Children’s Sermon

Mark 7:24-37

Be Opened

OBJECTS SUGGESTED:

A flower bud and an open flower, a bottle of juice or milk, a book.

(If there is a hearing impaired person in the congregation who is willing to help with the lesson, this would heighten the learning experience for the children.)

Let’s talk about things that open. Do you have some ideas?

• A flower opens and when it does we can see its full beauty. An opened flower releases seeds, and causes other flowers to grow.

• A gate opens so we can go in or out of the yard.

• A door opens so we can go in or out of the house.

• We open bottles to get nourishment, such as juice or milk.

• A book opens. We learn new things when we open a book and can read stories that take us on an exciting adventure.

In the Bible, as we read about one of the miracles Jesus performed while he lived on earth, we learn that Jesus opened a deaf man’s ears.

There was a man who could not hear and had trouble speaking. Jesus touched the deaf man’s ears and his tongue and said, “Be opened!” (7:34). Immediately the man’s ears were opened and he was able to speak plainly.

People who are born deaf never have a chance to hear how words sound so they are often unable to pronounce words correctly. This might have been the case with the man who Jesus healed.

There is a lesson for all of us in this story. It is that we, who can hear, must keep our ears open to God’s word. As we listen to stories and lessons about God, we are given the ability to speak more clearly about God’s love. Being open to God’s love allows us to bloom and help others grow. “Be opened!” (7:34).

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible