God's Call at Every Age

Children’s Chapel

August 21, 2016

Proper 16C

Welcome: Children will enter quietly and sit together on the floor. Welcome all children and ask if there are any new friends today. Remind children of good listening skills (Sit on the floor with hands to yourself, eyes on speaker, ears open, mouths in closed position.)

Theme: God's Call Each of Us at Every Age   

Introduction: Raise your hand if any of you have ever driven a car by yourself. No one! Why not? (Allow answers.) You’re right! You have to be a grown up or at least 16 and have a driver’s license to be able to drive a car all on your own. There are other things too that you have to be older than you are now to be able to do. Let’s put on our thinking caps and think of some things that grown ups do that children are not yet ready to do. (Allow answers.) Those are all great answers! Grown ups may own a house, they may have a job, they may go to college . . . These are all things people do or have when they are adults. As we grow up and learn we are prepared and ready to take on such big responsibilities such as driving a car when we are older and have gone through driver’s education and passed the test for our license. I wonder if that is how it is with God too. I wonder if we have to be all grown up in order to do what God has planned for our lives. Before we answer that question let’s listen to the Bible story from the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament.

Bible Reference (Read Aloud)

Jeremiah 1:4-19

⁴Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁵“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” ⁶Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” ⁷But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, ⁸Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” ⁹Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Response: In the Bible story I just read to you Jeremiah is told by God that “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you . . .” Did you know that God knew each one of you too before you were even in your mother’s tummy!?!? Isn’t that amazing! God knew each of us and then placed us in our mothers' wombs where we grew and then we were born into this world. And do you know what else? God also knew the plan he has for each one of our lives before any of were born! Jeremiah was called as a young boy by God to be a prophet or a messenger for him. Jeremiah said to God, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But God said to Jeremiah, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy, for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you . . .” God says that to each one of us too! We are all called by God to love others and to spread the good news of his love. We may feel like we are just little children and that it’s too hard to do God’s work. The good news is that we don’t have to do it all on our own. God formed each one of us with a special purpose in life. God also promised to always be with us always. As we trust in God we are strengthened and his Spirit shines through each of us making us perfectly prepared to do his work in the world.

Pray: Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of our lives. Thank you for loving each of us. Help us to remember that you are always with us as we trust in you. Shine your light of love through us so that we may be strengthened to do your work in the world. In your holy name,

Amen

Together pray the Lord’s Prayer

Response Activity: God’s Plan Activity