This is the fourth lectionary Gospel in a row that is a very long encounter with Christ from John. However writing a children’s sermon on John 11:1-45 is much easier than it was on Nicodemus, the woman at the well, or the healing of the man born blind. That’s because there is much more action in […]
A Children’s Sermon on John 9:1-41 — Jesus Heals a Man Blind from Birth
The story of the healing of the man born blind is another very long one. That adds to the challenge of basing a children’s sermon on John 9:1-41. It isn’t that the content is complex or obscure. It s just that the one story has about six different scenes. With a Gospel text, I often […]
A Children’s Sermon on John 4:5-42, The Woman at the Well
There are a couple major challenges to writing a children’s sermon on John 4:5-42, the story of “the woman at the well.” First, the conversation is long and convoluted. It is not confusing, but it keeps taking twists and turns as Jesus tries to redirect her to what matters most for her salvation. It is […]
A Children’s Sermon on Matthew 4:1-11
As with many passages, writing a children’s sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 is made challenging by the sheer amount of weighty detail, and the theological puzzles. Do I discuss all three temptations? Complicated. Do I try to explain the concept of temptation? Pretty vague. Do I discuss the paradox of God in the flesh experiencing temptation […]
A Children’s Sermon: Matthew 5:1-12
Doing a children’s sermon on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) is challenging because Jesus makes so many different points — nine of them! I think one good way around the problem is to take just two of the beatitudes and talk about them in ways that they relate to a child’s world. I’d love to hear […]