Children's Talk: The Broken Toy

👋 Introduction

Good morning, children!

I brought something special with me today—can anyone tell me what this is?

[Hold up the toy.]

Yes, it’s a toy fire truck!

Now imagine this is your favorite toy in the whole wide world. You saved up all your birthday money for it, bought it, played with it all the time. You took really good care of it.

But one day, a bully came along. He didn’t care about your toy. He grabbed it from you… and ripped it apart!

[Break it on stage.]

How would that make you feel?

Sad? Angry?

That makes sense! Feeling angry in a moment like that can actually be a good thing. Do you know why?

Because it means you care about something good—and you don’t want it to be ruined.

That kind of anger is called “righteous anger.” It’s being upset because something that should be loved is being harmed.

🕊️ Jesus in the Temple

There’s an interesting story in the Bible where Jesus got angry.

Jesus went to the temple—a very special place where people came to learn about God and worship Him.

But when Jesus came in, do you know what He saw?

People had turned the temple into a market! They were selling animals, swapping money, and taking advantage of the poor. They were robbing people of the chance to pray and be close to God.

Jesus saw this—and He got angry.

But listen: Jesus didn’t throw a tantrum or punch anyone or say mean words.

Instead, He tipped over the tables and told the people selling things to leave.

Why?

Because they had broken what the temple was meant to be. They were using it for selfish reasons—not for holy things.

[Hold up toy again.]

Just like this toy was broken by someone not caring for it, the temple was being “broken” too. And Jesus was right to be upset.

❤️ Jesus and Our Hearts

But it’s not just temples and toys that get broken.

[Tap chest.]

When we lie, when we hurt others, when we bully, or when we ignore God—that’s called sin. And sin breaks the world. It breaks our hearts. And Jesus sees that too.

But here’s the amazing part: Jesus doesn’t get angry and walk away.

Because He loves us, He came to fix what’s broken.

Instead of yelling or punishing us, Jesus did something even better:

He took all our sin, all our brokenness, and took the punishment for it. He let His body be broken—on the cross—so that we could be healed.

And three days later, He rose again.

🌟 Gospel Invitation

Jesus wants to fix what’s broken in us—not just toys or temples, but our hearts.

If you trust Him, He will forgive your sins. The things you’ve broken—He’ll take them and fix them. He’ll make you new.

Let’s thank Him for that.

prayer

Dear Jesus, Thank You for loving us, even when we do wrong things. We’re sorry for the ways we’ve hurt others and for the times we haven’t listened to You. Thank You for coming to fix what’s broken. Thank You for dying on the cross and rising again so we can be forgiven. Please help us trust You and follow You with all our hearts. Amen.

Announcements

Hi everyone! Just a few quick things coming up this week:

1. Youth Bible Study – Tuesday, 7:30pm If you’re aged 13 and up, we’re having a Youth Bible Study this Tuesday evening at 7:30, during the church prayer service. We’ll meet in the lounge — come join us as we open God’s Word together, ask honest questions, and grow in faith and community.

2. Climbing Night – Wednesday, 21st May, 6–8pm @ Climbing Hut, Ellesmere Port On Wednesday night, we’ve got a church-wide inter-generational hangout at the Climbing Hut in Ellesmere Port from 6 to 8pm. This is for anyone aged 13 and up — teens, adults, everyone! It’s a chance to have some fun and build friendships across generations.

Pricing:

Ages 13–17: £7 (includes shoe hire)

18 and over: £16 (includes shoe hire)

A reminder that this is a multi-generational event, not a youth-only event, so parents/carers are responsible for their own children, or for arranging another adult to take responsibility.

All climbers need to watch the safety video and sign the online waiver before arriving. The link is in the WhatsApp group, or just come see me and I’ll get it to you.

3. Meal Train for Dave

Thank you for those that have signed up To help Dave with meals as he recovers, but we still have five open slots on the Meal Train for Dave. If you’d like to bless him by cooking and delivering a meal, please come speak to me after the service — I’ll send you the link so you can sign up. It’s a simple but really meaningful way to support him during this season.

Let me know if you have any questions or if you’re planning to come to either of the events. Thanks!