. What are some words or names that we call Jesus?

How about “Friend”, or Savior, or Lord, or King.

How about “Father”, or Messiah, or Teacher.

How about “Master, or Lamb of God, or Holy One.

Child of God, Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords and many, many more.

Whatever our names are, we need to keep in mind, that we all need to be more like Jesus.

Let us Pray: Dear Jesus, we thank you and ask you to bless these children. And let them know that each one of them is very special and that you hold each of them in your arms.Guide them in their walk with you to walk on good paths in order to serve you.  Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

That's the Spirit!

An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire." The crowds asked John, "What should we do?" John told them, "If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else." Luke 3:9-11 (CEV)

I imagine that there are many beautifully wrapped gifts like this one under your Christmas tree at home.  Have you looked at the packages to see how many of them have your name on them?  Have you tried to guess what might be in those packages?  Do you ever sneak in when mom and dad aren't around and shake and squeeze the packages trying to figure out what might be inside?  I must confess that I did that when I was a child.  All right, maybe I still do it, but not as much as I once did.

When I was a child checking the presents under the tree, I wasn't the least bit interested in the gifts that had other people's names on them, I was only interested in the ones that were for me.  Isn't it pretty much the same with most of us?  Much of the time, we think only of ourselves.  Is that the real spirit of Christmas?

In our Bible lesson today, we read that many people had heard John calling them to repent of their sins and be baptized so that they would be ready for the coming Messiah.  Large crowds of people were coming to be baptized by John.  John said to them, "First do something to show that you have really repented of your sin."

"What should we do?" the people asked.

"If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have one.  If you have food, share it with someone else."  In other words, John was saying, "Stop thinking only of yourself and start thinking about others."

Christmas is only a few days away.  How much thought have we given to what we can do for others during the Christmas season?  We have been given so much... shouldn't we share what we have with others who may not have as much?  What are some ways that we can do that?  There are many wonderful organizations which help people who have special needs. (The Salvation Army, Angel Tree, and Operation Christmas Child, for example.)  We can give to help them help others.  We can give to mission offerings in our own church which help those in need. (There may be food or clothing drives going on in your own church or community that you might mention here to make the message more relevant to your own situation.)

Sharing with others -- that's the spirit -- the spirit of Christmas.  Let's all show the true spirit of Christmas this year!

Father, as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, help us to remember those who are in need of food, shelter, and clothing.  We are reminded that Jesus himself taught us that when we do something to help those in need, it is the same as doing it for him.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The M & M Test

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;   Romans 10:12

Good morning, boys and girls!

Have any of you ever heard of a taste test? Some people think that they have an extra keen sense of taste. Where most of us can eat two things that are alike and say they taste the same, a person with sensitive taste buds will notice a difference. Do you know where your taste buds are? That’s right. Taste buds are these bumps on your tongue. Taste buds help us know when we are eating spinach or chocolate cake. But some people say they have such good taste buds that they can even tell the difference in the taste of M&M’s. They say each color of M&M tastes slightly different than the others.

I have a hard time believing that M&M’s taste differently, but I thought I would have a taste test experiment this morning to see if you can tell the difference in taste between M&M’s. Would anyone like to help me? Okay! This is what we will do. I will blindfold _____________. Then we will give him two M&M’s, one at a time. _______________will tell us if they taste different. Ready? (Blindfold the volunteer. Give him a red M&M. After he has eaten the first M&M, give him a green M&M. Show the other children the color of the M&M before handing it to the volunteer.) You have eaten two different colors of M&M’s. Did you notice a difference in taste? (If the volunteer says yes, give him two more M&M’s of the same color and ask if there is a difference. Make sure the other children see what colors are handed to the volunteer.)

Thank you, _________, for helping us. You may take off the blindfold. I think we have proved that M&M’s all taste the same. They may be a different color on the outside, but the inside is always chocolate. Aren’t you glad M&M’s are different colors. That difference makes them good to look at and fun to eat.

The Bible tells us that the same thing is true of people. It pleased God to make races of people who are different colors on the outside. Or people may have the same color of skin but have different color eyes or hair. It pleased God to make color differences when He created people. But does that mean that God likes some people better than others? No! He made each one of us to please Him and loves all of us.

There is a verse that tells us of God’s love for all people.
Romans 10:12: For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

There is a song that we used to sing when I was a little boy. It is called Jesus Loves the Little Children. The words are: Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world. I will sing the song and you can sing it with me if you would like. (Sing the song.)

Let’s close with prayer, thanking God that He made so many different kinds of people, and thanking Him that He loves all of us. (Prayer.)

[Soldier4Christ]

 Birthdays

1 John 3:1-4

What can you tell me about Birthdays? We eat cake and ice cream, we get to see our friends and family, we get to wear hats and blow horns. PRESENTS! We look forward to receiving presents, don't we? What kinds of things do you get on birthdays? (ALLOW KIDS TO SHARE) I hope that all of you get what you want. I really wanted to tell you about my other Birthday. Yes I celebrate 2 birthdays. Its one a lot of people have, and its always on the same day. You see, when I committed myself to God and told Jesus I believed he died for me, I was born again. My "other" birthday is Everyday I spend with God.... I don't wear a hat or blow a horn, or eat cake and ice cream. I just wear my cross, tell others about Jesus, and get the bread of heaven. When you believe in God on your other birthday, you receive the best gift that you can ever receive -- that's the gift of Jesus Christ! Read 1 John 3:1-4.

On others' birthday, we GIVE them gifts. As you give gifts to others, be sure that you don't forget a very important person whose birthday is Christmas. JESUS! He doesn't want the kinds of gifts that we want -- like toys or clothes. These toys and clothes are nice for a while, but we outgrow clothes, and some toys we stop playing with. Instead, Jesus wants most of all to be a part of your life -- He wants to be in your heart. Of all of the things in the world that you could give to Jesus, the BEST gift that you can give Him is what? YOU! The best gift that you can ever give Jesus is your heart!

PRAYER: Almighty Father, we thank you for birthdays! They teach us about being special and loved.

As we head toward Jesus' birthday, write our Christmas lists, and make our visits to Santa, help us to remember the greatest gift we can give you and others is our love. You have already given us the best gift of all! Renewed life through your son, Jesus. In his name we pray, Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 A Little Bit of Sin

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:10

Do you like brownies? Have you ever baked any yourself? This morning I thought we would make a batch of brownies to eat.

First, we'll add a box of brownie mix. (pour it into a big bowl)

Next, the instructions say that we need just A LITTLE BIT of water, so let's pour just a LITTLE BIT of water into the mix.

Then we need just A LITTLE BIT of egg (break an egg and add it to the mix) and a LITTLE BIT of nuts (add nuts). Now, let's mix everything up A LITTLE BIT.

There is one more thing that the instructions don't call for that I think will make our brownies A LITTLE BIT better. I am going to add just A LITTLE BIT of cat food and we'll be done. (Of course, the kids will go nuts. "You can't put that in! It'll ruin the brownies!")

I am only going to put in A LITTLE BIT of cat food in, surely just A LITTLE won't hurt! It's not that big a deal! Just this one time, just one little tablespoon won't make a big difference! Do you really think that just A LITTLE BIT of cat food will ruin the brownies? Well, of course, you are right. Even A LITTLE BIT of cat food would ruin the brownies.

Sin is like this cat food. Sometimes, you might think if you only let yourself sin A LITTLE BIT, it won't hurt. Maybe you think that if you only allow yourself to do LITTLE sins (like thinking mean thoughts about your teacher, or saying you don't have any candy left to share when you do, or telling your mom you cleaned your room when you didn't) that it won't hurt you, that it is no big deal. A lot of times, we think it is only BIG SINS (like stealing or killing someone) that hurt us or separate us from God. But sin is like this cat food, even A LITTLE BIT in your life isn't good and can really mess things up, like this LITTLE BIT of cat food will mess up our brownies. We are all sinners, we know that, and we know Christ died for all our sins, but he wants us to put up the good fight against sin and to try not to let sin keep us away from him, not even A LITTLE BIT of sinning.

Dear Jesus, we thank you for forgiving us of all our sins -- both big and small. Help us to remember that they are all the same in your sight. Amen.

Before you leave, I have some GOOD brownies that I bake without even a little bit of cat food for you. (Pass them out to all of them to eat.)