Matthew 3 13-17 Childrens Sermon

Begin by splashing all of the children with water from the baptismal font (they will love this!). Ask them what the water makes them think about - rain, a shower, a squirt gun, a flood. Let them know that today's Scripture lesson tells us that the water of baptism is supposed to remind us of the Flood - the Flood that God sent to wipe out all the evil that was on the earth. Ask them if they know which eight people were saved from the Flood (Noah, his wife, his three sons and their three wives). Assure them that after the Flood, God promised never to destroy everything in the world in this way again. Conclude by saying, Water can hurt, and water can help. In the time of Noah, God used water to punish people. Now, in our time, God uses the water of baptism to help us. Baptism makes us part of God's family forever.