Children’s Sermon

Matthew 24:36-44

You Can Count on It

OBJECTS SUGGESTED:

Pictures of the moon and a calendar which designates the cycles of the moon.
Pictures of the moon
Pictures of a calendar with the cycles of the moon

A very small boy was camping with his grandparents. As they tucked him into his sleeping bag he looked into the night sky filled with moonlight and said, “The moon is my friend.”

Have you ever felt like that? The moon seems like a friend you can count on. We know when to look for it and what to expect. It may appear to be larger at times and we call that a full moon. We are often awed by the beauty of a full moon, so huge and bright.

At other times the moon shows only a slice of itself and we call that a new moon or a crescent moon. That view of the moon is also beautiful.

The moon goes through phases and with each phase we know precisely how much of the moon will appear and on what day of the month this will happen. The phases of the moon are very predictable. One cycle of the moon happens within a month’s time and then the cycle starts all over again.

I think perhaps the moon comforts us because it is so predictable. It is something we can count on.

The disciples of Jesus wanted something they could count on. They wanted to know how they could tell when he would be returning and they asked him to give them some signs.

Jesus answered them, “…no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (24:36). He teaches that we “… be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come” (24:44).

We cannot forecast when Jesus will return, but we can live our lives in ways that honor God and we know that we can always count on his love. God’s love is predictable.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible