10:30 sermon with the children

September 4, 2005

Romans 12:9-21

MATTHEW 18:15-20

“Let love be genuine”

(I invite the kids up to the front of the sanctuary, near the altar, where there is a table with a shopping bag, inside of which are several bags of cookies.)

Inside this bag is a present from God for God’s people. Would anyone like to see what’s inside? (I pick a volunteer and ask him or her to take one package out.) Does anyone here like cookies? (Reaction.) Let’s see how many bags of cookies there are. (Volunteer takes all of the packages out of the shopping bag, as we count them in unison.) How many packages are there? (Six.) Do you think there are enough cookies here for everyone in church to have one each if someone offered them a cookie? (Responses.)

O.K., if all this is a present from God to God’s people, do you think God wants God’s people to receive their present, or should we put it back in the bag until next Christmas or something? (Responses.) If God gave this present, how do you think God would want us to share them? (Responses.) To everybody? (“Yes.”) Do you think God would want the cookies to go only to people wearing fancy, dress-up clothes, or to everybody? (Responses.) Do you think God would want the cookies to go only to people with blue eyes, or to everybody? (Responses.) You mean everybody here – even if we have to carry bags of cookies to where the people are? (Responses.)

O.K., let’s do it! I’d like some leaders – who’d like to be a leader? (Volunteers jump up.) And everyone else can be helpers. Leaders will each carry a “sleeve” of cookies to give out; helpers have the very important job of making sure that nobody gets left out who wants one! Make sure you remember to offer a cookie to anyone who may be in the Bolmer Room or the Welcoming Area, too, not just in this room. After you’ve offered cookies to everyone, then you can bring back the rest and then we can each have one. (Twelve kids volunteer to be leaders and the rest are helpers. The leftovers are carefully wrapped by the kids and saved for Coffee Hour.) There shall be no child – or adult – left behind! (At the end,) O.K. everyone, you can eat your cookies.

(Upon the return of the kids.) Well done, good and faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ! You remembered to offer cookies to everyone, including those you had to go into other rooms to reach.

(To the whole congregation.) If our kids can figure this out in five minutes – to remember to include everybody -- why did it take the government days and days?

The Rev. Francis A. Hubbard

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church,

Monmouth Junction, New Jersey

September 4, 2005