Children’s Sermon

Matthew 22:15-22

Stitched Together

Object suggested: A quilt and/or small pieces of fabric

Picture of quilts:
or
Another picture of quilts:

Have you ever had the chance to look closely at a quilt? Perhaps you have a quilt in your home made by one of your parents or you may have a quilt stitched by a grandparent that has been passed down through the family.

Quilts are a real treasure, not only for their beauty and comfort, but because of the care that goes into making one. The quilter chooses a pattern and then small pieces of fabric are cut in various shapes and stitched together to make a quilt. Care is taken to make sure each piece is exactly the right size and that the pieces fit precisely together, one with the others. Quilters also plan out the colors they will use to make a lovely quilt.

Some quilts are stitched by hand using a small needle, the tiny stitches evenly spaced on the front and back side. We could say that quilters follow certain rules to make their quilts beautiful and useful.

Thinking about the way a quilt is designed and put together will help us understand a story in the Bible. Certain people tried to trick Jesus and they asked a question about rules, also called laws. They wanted to know if they should obey the rules of their emperor or God’s rules.

Jesus answered, “Give therefore to Caesar (the emperor) the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (22:21).

He taught that we must obey the rules (laws) of our land, but also obey God’s rules (laws) that cover all things. Rules help us keep order in our lives and in our community.

Just as a quilt is made up of little pieces that fit together to make a pattern that is pleasing, God’s rules help us live our best life and fit into the quilt of God’s love. That’s a beautiful and useful thing!

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible