Reformation Sunday Childrens Sermon

Did you hear the first Bible reading a few minutes ago? In that reading, the prophet Jeremiah said the Lord was going to make something with the house of Israel. Anybody hear what he was going to make? (A new covenant.) Know what a covenant is?

A covenant is an agreement. Somebody says, “I’ll do something for you,” and someone else says, “Okay, I’ll do something for you too.” Show clay slate (or paper) and read words. They both agree to do something the other wants. They make promises to each other. Like, for example, we might say you and your parents have a covenant with each other. What are some things your parents promise to do for you? (Love their children, take care of them, make sure they have food and clothes, teach them, and so on.) And what do you promise to do for your parents? (Do what they ask, speak politely, etc.)

Way before Jeremiah, God had made an old covenant with the children of Israel when he gave them the Ten Commandments. God promised to take care of Israel, and they promised to obey the commandments. But did the children of Israel keep the Ten Commandments? (No.) What did they do? (They broke them.) Break slate over knee (or tear up paper). You know what happened when the children of Israel broke the Ten Commandments? (God punished them.) In the old covenant, God said, “If you do this, you will live. If you break the covenant, you will die” (cf. Lk 10:28).

The children of Israel broke the covenant. But remember what the Lord was going to make with the house of Israel? (A new covenant.) The new covenant is different from the old covenant they broke. The new covenant is this: God, Jesus, will die on the cross. God will forgive all our sins. We will believe in him. We will be his people. The new covenant says, “God loves you because Jesus died on the cross for you. Jesus rose again so that you will rise again after you die.” That’s what the new covenant is all about.