Children’s Sermon

Matthew 11:2-11

How Can You Tell?

OBJECTS SUGGESTED:

Container of powdery dirt (dust-like)

When you are outside what do you see or hear in nature that seems especially beautiful to you? Mountains, trees, a lake or river, flowers, insects, grass, and rocks are all beautiful, as is the song of a bird or a chorus of frogs. What are some of your favorite things that you see or hear in nature?

When we wake up in the morning and before we go to sleep at night we sometimes see two of the most wonderful sights — a sunrise in the morning and a sunset at night. Aren’t the colors remarkable? What would you think if you were told that dust causes us to be able to see those beautiful sunrises and sunsets? When the sun is low in the sky its light bounces off tiny bits of dust in the thick part of the atmosphere (or air) and the light is scattered. The colors of red and orange scatter the least and that is why we wake up to a rosy sunrise and are able to see a pink and lavender sunset about the time we say our goodnight prayers.

When you see and hear beautiful things in nature, do you ever think about God? The Bible tells us that we can learn about God by looking and listening.

When Jesus was on earth, John the Baptist sent disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?” (11:3). He was asking if Jesus was the Messiah–– God.

Jesus told the disciples, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see” (11:4).

The disciples went back to John and told him about all the miracles Jesus had performed – how those who were blind were able to see, how those who were deaf were able to hear, how those who were ill were healed, how those who were lame were able to walk. John and the disciples knew that Jesus was God because of what they had seen and heard.

That is good advice for all of us today. Look and listen for the beauty in nature and think about what it tells you about God, who created it all.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible