1. That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles

You will need: •Premeasured ingredients for chocolate chip cookies

• Small plastic spoons (optional)

Scripture:1 Corinthians 3:6, 9a / planted the seed of the teaching in you, and Apollos watered it. But God is the One who made the seed grow. We are workers together for God.

Today I've brought several things from my kitchen to share with you. Here's a cup of flour. Would anyone like a spoonful? No? Well, how about baking soda? Would you like a bite of that? No? Well, then maybe you'd like to taste some of this shortening. Or a raw egg. Or some salt. [Be sure not to ask if they want to taste the sugar or chocolate chips! It might be best to keep those two items hidden until it's time to mix them in.]

Hmm. Nobody seems interested in the things I brought for you to eat today. I wonder—if I mix some of these ingredients together, maybe you might like them a bit better. I brought a bowl and spoon with me; so let's see what we can come up with. [Add all the ingredients to the bowl and mix. If you omit the eggs and bring along small plastic spoons, the children may taste the cookie dough at this point.]

It's interesting that not one of you wanted to taste the flour or the baking soda or the shortening by itself. But when we mixed those things together, we ended up with something that tastes delicious!

This reminds me of God's people. God has given each one of us special talents that we can use to serve him, but we aren't all good at everything. Sometimes the best things happen when God's people come together, with all of us providing the things we do best. Just think how our choir would sound if only one person showed up on Sunday morning. Or if everyone sang exactly the same way. Who would sing the high parts? Who would sing the low parts? Who would play the piano or the organ? All the parts are important, aren't they? And they sound their very best when they are all blended together. Just like our cookie dough!

To take home: Give each child one or two wrapped, baked cookies.

2. Like a Rock

You will need: • A backpack filled with heavy rocks

Scripture:1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. We can trust God. He does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrongs we have done.

[Ask for a volunteer, or choose a child who will stand and wear the backpack during the children's sermon. A couple of times throughout the sermon ask the child if the bag is getting too heavy.]

I have a backpack here that is full of very heavy rocks. [Unzip the bag and show the children what is inside.] I would like for you to put this pack of rocks on your back and wear it during our children's sermon this morning. Is it heavy? What do you think it would be like to carry these rocks on your back all day?

Did you know that sin in our lives is much like carrying these heavy rocks? When you have done something wrong and haven't told anyone about it, how does it make you feel inside? That's right. We feel very unhappy. We might feel sad or worried, or sometimes it might even make us feel sick.

What do we need to do to get rid of those yucky feelings we have inside when we've done something wrong? The Bible says that we need to confess our sins. Confess is a word that simply means that we need to tell God about what we have done wrong. Now, when we tell God, it won't be any big news to him, will it? God knows and sees everything we do, so he already knows what we've done even before we tell him. But still, God wants us to tell him. And when we do, we are going to feel a huge load lifted from us. [Remove the backpack from the child's back.] Isn't it a relief to get that heavy load off of your back? Just as we took this heavy load off of your back, God can take the load of sin off of us. God has promised to forgive us and to make us clean inside, just as though we had never done that wrong thing. All we have to do is ask! Isn't that good news?

To take home: Paint colorful designs on smooth rocks (or give children pretty polished rocks) to be used as paperweights. "You can take this rock home and use it as a paperweight to remind you that we don't have to carry the weight of our sin. Jesus wants to forgive us—and that's great news!"

3. Do as I Say, Not as I Do

You will need: • A stick of chewing gum

• A tissue

Scripture:Matthew 23:2-3 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says. So you should obey and follow whatever they tell you. But their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they don't do the things themselves."

[As you begin the children's sermon, have a piece of gum in your mouth. Chew, crackle, and pop and blow bubbles with it as you talk.] There's something I want to talk to you kids about this morning. When you are speaking in front of people, you should not be chewing gum. For example, if you have a book report to give at school, it would be very distracting if you were chewing gum and talking at the same time. It doesn't look nice, and it makes it hard to understand what you are saying. Now do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?

[Take the gum out of your mouth and put it in a tissue.] Have you ever heard the saying "Practice what you preach"? What does that mean? [Read scripture.]

The church leaders in Jesus' day were experts at telling the people what God's Word said, but they...