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.