Read an Excerpt
Children's Sermons
By Anne E. Streaty Wimberly
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2010 The United Methodist Publishing House
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-0650-9
Chapter One
Let Everything That Breathes Praise the Lord (Part One)
Scripture: Psalm 150
Season/Sunday: Any. Note that this is the first in a three-part series, but it is not necessary that the three parts be done on successive Sundays.
Focus: Anybody can praise God. We can praise God anytime we want. We can praise God with anybody we want. We can praise God anywhere we want. We can praise God in any way we want. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Experience: The children will learn the different ways we can praise God. In this sermon, they will use musical instruments.
Arrangements: You will need an assortment of musical instruments, such as tambourines, triangles, and drumsticks. Even whistles, pots and pans, and other types of noisemakers will do. Make sure you have enough for each child. A narrator or reader to say the verses from Psalm 150 will keep you free to direct the "orchestra."
Leader: Hello! Wow, what a beautiful day to praise the Lord! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise, praise, praise. I love praising the Lord. Children, what do you think it means to praise the Lord?
Children: Worship. Praise. Praying. Singing.
Leader: Those are all great answers! Praising God is how we thank God for all that God has done for us. It is a way for us to say something good about God like, "Wow, God. You are so good and powerful." But let me ask you a question: When is it okay to praise the Lord?
Children: In the morning? Anytime?
Leader: Yes, we can praise God in the morning, at night, even in our dreams! And who can praise the Lord?
Children: People. Kids. Parents.
Leader: Those are all great answers—and not only people, but the Bible says the animals, the plants, everything that has breath should praise the Lord! Okay, where can we praise the Lord?
Children: In church. At home.
Leader: That's right! We can praise God here in this sanctuary. We can praise the Lord in our homes. We can praise in the park, or at the dinner table, or even at school. God invites us to praise anywhere and everywhere! Okay, last question: How do we praise the Lord? What are some things we do here at church and at home to praise the Lord?
Children: Sing. Pray. Preaching.
Leader: Yes! There are many ways we can praise the Lord! But there is one way you didn't mention—by playing instruments! (Bring out your bag of instruments.) I just happen to have a bag here full of things that will help us praise God. Let's see what we have in here. (Take out instruments and begin to distribute. It's probably not helpful to try to keep everyone quiet as they receive their instrument, and in fact not really necessary!) Let's praise God with these instruments. Does everyone have one? All right, let's have a concert of praising God. When I give you this signal, start playing (show them the signal you will use); and when I give you this signal (show signal), stop. Is everyone ready? Let's practice (do a few starts and stops). Wow, you are fast learners! I bet God can't wait to hear us praise God with our music. Okay, here we go.
Narrator: "Praise [God] with trumpet sound."
Leader: (Signal children to play a few moments, then stop.)
Narrator: "Praise [God] with lute and harp!"
Leader: (Signal start and stop.)
Narrator: "Praise [God] with tambourine and dance."
Leader: (Signal start and stop.)
Narrator: And "praise him with strings and pipe!"
Leader: (Signal start and stop.)
Narrator: "Praise [God] with clanging cymbals; ... with loud clashing cymbals!"
Leader: (Signal start and let the "music" continue for a bit longer this time, then signal to stop.) This was really great! Let's have a prayer and give thanks that God received all of that and all our praise, and that we can give praise in so many ways. (Prayer)
Joyce S. Fong
Let Everything That Breathes Praise the Lord (Part Two)
Scripture: Psalm 150
Season/Sunday: Any. Note that this is the second in a three-part series, but it is not necessary that the three parts be done on successive Sundays.
Focus: Anybody can praise God. We can praise God anytime we want. We can praise God with anybody we want. We can praise God anywhere we want. We can praise God in any way we want. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Experience: The children will learn the different ways we can praise God. In this sermon they will use their bodies.
Arrangements: None are needed, but be sure you are familiar with the hand motions you will use.
Leader: Good morning! Today we're going to continue to look at the different ways we can praise God. Do you remember when we can praise God, who can praise God, where we can praise God, and how we can praise God?
Children: Anytime, anyone, everywhere, and with noisy instruments!
Leader: Those are all the right answers! The Bible tells us that everyone, everywhere, can praise God at any time in just about every way! Today we're going to learn another way we can praise God: through the movements of our bodies. Psalm 150:4 says, "Praise [God] with ... dance." Everybody stand up, and let's start our dance by reaching for God (start with your hands open and down beside your body, then raise your hands up high, like you're reaching for the sky).
Children: (Follow motion.)
Leader: Now let's show with our bodies how to receive God's blessing. (Bring your hands down to your shoulder level, stretched outward like a cross.)
Children: (Follow motion.)
Leader: Now let's bring God's blessing into our hearts. (Swoop hands together and clasp out in front of yourself, then bring the hands to the heart.)
Children: (Follow motion.)
Leader: Now let's thank God for God's blessing. (Bring your hands away from your heart to a position of prayer. You may want to kneel down.)
Children: (Follow motion.)
Leader: Last, let's share this blessing with everyone. (Swoop hands back out from the prayer position and spread outward from the body toward the congregation or one another.)
Children: (Follow motion.)
Leader: Wow, that was great! That was beautiful praising. Let's invite the congregation to be involved too. (Invite congregation to stand, and, together with children, repeat motions. Since they won't be able to kneel, you might suggest they sit instead.)
All: (Follow motion with leader's verbal instruction.)
Leader: That was wonderful! Let's do that one more time, this time in silence, and have that be our closing prayer. (Repeat sequence in silence.)
Joyce S. Fong
Let Everything That Breathes Praise the Lord (Part Three)
Scripture: Psalm 150
Season/Sunday: Any. Note that this is the third in a three-part series, but it is not necessary that the three parts be done on successive Sundays.
Focus: Anybody can praise God. We can praise God anytime we want. We can praise God with anybody we want. We can praise God anywhere we want. We can praise God in any way we want. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Experience: The children will learn the different ways we can praise God. In this sermon they will use their voices. The sermon below also incorporates the use of instruments and bodies from the previous sermons of the series.
Arrangements: You will need to supply the instruments as you did in part 1, and it would again be helpful to have a narrator to do the reading.
Leader: Good morning, and what a great day for everything that has breath to praise the Lord! We've been learning some of the ways to praise God—what have been your favorites so far?
Children: Making noise!
Leader: Well, I thought so! But did you know that even if you don't have anything to make noise with, and even if you can't use your body, there is something else you can use? Do you know what it is?
Children: Our hands? Our selves? Our voices?
Leader: That's right, our voices are another way to praise God! Let's try that; everyone repeat after me, "Let everything that breathes ..."
Children: "Let everything that breathes ..."
Leader: "Praise the Lord!"
Children: "Praise the Lord!"
Leader: "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!"
Children: "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!"
Leader: Awesome! Well, today we get to put together all the ways we've learned to praise God. So first of all, here are the instruments again—everyone take one (distribute), and remember that this is the signal to start (show signal from part 1), and this is the signal to stop (show signal). Okay, to start this we don't need our instruments, so let's put those all down and be ready to use our bodies.
Narrator: "Praise the Lord!"
L & C: (Bring hands up to the sky.)
Narrator: "Praise God in [the] sanctuary."
L & C: (Bring hands to the side like a cross.)
Narrator: "Praise [the Lord] in [the] mighty firmament!"
L & C: (Bring hands to the heart.)
Narrator: "Praise [God] for his mighty deeds."
L & C: (Bring hands to prayer position and kneel down.)
Narrator: "Praise [the Lord] according to his surpassing greatness!"
L & C: (Bring hands outward to share blessings with everyone.)
Narrator: Now repeat after me: "Let everything that breathes ..."
L & C: "Let everything that breathes ..."
Narrator: "Praise the Lord!"
L & C: "Praise the Lord!"
Narrator: "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!"
L & C: "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!"
Narrator: "Praise the Lord!"
L & C: "Praise the Lord!"
Narrator: "Praise [God] with trumpet sound; ... with lute and harp!"
Leader: (Signal children to pick up instruments and play a few moments, then stop.)
Narrator: "Praise [God] with tambourine and dance ... with strings and pipe!"
Leader: (Signal start and stop.)
Narrator: "Praise [God] with clanging cymbals ... with loud clashing cymbals!"
Leader: (Signal start and let the "music" continue for a bit longer this time, then signal to stop.) Let's do that again, and have that be our prayer of praise to God today. (Signal music to start again, and let continue for as long as you can stand it!) Amen!
Joyce S. Fong
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Children's Sermons by Anne E. Streaty Wimberly Copyright © 2010 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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