Children’s Sermon

Mark 10:35-45

King and Queen of the World

By Lois Parker Edstrom

OBJECTS SUGGESTED:
Paper crowns. One for each child.

Can you imagine how you would feel if you were king or queen of the world? Most of us would think that might be truly wonderful. We would not have to work. We could play all day and go to bed when we wished. We could eat whatever we wanted to eat, including lots of candy and ice cream. Our rooms would be filled with toys. We could throw our things about and not have to clean up after ourselves. Others would take care of all our needs. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful life? Let’s think about that a bit more.

Have you ever known a child who was given everything he or she wanted? No names, please. These children have only to think about themselves and what they need to be happy. Do you think children, who are given everything they want, are happy? I think most of them are not.

Part of being happy is to learn new things and gain confidence by practicing those new skills. We learn to do things, not just for ourselves, but for others. Remember how you felt when you realized you could tie your own shoestrings or when you learned how to bake cookies? Have you ever helped a neighbor or visited an elderly person in a nursing home? These are the things that bring us joy.

When we look at the life of Jesus we see that his purpose was to serve. He said, “For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve…” (10:45). Jesus was sent by God and he could have had anything he wanted. He was a king, but he chose to serve and help others.

Wear your crowns and remember that the best leaders are those who serve and care for others. Try it. Be happy kings and queens.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan