Sit in silence for 15 minutes.

Psalm 63:1-8

• One might talk with the children about being thirsty.  What is that like?  Is anyone thirsty right now?  Though I am not fond of object lessons, it might help children think about how God can be present in them by talking of God as the water that helps them when they are thirsty.  Bring some water to share at the end.
• You might take this opportunity to talk with the children about how the Psalms have inspired many hymns, secular songs, and art.  Spend some time with your hymnal and see how many of your congregation’s “favorite” hymns are based on a psalm.  You could talk to the children about that list.
• One could have the children help create a prayer based on this psalm. Do a simple word- game with the children to create a prayer.  Roll out some paper on the floor.  Ask the children to draw a picture or write a word they think of when they hear the phrases: “walk in your ways, praise you, follow you.”  Create your own words or phrases from Psalm 63.  Post the banner somewhere in the sanctuary or church building.  If you or the preaching minister is a quick thinker, this prayer of words and pictures from the children could be part of the morning’s pastoral prayer.

Isaiah 55:1-9

• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about knowing what is good for us versus what may be bad for us.  You may want to choose one or more of the commandments and talk to the children about how they help us all live together and with God.  If your congregation is following a Lenten theme, you could incorporate this into learning what is good.
• One could set a table (maybe the communion table) and invite the children to join you there.  The conversation around the table could focus on God’s kingdom being like a place where all the food and drinks are free.  What would that be like?

I Corinthians 10:1-13

• Talk with the children about what the biblical story is for you and your expression of Christian faith.  These stories are supposed to help us know something about God.  Do you have a favorite story or two?  Do the children have a favorite story?  What do those stories teach?
• Talk with the children about what it means to be an example for others.  You may have had this conversation with the children earlier, but it is a common biblical theme, and it is the responsibility of Christians to be examples in our living.  Thus, it cannot be visited too often with children.

Luke 13:1-9

• Talk with the children about what the parables of Jesus are.  You could introduce the word “riddle” to the children and talk about what a riddle is supposed to do.  A couple of classic riddles that sound like children’s jokes. 
  1)  Where is the ocean the deepest?  [the bottom] 2) What does an invisible person drink? [evaporated milk]
• You could highlight this parable in Luke and then talk about your favorite parables with the children.
• This is an opportunity to introduce the children to the words “repent” and “repentance.”  Be ready with a simple, but not an oversimplified, definition to give them.  How does your congregation speak of repentance?  Is it a one-time change in heart, attitude, or behavior, or do Christians practice repentance daily?  One option would be to talk to the children about the last time you “repented” or felt “repentance.”  How is your example a teaching story that helps the children on the sacred steps think about times when they “repented” or felt “repentance?”

Fast from judgment, Feast on compassion 

Fast from greed, Feast on sharing 

Fast from scarcity, Feast on abundance 

Fast from fear, Feast on peace 

Fast from lies, Feast on truth 

Fast from gossip, Feast on praise 

Fast from anxiety, Feast on patience 

Fast from evil, Feast on kindness 

Fast from apathy, Feast on engagement 

Fast from discontent, Feast on gratitude 

Fast from noise, Feast on silence 

Fast from discouragement, Feast on hope 

Fast from hatred, Feast on love 

What will be your fast? What will be your feast?
(Unknown Author, “Ash Wednesday.”)

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about how the Psalms have inspired many hymns, secular songs, and art.  Spend some time with your hymnal and see how many of your congregation’s “favorite” hymns are based on a psalm.  You could talk to the children about that list.
• One could have the children help create a prayer based on this psalm. Do a simple word game with the children to create a prayer.  Roll out some paper on the floor.  Ask the children to draw a picture or write a word that they think of when they hear the following phrases:  “One thing I ask of God,”; “The Lord is my light,” and “Teach me your way.”  Create your own words or phrases from Psalm 27.  Post the banner somewhere in the sanctuary or church building.  If you or the preaching minister is a quick thinker, this prayer of words and pictures from the children could be part of the morning’s pastoral prayer.
• Another option would be to talk with the children about your pastoral prayer time.  Do you ask the congregation to voice concerns or joys?  Do you have a list of names in the bulletin that are a “prayer list”?  Your pastoral prayer probably follows the form of this psalm somewhat (i.e., containing both joys & concerns).  This week, ask the children to list their prayer concerns and have them repeat v 1 after each child’s prayer request.  
• If you have not introduced the children to the Psalms, this might be the week to do so.  This is a “mixed-type” psalm that represents many human emotions. During the children’s prayers, they may also express many emotions.  Is there anything you can’t say to God in prayer?

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

• Talk with the children about what a covenant is or what the word “covenant” means.  This story is just one example of God’s many covenants with an individual, nation, or even all creation.  (Think about the Noah story.)  Be ready to give a simple definition for the word covenant, and since it is Lent, invite the children to make a covenant with you and each other to serve at your church in whatever you think is appropriate for them to covenant to do.
• What does it mean when another covenant is made?  Is the last covenant forgotten, or does it become non-binding?  In children’s speak, you are asking if one promise cancels out another.  In the 1st Testament, this is not how it works. God makes and keeps countless covenants at the same time.

Philippians 3:17-4:1

• Talk with the children about what it means to be an “example” for someone.  Can the children name someone they think is a good example of living like Jesus did?  You will want to be ready to provide an example or two of such “persons” to get them started. Since it is the Lenten season, one might ask the elders or other adults in your congregation to be an example for the children on the sacred steps by talking with them or allowing them to shadow them if they have specific responsibilities in the congregation.  
• If you are going to take the “goal” path in this text, be careful.  One could talk to the children about becoming more like Jesus.  How does a person do that?  I would stay away from questions about eternity and heaven.  Please keep it simple with the children but not oversimplified, and have those conversations with your adult peers.

Luke 13:31-35

• This is an opportunity to introduce the word “lament” to the children.  There will be times when they will lament for someone, themselves, or something.  Sometimes, a lament may be just sharing our feelings, and your congregation is a place where the children can do that.  A lament may help us keep from doing what we know is wrong.  When would the children have heard the word “lament” in church?  How does your congregation lament, and what have you done or left undone based on your lament?
• Has your congregation “lamented” for someone or something in your community and then decided to do something?  Maybe you lamented the poverty or hunger in your community and worked to help ease that in your community.  Perhaps some have felt sorrow for your congregation’s shut-ins and decided to help by visiting them.
• For an older group, one might consider talking with the children about how they live “in the name of the Lord.”

Lent. 

Among Christians who observe this forty-day journey with Jesus, many use this time to connect to the suffering of Jesus, specifically his Jerusalem experience, by giving up (doing without) something of significance to their daily life.  Other followers choose to add something to their living, as a way to understand how Jesus lived and perhaps serve those with whom Jesus associated during his journey.  Many communities of faith offer special studies or host mid-week meals during Lent to build community and, though perhaps not explicitly stated, to create accountability loops for those who have chosen a discipline to follow during Lent.  Lent could be a time of intentional hospitality or an invitation for your community to participate in a study, conversation, or weekly meal as an introduction to the practice of Christianity.  If followed, a spiritual discipline can provide a person (believer, practitioner, or skeptic) with a foundation for personal growth.  Like Lent, a spiritual discipline is about the journey, not the destination.  It is a time to challenge a “belief” in or a “belief” about Jesus as a savior by personally practicing the way of Jesus, which can lead to the Truth about God and give meaning to life, even a life of faith.  John Dominic Crossan’s book, The Power of Parable: How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction About Jesus, would be good for your study or for a small group to read together and discuss during Lent.

A favorite suggestion I offer to persons seeking a spiritual discipline during Lent, for the first time or as a seasoned follower, is to write your own gospel.  Thomas Jefferson completed his The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth in 1820.  This is a way to begin journaling by spending thirty minutes each day writing your account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.  Like the writer of John, take the synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical writings as source material for your gospel.  Weigh those accounts with your experiences.  What would your gospel account include?  What would be the focus of your telling of the story of Jesus?  What does your gospel say about the person of Jesus and the character of God?  Would you be willing to share your gospel account with the youth group or your Sunday school class?  Can you imagine someone reading your gospel as scripture?

One option for the children’s sermons during Lent would be for you to choose the parables of Jesus you think are important for the children to know and then use one each week as the topic for your time on the sacred steps.  What five parables would you choose?  That question would be good to ask in an adult Sunday school class and to explore during Lent.  You might ask several groups in your congregation to identify their top five parables and see what parables are popular.  Your process of choosing and studying these five parables could be your spiritual discipline, as well as the core of the gospel account that you would write.  How will you journey with Jesus to Jerusalem this Lenten season?

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

• “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”  What does this verse mean to you?  You could craft a children’s sermon around your thoughts on that verse.  What might it mean to the children?
• Does trusting God mean that bad things will not happen?  What happens when your trust in God is broken?  Children may have experienced “broken trust” in many different ways: through the loss of a pet, moving from one community to another, or losing a parent to death or divorce.  Be cautious when talking about “trusting” in God, friends, or family.
• You could bring out the images of God poster and add “bird” to the list: “The Lord will cover you with pinions, under the Lord’s wings you will find shelter.”  God provides “shelter”.  Can the children think of other images for that word?

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about the offering ritual (practice) that your congregation observes.  Is there an “offertory sentence” or an “invitation to give” followed by the receiving of “tithes and offerings”?  Does the “doxology” and/or a prayer follow the receiving of the offering?  You could talk with the children about the “why” behind what you do during worship.  Take a risk and ask the children to help you understand what the “offering time” means for your congregation. Then, piece together their observational knowledge on your own to teach them about the meaning of the offering during worship in your congregation.
• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about how your congregation’s offering supports the different ministries in which your congregation is involved.  What exactly does your congregation do with the monies received or the time volunteers give?
• Does your church have a creed or statement of belief that you could teach to the children?  If you are part of a non-creedal tradition, is there an important “story/history” in the congregation’s history that you could teach the children?  The words in Deut 26:5-10a are a way that Israel could briefly recount the “story” of their ancestors.  How can the children claim this story as their own?

Romans 10:8b-13

• If you have not done so, this is an opportunity to talk with the children about Paul. Who is he, what do we know about him, and why is he a key character in the Christian story?
• If you have an older group, one way to put the children into the story is to engage them in the following exercise: “What is more important – to believe in Jesus or to live how Jesus lived?  If you think it is to believe in Jesus, move to the left side of the steps.  If you think it is to live the way Jesus lived, move to the right side of the steps.”  Once they are divided, if they move, you could talk about the story from Romans and how the church that Paul was addressing was having this same conversation.  How are we similar or different from those people in the story?  What did Jesus teach?
• Consider talking with the children about balancing their beliefs with how they practice what Jesus taught.  How would you build the phrase “actions speak louder than words” into a children’s sermon?

Luke 4:1-13

• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about the humanity of Jesus.  Are there common elements of what tempted Jesus and what tempts us today?  One could talk with the children about the motivation to do good or bad things.  How do we make choices in difficult situations?
• In this story, we see an image of Jesus choosing an unpopular path rather than an easy way to answer.  What do Jesus’ answers to the temptations tell us about God and about Jesus’ belief in God that can help us today?
• If you have an older group, you might talk with the children about being tempted or motivated to do something charitable or the right thing, even when it is a hard choice.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2025) and continuing through Lent, I’ll post weekly ideas to help craft a children’s sermon/moment based on the lectionary texts. My companion and I created weekly commentary, exegesis, and ideas for the children’s sermon for all three years of the lectionary. A few years ago, we simplified that to just an eBook of the ideas.

Here is an example. These are the ideas for Sunday, February 9th.

Psalm 138

• Has someone sent you a thank you note recently?  Have you sent a note?  Bring note cards for the children to draw on, or write, the things or people for whom they wish to give thanks to God.  Ask them to drop those in the offering plate.
• Create a thank you note for the children to complete.  Ask them to write the name of a person, or people, for whom they would like to thank God (older children may help the younger ones).  Take those cards from the children and drop them in the mail this week or ask the children to deliver their thank you notes to God to the persons for whom they are thankful.
• Create a “thanks banner” that the children can draw on or write on that you will hang in a Sunday school room or in the sanctuary.  Ask them to write names of, or draw pictures of, people or things for which they would like to give thanks to God.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

• Rev. Dr. Lisa Davison reminds Christians that for the Jewish community prophets are cultural and religious critics who tell the people what they need to hear even when, especially when, it isn’t what they want to hear. They are not future tellers or specifically predicting Jesus of Nazareth.¹ Take care when talking with the children about the prophetic writings in the First Testament, and why we continue to read the prophets today.  Be ready to offer a simple definition for the word “prophet” for the children.  One might choose to create a list of the major and minor prophets in the First Testament and use it with the children each time you talk with them about one of the prophets.
• One might compare and contrast the prophet from last week, Jeremiah, with Isaiah.  What do the prophets share in common, and how are they different.  How does this help us understand their writings today?
• Introduce the children to their scared space.  Why is your sacred space adorned the way it is?  Are there works of art, stained glass, or other items that are important to your community of faith?  What is your sacred space suppose to tell the children when they arrive there?
• This could be an opportunity to talk with the children about what it means to “volunteer” or “serve” in your congregation.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

• If you have not introduced the children to Paul, maybe today is the day.  You may have already covered some of the Pauline texts, but helping the children understand Saul/Paul’s story will help them as they grow in their own understandings of Jesus.
• Maybe this is the Sunday that you introduce the children to the journeys of Paul.  He was a traveling evangelist (preacher).   Do you have maps of the ancient near east in your congregation?  There are maps available online. One could show the children where scholars believe Paul traveled in the known world.
• Talk with the children about how the early creeds were designed to help people begin to learn about Jesus and the Church.  The creeds are examples of early attempts to explain faith.  You can find the ancient Christian creeds in the Chalice hymnal, most of the older hymnals of other denominations, and online.

Luke 5:1-11

• What does it take to get your attention?  This is an opportunity to talk to the children about how Jesus gets our attention with what he teaches or how we experience him.  In telling this story to the children, one could talk about how Jesus meets the disciples in their everyday lives and invites them to follow him.  How might the children experience Jesus today?
• One could talk with the children about where we might find Jesus today?  Would he be found only in Church?  Would he be in a Jewish community?  Would he be among the poor?  Would he be in all of these places and more?
• This is an opportunity to talk with the children about how the gospels share similar stories about Jesus.  Compare Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20.  Talk with the children about how we all see or hear things differently.  One way to illustrate this idea would be to have a picture for the children to look at, or if you have an interesting stained glass window to look at, and then have the children talk about the things they see.  Some will see similar items in the window or picture, but some may see things that others do not.  This is similar to how the gospel writers told stories about Jesus.
• If you have an older group one might briefly retell the story from Luke and ask the children why they think these fishermen wanted to follow Jesus.  Why do the children want to follow Jesus?

1. Rev. Dr. Lisa W. Davison is Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean and the Johnnie Eargle Cadieux Professor of Hebrew Bible at Phillips Theological Seminary.