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Children’s Sermon Idea for March Madness

Kristin Charles — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:54:38 +0000

3-Point Challenge: A Children’s Message

This children’s message was originally written for an Awana group of 1st – 6th graders. It draws parallels between basketball shooting techniques and the Christian life with multiple Bible verse references. What I’ve written below would be a 10-15 minutes presentation, but you extract the main points for a children’s sermon on Sunday morning. You could also add some additional content for a children’s church lesson.

Materials: (all optional) basketball hoop and basketball ( I used our son’s plastic little tykes set); your favorite college team shirt, sweatshirt, or hat; a basketball jersey or uniform

Do any of you know what is going on now in college basketball? That’s right! It’s called March Madness! Raise your hand if you have a favorite college basketball team. (Call on a couple students to name theirs.) Great! Well, my favorite team is ______________ and they are/aren’t in the Big Tournament this year.

Here’s how March Madness goes. There are 64 teams. Then they’ll be 32. The next rounds are called Sweet 16, Elite 8, and then the Fnal 4. Making it to the Tournament at all is a big deal. Any team can make it, which is what makes March Madness fun. People predict who is going to win, but anything goes! Little college basketball teams can upset big ones and everyone goes crazy!

Of course, with all of these teams at the Tournament, there is only one National Champion. Only one school takes home the prize. The Bible actually has quite a lot to say about competitions you know. So if you like sports, dive in!

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 it says, “Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

There are a lot of things you need to have a winning team. Some of those include: hard working players, a good coach, humility, teamwork, and strict training. Basketball is about all those things, but it’s also about the basics and fundamentals: dribbling, passing, defense, and shooting. Today we’re going to talk about how to make a great three point shot, not only on the court but in life as well.

If you’re going to make a great three point shot, first you have to:

Focus on Your Goal: (Have the children point to their eyes. Model with the basketball hoop and ball if available.) In basketball, your goal is to get the ball in the hoop. You look at the hoop when you shoot. You focus. You aim for the box right above the net.

In the Christian life, our goal is to become like Christ: to love God and others like He did. Hebrews 12:2 explains this well. It says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Do you think we often focus on becoming like Jesus? (No.) What things in life do we focus on? (School, friends, clothes, money, video games, sports, music, etc.)

How can we remember to focus on Christ? (Read the Bible, ask questions, go to church, pray, obey His word, have a relationship with Him, etc.) Proverbs 4:25 says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”

No one is making baskets if they’re not looking at the net. You can’t win like that. None of us are going to become like Jesus if we’re not focused on Him. Focus on your goal, which is Jesus.

If you’re going to make a great three point shot, secondly you have to:

Square Up: (Have the students draw a square in the air. If you have the basketball hoop and ball available, demonstrate visually.) In basketball, if you want to get the ball in the hoop, you’ve got to get your body facing the goal: your feet, hips, shoulders. You get things right, balanced and steady.

In life, “squaring up” means to make things right. You can’t follow Christ and do whatever you want to do. You’ve got to have a clean heart and a clean mind and get to work with your hands. A section of Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Just like running down the court with suitcases would be a bad idea for a basketball player, it’s a bad idea for us to let sin get in our way. Don’t answer this question out loud, but what gets in your way? What sin in your life hurts the heart of God? What sin do you need to get rid of? Is it disobeying your parents, lying, making fun of boy at school, talking back to our teacher, fighting, spending all our time with video games?

We all have to get rid of sin, every moment of every day. We’ll never be perfect, but we aim for it. 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV) says, “Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal. Be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” Aim for perfect.

If you’re going to make a great three point shot, last of all you have to:

Follow through: (Have the students make a shooting motion with their hands in the air and demonstrate with the basketball and hoop if available.) In basketball, coaches always say to follow your shot. That means that after you shoot, you try to get the ball back again for a rebound just in case you don’t get it in the first time.

In the Christian life, you’re going to need to follow God every day. It’s a commitment, a challenge, and the greatest reward. But it’s not going to be easy. You’ll make mistakes, but you never stop trying. Never. You keep shooting anyway, just like a basketball player on the court. We might see a basketball player make 7 shots out of 10 in a game. But that’s because they’ve missed 25,000 times before then. If you miss, you shoot again. If you sin, you sincerely ask for forgiveness, and you learn to do what is right.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 says, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

We want our daily (everyday) life to win the respect of outsiders – people who don’t know Christ. We want them to be able to say, “What’s different about her? Wow, that kid is amazing. What makes him stand out? There’s something special about him.”

We want other people to know Christ too and to ask questions about Him. People will notice if you’re working your hardest to love Jesus and love others. They’ll notice the love, peace, joy, hope you have and they’ll want it for themselves.

Let’s review. (Use the hand motions to help trigger memory.) To make a three point shot, we focus on the goal, square up, and follow through. We do it in basketball. After lots of practice shooting, we’ll get that ball in the net. Hey, we may even score the winning points for our team.

In the Christian life, we focus on Jesus. We square up, get things right with God, and get rid of sin. And we follow through. We keep following God no matter what. And we try and try again.

Even harder than a three point challenge in a basketball game, is the three point challenge in life. But it’s worth it. It’s so worth it! And you can do it! I believe in you. Your teachers/pastors believe in you. Christ believes in you. And He is your biggest fan. I wonder if he’s applauding now.

(Close in prayer.)

Need More Ideas? Try this children’s ministry game that ties into March Madness, or find a craft idea to expand this lesson for Sunday School.

Thinking About the Christmas Lights (Children’s Sermon)

Terry Delaney — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Here is a brief devotion for Christmas based on some observations of the Christmas lights. Put these ideas into your own words and you could easily use this content as a Children’s Sermon around Christmas or Advent Season.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
–John 1:4-5

I love to look at Christmas lights. Back home in St. Louis, we would go by the Shrine every year to see the bazillion lights and animals and Nativity stories as a family. There is also a place near the Six Flags in St. Louis called Santa’s Magical Kingdom where there were more than a bazillion lights and decorations. My family would make an evening or two of just driving around and checking out all of the Christmas lights and displays. I am sure many of your families do the same thing at your church.

What is the fascination with Christmas lights? For one, they are beautiful to look at. Knowing how much effort went into each display greatly enhances the beauty. The creativity behind some of the displays, I am thinking of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra display, blows my mind. Second, they are only around for a couple months at the most each year. Therefore, the brevity of time sets an urgency to our “need” to take in all the lights.

I believe the fascination with Christmas lights is deeper than that, though. I believe our fascination with lights is stated in the above two verses from the Gospel of John. We talk about the “God-sized vacuum” in our hearts quite regularly and with good reason–there is truth to the statement. We see above that Jesus is the light of the world and, praise be to God!, the darkness cannot overcome it!

Share this with your children in your ministry or your home. It is a great way to share the gospel with them all while having fun checking out the Christmas lights.

The Wise Men and Christmas (Children’s Sermon)

Terry Delaney — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:27:17 +0000

How many of your Nativity sets have wise men in them? Where do you usually place your wise men? Do you want to know where I place mine? Good! I place mine either on the other side of the entertainment center (across from the nativity) or if they are larger, on the other side of the room they are in. My friends have called me the “Manger Nazi” because I will go into their houses and move their wise men.

When I bring this up with the children (and with the adults) in my church, they inevitably want to question why I do this. This is the whole goal of why I bring it up in the first place! I have just hooked their curious little minds and now they want to know “Why does Mr. Terry do something so silly as move the wise men?” I then give them homework and make a game of it. Anyone who gives me the right answer the following week will win a prize.

For those of you reading this asking the same thing as my children do, here is why I move the wise men. Luke 2 tells us that Mary gave birth to Jesus and “wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger” (Lk. 2:7). Immediately after writing that, Dr. Luke tells us that “in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them…When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened…’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger” (Lk. 2:9-16).

Matthew 2 picks up the story “after Jesus was born” that “behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem” (Mt. 2:1). We know that they discovered from chief priests and scribes that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea (Mt. 2:3-6). Matthew then tells us that they picked up the star again and found that it “came to rest over the place where the child was” (Mt. 2:9). Verse 11 is the key. We read, “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.” Also, when Herod gets mad, he decides to have all boys under the age of 2 killed (Mt. 2:16).

I have italicized four words in the above quoted passages of Scripture. Luke tells us that shepherds visited the baby in the manger. Matthew tells us the wise men visited the child in a house.

Yes, it may be splitting hairs, but it does accomplish the goal of getting the children to study the Scriptures more closely which is always a good thing. Have fun with this and challenge your children (and parents!) to be Bereans during this Christmas season.

Children’s Sermon: He Sat Down!

Terry Delaney — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:35:53 +0000

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
–Mark 16:19 (ESV)

This could be the last children’s sermon in a series about the gospel of Jesus Christ, but can also stand alone. For those churches who have skits during the Children’s Sermon. (You do not need the skit. You can simply describe it and move into the sermon.)

Materials You Will Need

a chair that reclines
an ice-cold drink (tea, soda, water, etc.)
a newspaper, book, or even a working a television

Skit

Have a 20 or 30 year old male in the church come onto the stage and say something like, “Man what a day of hard work! I am glad I can come home to an air-conditioned house and rest when the work is finished.”

Have him make a big deal out of pouring a glass of iced tea and getting his book or newspaper or remote and sitting back down.

When he sits down, have him emphasize once again that the work is done.

Bible Lesson

When the skit is over, ask the children if they know how this could possibly apply to the Christian life. Most kids will have no idea (shoot, most adults will not figure it out!). After listening to some of their answers turn in your Bible (always read scripture from the Bible!) and read Mark 16:19.

Quickly explain to the children that after Christ died on the cross and was resurrected, He appeared to over 500 people over a forty day period. After the 40 days, he ascended into heaven and “sat down.”

Draw the allusion to the man sitting in the recliner sipping his soda reading and say that when you get done with all your work, you can sit down and relax. That is exactly what Christ has done. He accomplished all the atoning work necessary on the cross. When Christ sat down, there is no more He needs to do to redeem all who will be saved.

Now, you can leave it right here and pray thanking Christ for what He accomplished or you can continue and share further with the children about how we must repent of our sins.

Free Children’s Sermons

Tony Kummer — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:31:29 +0000

Giving the “children’s sermon” can be intimidating, even for experienced pastors or Sunday School teachers. But finding good object talks for kids has never been easier. Here are a few places to find the right Bible lesson for your next ministry moment. As always, use discernment. Our website has a growing collection of children’s sermons. You can read and print off a growing number from our site.

He Sat Down! – A simple reminder for kids and adults that Jesus finished our salvation and we must trust him rather than our own efforts.

Children’s Sermon About Creation (Days 1-4) – An interactive retelling of the first four days of creation.

Children’s Sermons In A Sack – Play ’stump the pastor’ with this approach to doing children’s sermons. It’s a creative option that can be used with very little planning.

Children’s Sermon for Father’s Day – Remind the children and congregation what the Bible says about fatherhood.

Candy Cane Poem (Christmas Children’s Sermon)- includes a printable handout

Children’s Sermon About Jonah & the Big Fish (Pt. 1) and (Pt. 2) -The story about Jonah is always a winner and lends itself to creative methods.

Thinking about the Christmas Lights (Kids Sermon) – Why do we love the lights at Christmas time and what does this teach us about the true light of the world.

God the Holy Spirit is Everywhere (Children’s Sermon)

March Madness Basketball Themed Children’s Sermon

More Free Kids Sermons Online

Denise Day Spencer has posted several excellent object lessons for kids. She has a whole series on the parables of Jesus and adds something new every few months.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention also provides free children’s sermons on their website. Look to the right column for an index. You can also read their helpful how-to article (PDF file).
The website ChildrenSermons.com offers printable children’s sermons in both English and Spanish.
Sermons4Kids is another helpful resource. Be sure to see their index to find object talks by scripture or topic.

Children’s Sermon About Creation (Days 1-4)

Terry Delaney — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:53:49 +0000

Leader: Who knows what God created?

Children: everything, the earth, the sun, the universe, the stars, animals, people (let them give a good list to get the idea that all things were created by God).

Leader: Does anyone know what God created first according to Genesis 1? (Gen. 1:3-5) It is very important that we keep everything rooted in a particular book and verse

Children: Be prepared for them to say Jesus or Angels. The correct answer is Light. Note: This is not the sun! Make that very clear to them.

Leader: What did God create on the second day? (Gen. 1:6-8)

Children: Most will not get this answer. The answer is Heaven–God created separated the waters with an expanse. That expanse is Heaven.

Leader: What did God create on the third day? (Gen. 1:9-13)

Children: They will probably be guessing at this point. God created the Earth and formed the seas. He also created plants and trees.

Leader: Now, do you know what God created on the fourth day? (Gen. 1:14-19)

Children: God created the stars, the moon, and the sun.

***Now at this point the children should be a bit confused as to how there was evening and morning without the sun and moon. If they are not confused, then ask them how there could be evening and morning without a sun or moon.

As they try to answer this question, quietly turn your Bible to Revelation 21:23 and read about how the New Heaven and the New Earth will have no need for the sun because the glory of God is its light and that the lamb (Jesus) is its lamp.

Explain that the gospel of John tells us also that Jesus is the light of the world. Read John 1:1-5 (stopping at “light shines in darkness) and explain to the children that Jesus, who is God, created everything.

***Be careful that they don’t begin to think that Jesus was the light created on Day 1. In other words, be sure they realize that Jesus was not created. He is called “light” because he illumines our lives.

To conclude this message, have the children repeat what was created on the first four days and then explain where the light came from before day 4. Finally, have them describe who Jesus is according to this story (Creator, Light, Lamb).

Children’s Sermons In A Sack

Kristin Charles — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:38:24 +0000

I’m not certain who first coined the idea of “Sermons in a Sack,” but if you need a break from the usual children’s sermons, this is a good alternative for summer. These kids messages in a sack are creative, interactive ways of sharing Bible lessons, scripture passages, or characteristics of God. It’s an object lesson, utilizing an object of the child’s choosing.

Typically, one child is given a brown paper lunch bag to fill with any item. The “sack” is then given to the teacher. It is the teacher’s responsibility (and challenge) to teach about God, using that particular object. Children will love the opportunity to stump the teacher! If the message is given during the regular service, adults get a pretty good kick out of this as well. Everyone appreciates a good visual; the more random, the better.

Using Children’s Sermons In A Sack

1. Introduce the concept.
Start off with a random item of your choosing in a paper bag. Use that object to teach a lesson. Remember to always end up at the cross, sharing the crux of the gospel. Be creative!

2. Select a child to be the recipient of the first paper bag.
Encourage him/her to stump the teacher with an item of their choosing. Have the child return the bag the following week.

3. If you are good on your feet, teach the object lesson utilizing the child’s item.
If not, have a second item of your own selection ready to go for the Bible lesson. Then at the end of your lesson, reveal what the child brought in as a “teaser” for the next week.

4. Distribute an empty bag to another child in order to keep the sermons going.
The whole church will look forward to this each Sunday, especially if you can do tie the object back into the Gospel story.

5. It’s always good to keep a spare “Sermon in a Sack” ready to go, in the event that the child with the bag is not present.
Being prepared will save you and the forgetful child from being embarrassed. Another option is to hand out the bag to a child during Sunday school, this means they will have to think quick with their classmates help.

Optional: Put Pastoral Staff On The Spot
If your church’s ministry will play along, have a different staff member attempt to give the children’s sermon each week. This can be a easy & fun way for the other ministers to be more involved in the children’s ministry.

Share Your Children’s Sermon Ideas?

Have you tried sermon’s in a sack? What creative objects have you utilized for teaching purposes? What are some of the most random things you have used to share the gospel?

Free Children’s Sermons

Children’s Sermon About Jonah & the Big Fish (Pt. 2)

Terry Delaney — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:51:28 +0000

Last week we talked about Jonah’s disobedience to God. We saw that when God punished him, he repented and asked for forgiveness. After that, the big fish spit Jonah onto the shore so he could go into Nineveh and preach the message of forgiveness that God wanted him to preach.

The Ninevites responded to Jonah’s message with repentance. Do you think that made Jonah happy? No, it did not.

After they repented and God turned from His punishment, Jonah went outside of the city to see what would happen to the city. There God caused a plant to grow and be shade for Jonah because the sun was so hot. This made Jonah happy. However, God sent a worm to eat the plant and cause it to die leaving Jonah without any shade in the hot sun. This made Jonah mad.

Do you think Jonah had a right to be mad because God forgave the Ninevites? No!

Do you think Jonah had a right to be mad because God took the plant away? No!

The Bible teaches us that all good things come from God. (James 1:17)

What should have been Jonah’s response to the Ninevites repenting? He should have rejoiced that God had forgiven them just as He had forgiven Jonah.

The Apostle Paul teaches that we should be content which means “satisfied” in all things (Phil. 4:11). How can you practice being content or satisfied in all things?

Children’s Sermon About Jonah & the Big Fish (Pt. 1)

Terry Delaney — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:00:36 +0000

We all know the story of Jonah and the big fish. (aka Jonah and the Whale). We all know that Jonah was given instructions to preach to the Ninevites God’s message of forgiveness. We also know that Jonah did not want to preach this to the Ninevites because he did not like them and did not want them to be forgiven by God.

What happened to Jonah when he refused to follow God’s command?

Do you think you will get swallowed by a big fish? Me, either!

But, do you think God was happy or unhappy with Jonah for not following his command?

Right, God was unhappy.

When God punished Jonah for disobeying Him, how did Jonah respond?

Right, he prayed and asked for forgiveness.

Do you ever disobey your parents? I have. Did you know that when you disobey your parents, you are actually disobeying God? The apostle Paul says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this right” (Eph. 6:1 ESV). We are commanded by God to obey our parents, just like Jonah was commanded by God to preach to the Ninevites.

Do you think God will punish your disobedience? Yes, He will.

Did you know that Jesus took our punishment for us on the cross when He died for our sins? But, we need to ask for forgiveness and put our trust and faith in Jesus alone if we are to be saved from God’s punishment.

Children’s Sermon for Father’s Day

Terry Delaney — Thu, 28 May 2009 10:29:56 +0000

And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Matthew 23:9

What is Jesus telling us when He says “call not man your father on earth?” We celebrate Father’s Day every year because Daddy’s are a special gift given to us by God. Jesus is not saying that we cannot call your Dad Daddy. No, you keep calling him Daddy.

But, Jesus is pointing us to an even greater special gift. You see, God created everything in the universe and God created you and your parents and brothers and sisters and me and Pastor ________. Whenever we repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus Christ alone, we are adopted into Jesus’ family.

Do you know what that makes God to us? That makes Him our Daddy! This is what Jesus is saying when He says, “For you have one Father, who is in heaven.” When we are adopted through our faith into God’s family, He becomes a Daddy to us and we then get all of the benefits of being a child of God!

Let us pray . . .

Help Us Improve This Children’s Sermon: If you notice any typing errors, or think of a way to improve this lesson plan – please leave a comment below. Your help is important and makes this website more useful for everyone.

Need more help? Then check out our Sunday School lessons for Father’s day, getideas for father’s day, or browse our Bible verses about parents. See also (Exodus 20:12, Proverbs 4:1,23:22-24, Ephesians 6:1-4, Colossians 3:20).