GOD IS REAL
Scripture: Psalm 115:3-7
Season/Sunday: Any
Focus: God is real and alive, and working in our lives.
Experience: To celebrate and give praise for God’s realness. To experience the difference between something manufactured and “the real thing.”
Arrangements: You will need a toy dog (or some other stuffed animal of your choice). A helper to assist in reading the verses from Psalm 115 will help free you to concentrate on the hand motions.
Leader: | (Carrying the toy pet with you as you greet the children) Hello! I’d like you to meet my pet doggie, Chewy (gently petting the dog as if it were real). I love my little Choo-choo. She’s so sweet. |
Children: | (Giggles) |
Leader: | She doesn’t eat much, and she hardly ever barks. I love my dog. |
Children: | That’s not a real dog. |
Leader: | It’s not?! |
Children: | No. |
Leader: | Why not? |
Children: | ’Cause it can’t bark. It can’t run. |
Leader: | Well, you have a good point there, and you’re right: this isn’t a real dog. I was showing you this because sometimes people make a statue or some kind of carving and worship it as though it were a real god and had real powers. But the God we worship is a real God. The Bible teaches us that God is real and loves us and can really do things on our behalf. In the Bible there is a description of our real living God. Our helper,_________, is going to read from Psalm 115 (author paraphrase) while we do some hand motions together. Let’s stand up; in fact, let’s have the whole congregation stand up, and then you do what I do! |
Helper: | “Our God is in the heavens, and does whatever he pleases. But the people of the world have idols; idols made of things people think have value. These idols have mouths, but they can’t speak.” |
L & C: | (Open and close mouths as if trying to say something.) |
Helper: | “They have eyes, but they can’t see.” |
L & C: | (Put hands out in front as if groping in the dark.) |
Helper: | “They have ears, but they do not hear.” |
L & C: | (Cup hand behind ear as if trying to hear.) |
Helper: | “They have noses, but they can’t smell.” |
L & C: | (Sniff the air, and shrug shoulders in defeat.) |
Helper: | “They have hands, but they can’t clap.” |
L & C: | (Try to clap but miss.) |
Helper: | “They have feet, but they can’t walk.” |
L & C: | (Pulling up on legs as if trying to make them move.) |
Helper: | “They can’t even make a noise in their throats.” |
L & C: | (Put hand to throat and open mouth but with no sound.) |
Leader: | Wow! Would you want to worship a god like that? |
Children: | No! |
Leader: | Me neither! Let’s pray to our God, who is real, and who really hears us and speaks to us and loves us. (Prayer) |
Jeff Hutcheson
(The Abingdon Children’s Sermon Library, vol. 1, ed. Brant D. Baker © 2006 by Abingdon Press. Adapted and used by permission.)