Serving on God's Team
by Kit MacLeod

SCRIPTURE: ESTHER 4:14 AND MARK 9:38-41

(You will need a small bottle of water for each child)

Today we’re going to hear some Bible stories that help us understand what it means to serve on God’s team. The first story is from the book of Esther. Does anyone remember that story? Who can tell me what happened? Yes, that’s right; Esther became a Queen and helped save her people. When she was afraid, her uncle, Mordecai, told her that perhaps God had brought her to that place for just such a time – she was put there to serve on God’s team and help her people. 

In the next story, from the book of Mark, some of the disciples were complaining to Jesus about a man who was driving out demons in Jesus’ name. They wanted Jesus to make him stop, because he wasn’t on their team of disciples. Does anyone know what Jesus told them? Jesus said, “Don’t stop him, because whoever is not against us is for us.” Then he told them that anyone who offers a cup of water to someone in His name is part of His team and will be blessed.

I bet a lot of you have a sports team you support, don’t you? If you are for (insert team name), please stand up. How about (team name) - please stand up. (team name)? (team name)? If you support any other team please stand – and if you don’t really have any favorite team, please stand up too! Now, even though we support so many different sports teams, we are all still on one special team – does anybody know whose team that is? That’s right, we are all on God’s team, and He tells us that he wants us to show we are on His team by serving others in His name. 

Remember in the Bible story, how Jesus told the disciples that one of the ways to show we are on His team is by offering a drink of water to someone who is thirsty? (Begin passing out bottles of water to children, while explaining the following.) Today I have a bottle of water for each of you to hold. You know, we are blessed to live in a country where it is easy to get a drink of clean water, but there are many countries where that is not so easy. In fact, some of our South Highland members have gone to Africa to help build a water purification system for the people there, so they can have a drink of clean water. We can’t all go over to Africa to share God’s love, but we can share it everyday in little ways right here in Birmingham – in our church, our schools, neighborhoods, and families. 

Now I want each of you to look out there at all of our church family sitting right here in the sanctuary. In a minute, as you go back to your seats or to Enrichment, I want you to find someone who looks thirsty and give him or her your bottle of water. Before you go, let’s say a prayer that God will help us know how He wants us to show others that we are on His team. 

Dear God, we thank you so much for the many ways you show your love for us. Please help us know how to show that we are on your team, by sharing your love with others. We thank you that we live in a country where we have clean water to drink, and we ask that you bless the missionaries who are in Africa to help provide clean water for the people there. Now we ask that you bless this water and the people who will receive it. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

Kit MacLeod
Children's Ministries Director
South Highland Presbyterian Church
2035 Highland Avenue South
Birmingham, Alabama 35205

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