Resources for Christian Education

Adults

View next Children’s

Time Message

View previous

Children’s Time Message

Children’s Sermon

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Making Room For God’s Holy Spirit

January 9, 2022

First Sunday after Epiphany

Lectionary Year C

PRINT page without images

VIEW the scripture

SAVE .pdf of message

ASK (a.k.a The On-Ramp)

Good morning!
Have you ever been told that you have to clean your room before a friend can come over?
Or, if your family is having another family over, do you have to help clean the house?
Just so you know – it’s not just you and your family. My family did that. And now I do it, too. I always clean up before I have guests over.
Why do you think we do that – why do you think we clean up before guests come over? (Should be interesting to hear the responses, here)
Those are all interesting ideas. Thank you for sharing them!
I know, for me, the main reason I clean up before guests arrive is to help my guests know that there is room for them and that they feel welcome.

I want them to feel like there is a place for them to sit and be comfortable, instead of feeling crowded by and squeezed in among all my things.

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

I share this idea of cleaning up for guests because I think we see a similar thing happening in today’s Gospel story.
But instead of cleaning rooms and homes, John the Baptist is telling the people in today’s story to clean up their lives.
And the reason John tells the people to clean up their lives is to make room for two very important guests.
The first guest they are making room in their lives for is Jesus.
And, we see who the second guest is once Jesus is baptized.
When Jesus is baptized in today’s story, we hear that he then receives God’s Holy Spirit.

SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination)

With God’s Holy Spirit in his life, we see Jesus go out and share the gifts of the Holy Spirit with others – like God’s healing love, forgiveness and mercy.
He also invites people, like his disciples, to follow him and learn how to do the same thing – how to make room in their lives for God’s Holy Spirit.
Later on, during and after Pentecost, we see how those disciples eventually learn to receive God’s Holy spirit and share the same gifts as Jesus did with others, including God’s love, healing, forgiveness, and joy.
The same thing can happen for us. We too can make room in our lives for Jesus – which then allows us to learn from Jesus how to make room in our lives to receive God’s Holy Spirit.
When we do that, then we too can share the gifts of God’s Holy Spirit with the people around us.
Just like Jesus did.
And that’s the Good News for today. Let’s pray.

CLOSING Prayer

This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God,
Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus…

…who teaches us…

…how to receive your Holy Spirit…

…and share your love, healing, and light…

…with others.

Thank you and amen

Originally posted December 31, 2015

Updated on December 13, 2021

Written and edited by Nathanael Vissia

View more children’s sermons here

This material is the copyrighted property of rfour.org and Nathanael Vissia. It is also free. Please use, improve and share this material. But you may not sell it or require any personal information for it.

Supplies: No supplies needed

Related message(s): N/A