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Children's Sermons Following The Lectionary
CHILDREN'S SERMONS FOLLOWING THE LECTIONARY is available free to your Email inbox. They can be sent along with THE McGREGOR PAGE with which it coordinates. To subscribe, unsubscribe or make changes go to http://intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mcgregorpage
[The children’s messages I compose are intentionally spare in detail for two reasons. First, children’s messages are often too long, and two, I expect the story teller to fill in the scenery according to his/her own style and imagination. They are repetitive in the structure of the conclusion in order to teach both parents and children a ritual of interaction at bedtime centered on Christian formation. RRM]
CURRENT CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE
(Updated February 7, 2010)
--Lent 2 – (February 28, 2010)
--Lent 1 – (February 21, 2010)
--Transfiguration Sunday – (February 14, 2010)
--Links
Children’s Sermon for McGregorPage 702
Lent 2 – (February 28, 2010)
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 13:31-35
I would like to tell you a story about a boy named Spizerink. Now Spizerink came into the house crying one day after school.
"Spizerink, honey," said his mother, "what's wrong?"
"Nobody likes me," said Spizerink.
"Oh, Spizerink," said his mother, "that's not true."
"They all laugh and call me names," said Spizerink.
"Did someone call you a bad name today?" said his mother.
"Yes," said Spizerink, "we were choosing up teams to play football. I was the only one left and they said, 'We'll take twinkle bones.' Then another one said, 'You can have Dumbo ears.' Then they all started saying 'Rinky stinky, rinky stinky.'"
"That was real mean," said his mother. "That makes me angry. Did it make you angry?'
"Yes," said Spizerink. "I'm no good at anything. No body likes me."
"You know what you need, my precious Spizerink?" said his mother.
"What?" said Spizerink.
"You need God to touch you," said his mother.
"I do," said Spizerink. "What's that?"
"Well," said his mother, "when God first touched you, when you were born, you did everything right. You cried right. You ate right. You slept right. You did everything right. You didn't think you were no good. Everyone said, 'What a perfect baby you were.'"
"I think I've gotten worse," said Spizerink.
"We all get worse if God doesn't touch us again and again," said his mother.
"How can I get God to touch me then?" said Spizerink.
"How do you get me to touch you?" said his mother.
"I come home," said Spizerink.
"What else?" said his mother.
"I say, 'Mommy'", said Spizerink.
"What else?" said his mother.
"I go to where you are," said Spizerink.
"Yes," said his mother, "and I go to where you are and then I can touch you and you are already better. Well, it is the same way with God."
"It is?" said Spizerink.
"Yes," said his mother. "Watch. God is going to touch us. Let's close our eyes and put our hands together by our hearts. Let's think about God. Now let's talk to God. God, we're home. They were mean to me at school. I wish you would beat them up. Amen"
"I don't think that was a good prayer," said Spizerink.
"Why?" said his mother.
"'Cause God doesn't beat people up," said Spizerink.
"So what should we say instead?" said his mother.
"We should asked God to touch them and make them better too," said Spizerink.
"How did you know that?" said his mother.
"I don't know," said Spizerink.
"Because God just touched you, that's how," said his mother. "Let's pray another prayer."
"Dear God, thanks for touching Spizerink and me and making us better. Please touch the boys at school too. Amen"
Children’s Sermon for McGregorPage 701
Lent 1 – (February 21, 2010)
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
I want to tell you about Fragnot. Fragnot was a little boy who hated rules. He was always doing something different than what the rules were, and he always got himself in trouble. One time he was so angry about the rules, when he went to bed he said, "I wish there were no rules and nobody to get me in trouble."
And when he woke up the next morning, he went down to breakfast, and there was nobody there. He hollered, and there was no one in the house. He said, "Oh, boy, I've got what I wanted. I can do anything I want."
So the first thing that he did was go to his parents’ bedroom. He got on their big bed and started jumping up and down to see if he could touch the ceiling. It was like a trampoline. He jumped so much he nearly fell down when he got off the bed. He thought this is great. "No rules, I can do anything I want."
Then he remembered his big brother's toys. So he went to his room, and he got everything out. He got everything out of the drawers. He got everything out of the closet. He had it all over the floor and he played with everything until it wasn't fun any more. He left it. He didn't have to pick up anything. There was no one to tell him he had to pick it up.
Then he went down stairs. He was hungry. So he went to the kitchen. He saw the cookie jar, and he said, "You know, I can eat all the cookies if I want." So he took the cookie jar down and started eating. He ate until he didn't feel very well.
Then he went outside. There was no one outside. There was no one any where. He could ride the dirt bike that belongs to the neighbor. He went down the street doing anything he wanted to. He decided he would pull up some flowers. There were no rules and nobody to get him in trouble. So he did whatever he wanted all day long until the sun went down.
When he came back to his house, there was still nobody home. He started feeling not so good. He was getting lonely. He was getting hungry. He didn't want cookies anymore. The house was a mess. The neighborhood was a mess. His room was a mess. He went back to bed, and he said something different from the last time.
He said, "I wish I had the people back."
And then he thought, "That means I'll have to have the rules back."
Then he said, "I wish I had the rules back."
Then he though, "That means I might get in trouble."
Then he said, "And I'll try to stay out of trouble."
And then he woke up. It had all been a dream. It wasn't real. It was morning. He went down to breakfast, and his mother and father were there.
He said, "Tell me, what is the rule about cookies?"
And his mother said, "No cookies until evening after supper or on special occasions when you come home after school when I tell you you can."
"Oh, thank you", Fragnot said. "I want to know all the rules and do what is right."
That night when Fragnot and his parents were getting ready for prayers, Fragnot said, "Where do rules come from?"
"The best rules come from God," said his father.
"And we learn them from the Bible," said his mother.
"I want to know all the rules, " said Fragnot.
"Jesus said you know all the rules," said his father, "when you know this rule: love God and love one another. All the good rules come from that rule."
Then they said a prayer like this: Dear God, thank you for giving us good rules to live by and help us do them. Amen.
Children’s Sermon for McGregorPage 700
Transfiguration Sunday – (February 14, 200)
Psalm 99
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-43
I would like to tell you a story about a boy named Droctulft. Now Droctulft was in the bathroom and was supposed to be brushing his teeth getting ready for bed, but instead he was making faces in the mirror. He pulled the corners of his mouth down with his fingers to show his teeth. He pulled the corners of his eyes up with his thumbs. He stuck out his lower lip as if someone had eaten his ice cream. He frowned as if he were saying, “Bad dog!” to his puppy. He tried to look mean. He tried to look sad. Just then his mother looked in.
“What are you doing?” she said.
“I’m brushing my teeth,” said Droctulft.
“No you aren’t,” said his mother, “you are making faces.”
“You want to see my monster face?” said Droctulft.
“No, I want to see your clean face with clean teeth,” said his mother.
“What about my mad face?” said Droctulft.
“No, I want to see your ‘ready-to-talk-to-God’ face,” said his mother.
“What kind of face is that?” said Droctulft.
“What do you think?” said his mother.
“I don’t know,” said Droctulft. “Maybe a clean face.”
“Maybe a shiny clean face,” said his mother.
“What about a sad face?” said Droctulft.
“God likes a sad face too, so God can make it a happy face,” said his mother.
“What about a mean face?” said Droctulft
“No,” said his mother, “a mean face isn’t ready to talk to God. Now get your face ready and get to your room.”
When Droctulft finished in the bathroom and he and his mother had read a Bible story, his face was ready to talk to God. So he said a prayer like this: Dear God, thanks for making my face ready for you. Amen.
Roland McGregor, United Methodist Pastor
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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