Sermon of the Week - May 20, 2012

Sermons 4 Kids
Sermon of the Week
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 20, 2012

Sermon of the Week

Title: Through Life's Maze

Theme: Jesus prays for his disciples (7th Sunday of Easter)

Object: A maze puzzle (One is provided with this lesson)

Scripture: I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name. John 17:11a (NIV)

Do you enjoy working puzzles? I do. One kind of puzzle I like is called a maze. You have probably worked a maze yourself. To solve the puzzle, you take your pencil and begin where it says, "start" and try to find an open path in the puzzle that will lead you all the way to the finish. Of course, you aren't allowed to cross through any lines. That would be too easy! A puzzle like this can be very difficult. Sometimes it can be very frustrating. Traveling through this maze, you will often have to change the direction you are going. You may find that the path you have chosen leads to a dead end. When this happens, you just have to back up and start again. When the puzzle gets too difficult, you may need someone to help you. Even though finding the right path that leads to the finish may be difficult, you will have a feeling of satisfaction when you finally reach the goal.

Finding your way through life can be a lot like finding you way through a maze. Each day we have to make decisions and it is sometimes difficult to know which way to go. We may choose the wrong path and end up at a dead end. When that happens, we have to back up and start over again. Life isn't easy and it can sometimes be very frustrating when we don't know which way turn.

Jesus knew that life in this world is difficult. That is why he prayed for his disciples when he knew that the time had come for him to leave this world. "I will remain in the world no longer," he prayed, "but they are still in the world. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe. No one was lost, but now I am coming to you and I ask you to protect them and keep them safe."

How do we find our way in this world? We put our trust in God, our Heavenly Father, to show us the way. We have his Word, the Bible, to help us. Any time we don't know which wary to turn, we can talk to him in prayer and ask him to guide and protect us. It may not be easy, but with God leading the way, we know that we will never get lost.

Father, as we search for the path that will lead us safely through this world, we place our trust in you and ask for your guidance and protection. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Coloring Pages and Activities

GROUP ACTIVITIES PAGE

COLORING PAGE

CROSSWORD PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

MAZE 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.

Sermon Links

A PRINT FRIENDLY VERSION OF THIS SERMON: "Through Life's Maze"

AN ALTERNATIVE LESSON BASED ON John 17:6-19: "In the World"

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