Sermon of the Week - October 17, 2010

Sermons 4 Kids
Sermon of the Week
Proper 24 (29)
October 17, 2010

October 11, 2010

TITLE: Persistence in Prayer

THEME: Sometimes we quit praying too soon! Proper 24 (29) Year C

OBJECT: An item that represents something that you wanted so much that you kept asking your parents again and again.

SCRIPTURE: Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 (NIV)

Have you ever wanted something so much that you kept asking your mom and dad for it over and over again until finally they said "yes?" Maybe you wanted a special toy, a pet, or a new bicycle. If it was something that you really wanted, you didn't just mention it once, you asked for it over and over again.

Once there was a little boy who wanted more than anything to play in the band at school. The boy went home from school one day and asked his parents if they would buy him an instrument and let him sign up to play in the band. Well, the boy's parents didn't say yes, and they didn't say no. They said, "We'll have to think about it. After all, a musical instrument costs a lot of money and we aren't sure you will stick with it."

A few days went by and the boy's parents still hadn't said anything, so the boy decided he should ask again. The boy's parents didn't say yes and they didn't say no. They said, "We are still thinking about it."

On his way home from school the next day, the boy decided to stop by the local music store to check out the musical instruments. When he walked in the store, the first thing that caught his eye was a beautiful, shiny trumpet. It wasn't new, but it was in very good condition and it had a really cool fake alligator skin case. It was just what he wanted.

That night at supper the boy said to his parents, "I went by the music store today after school and they have a really nice used trumpet. It is exactly what I want and it only costs $100."

The boy's father turned to his wife and said, "I guess we had better go take a look at that trumpet or we are never going to hear the end of this." The next day, the boy went to the music store with his parents and they bought him that trumpet.

The boy joined the band -- and he did stick with it. He played in the band all through high school and when he graduated from high school, he went on to college and studied music. After graduating from college, he became a music teacher. I wonder how differently his life might have turned out if he had asked his parents for that musical instrument one time and never mentioned it again.

The Bible teaches us that just as our parents want what is best for us and will give us what we ask for, God, our heavenly Father, also hears and answers our requests. Sometimes we ask God for something one time and never mention it again. Maybe that is our impatience showing. When we ask for something, we want God to say "yes," and we want Him to say it right now! Jesus said that we should always pray and not give up. Perhaps God just wants us to show that we are really serious about what we are asking of Him. Does this mean that if we keep asking for something over and over again that God will always give it to us? No, but He loves us and wants what is best for us, and He will answer, "yes" if He can.

Dear Father, teach us to pray -- and teach us to be patient and persistent in prayer. If we desire good things, remind us that we need to pray and pray again. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Coloring Pages and Activities

GROUP ACTIVITIES PAGE (Crafts, games, songs, and more!)

COLORING PAGE: "Keep On Praying"

CROSSWORD PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

DECODER PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

WORSHIP BULLETIN (WORD DOCUMENT) Save this document to your computer and personalize it with your church's name. Print side one then reinsert it into the printer and print side two.

NOTE: Some of these activities are in PDF format. PDF requires the Adobe Reader and will render the best print quality. If you don't have the latest Adobe Reader, download it free at Adobe.com.

If you do not have Microsoft Word or another program which will open the worship bulletin, you can download a free Word Viewer 2003 from Microsoft.

Sermon Links

A PRINT FRIENDLY VERSION OF THIS SERMON: "Persistence in Prayer"

AN ALTERNATIVE SERMON BASED ON Luke 18:1-8: "Again and Again"

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