Children’s Sermon

Romans 12:9-21

The Real Thing

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Romans 12:9-21
The Real Thing

By Lois Parker Edstrom

Objects suggested: A magnet, nails, staples, brass screws or brass hinge. Rusty object optional.

Brass is a metal that doesn’t rust. Brass hinges are used on the outside doors of a house so that the hinges will not rust when they get wet from rain or snow. Brass screws, hinges, door latches, and other fittings are also used on boats because they hold up well in the water.

There are other metals that look like brass; sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference.
One way to find out if a metal is true brass is to test it with a magnet. Brass will not stick to a magnet, but metals like this rusty iron frying pan will.

Let’s use the magnet and see if we can find the brass item. See how the magnet attracts these nails and staples – these items stick to the magnet so we know they are not brass. Now let’s test this hinge. See, it will not stick to the magnet. This hinge is brass. It will not rust. It is genuine brass, which means it is the real thing. It is brass through and through.

In the Bible we find this written: “Let love be without hypocrisy” (12:9). This means let love be genuine. Love that is real comes from God. We receive his love and it becomes a part of us – it is the real thing. When we study the life of Jesus and try to follow his example of love, we become filled with his love through and through. Then we are able to find ways of sharing that love with others. Genuine love, real love, allows us to “cling to that which is good” (12:9).

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible