Little Saints, Big Lessons: Children's Sermons from St. Peter's Episcopal Church

Rev. Madeline’s children’s sermon, on the Sunday after Easter, introduces the coming weeks’ stories about the first days after Jesus was raised and focuses on the disciple Thomas. She explains that Thomas was not present when the other disciples first saw Jesus risen and that he did not immediately believe, wanting to see for himself. Rather than emphasizing “Doubting Thomas,” she frames him as curious, noting the resurrection was an extraordinary event. She highlights that Thomas shows it is good and okay to be curious and to ask questions, and she gives children permission to ask questions about God or Jesus by speaking with trusted adults such as parents, grandparents, clergy (including Mother Paige and Deacon Pete), or Sunday school teachers, encouraging them to keep asking.

00:00 Welcome and Check In

00:04 Easter Season Stories

00:36 Meet Thomas

01:00 Why Thomas Doubts

01:28 Curiosity Not Shame

02:33 Permission to Ask Questions

02:45 Who to Ask for Help

03:04 Wrap Up and Sing

Mother Paige greets the children on Palm Sunday, noting everyone is wearing red and that a musical was staged in the streets of Del Mar. She highlights the hymn “All Glory, Laud and Honor,” focusing on the line about children’s lips making sweet hosannas ring. She asks what “hosanna” means and explains it means “help” or “save us,” emphasizing how the children’s cry “Save us, Son of David” was a turning point in Jesus’ story. She underscores that children’s voices matter when the world needs help or change, encouraging them to speak up. The group repeats “Hosanna to the Son of David,” and she dismisses the children to return to their coloring or friends while she speaks to the adults.

00:00 Palm Sunday Surprise

00:18 Why We Wear Red

00:36 Hosanna Means Help

01:18 Kids Voices Matter01:42 Say Hosanna Together

01:51 Wrap Up and Return

Mother Paige addresses children after a long Gospel reading, focusing on the short verse “Jesus began to weep” (“Jesus wept”). She explains that in the original Greek it indicates Jesus burst into tears—an intense, “ugly cry,” not a mild reaction. In John’s Gospel, she notes, Jesus is fully human and fully God, showing that God feels what humans feel as Emmanuel, “God with us.” She encourages children not to stuff or numb their emotions but to feel sadness and anger as Jesus did. She defines empathy as being in someone else’s shoes and emphasizes that empathy is not only human but a divine characteristic. She connects this to the upcoming song “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” and invites continued singing in the parish hall.

00:00 Welcome And Setup

00:31 The Tiny Verse01:17 Jesus Wept Explained

02:06 God Feels With Us

02:47 Feel Your Feelings

03:24 What Empathy Means

03:49 Empathy Is Divine

04:23 Song Invitation

We start. by recalling last week’s reading about Jesus healing a man blind from birth, noting that the same reading is heard again today. The children are invited to cover their eyes for one minute to imagine how difficult it is not to see, then uncover their eyes and notice the stained glass window, parish members, parents, and friends. The speaker then asks them to imagine how the healed man must have felt seeing for the first time—happy, surprised, and in awe—and connects Jesus’ impact on that man to what Jesus can do for each person. The children are encouraged during the week to pause occasionally and safely pretend they cannot see, to appreciate the gift of sight, before standing to sing.

00:00 Welcome and Check In

00:09 Recap the Healing

00:16 One Minute Blindfold

00:49 Seeing the World Anew

01:59 Weekly Challenge

02:32 Stand and Sing

Rev. Madeline talks with children about a line from the psalm, “come, let us bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord our maker,” and asks when people kneel in church, such as during Communion, prayer, confession, or the communion prayer. The children suggest kneeling is a way to talk with God, and she explains that physical actions in worship communicate meaning: kneeling makes us shorter and reminds us to look up to God, expressing humility, honor, and giving glory to God because we owe everything to God. She notes not everyone can kneel and it isn’t required, but invites them to think about its meaning when receiving Communion. She adds that singing is another way to honor God and invites the children to sing and join Mr. Adam.

00:00 Welcome and Psalm

00:20 When We Kneel

01:06 Why Kneeling Matters

01:53 Humility Before God

02:37 Not Everyone Can Kneel

02:58 Honor Through Singing

Mother Paige greets the children and notes the start of a new season and a different service opening with the “Summary of the Law,” reminding them of Jesus’ commandments to love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love their neighbor as themselves. Referring to the Gospel reading, she explains that Jesus came because “God so loved the world,” and that what matters is choosing to love God and the light that has come into the world. She connects this repeated choosing of love and light to Lent as a time of practice. She then teaches the children the song “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” as a weekly reminder that Jesus is with them on their pilgrim journey and invites them to sing it together and continue practicing with Mr. Adam.

00:00 Welcome Back

00:08 Summary of the Law

00:59 Why Jesus Came

01:44 Choosing Love in Lent

02:07 Learning the Song

03:07 Sing Together and Send Off

In a children’s sermon, the Rev. Madeline Polhill talks with the children about seeing the color purple in church and what it represents: Lent and feelings like sadness and deep thinking. She explains that Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter and connects it to the Gospel story of Jesus in the wilderness being tempted. Through discussion, she describes the wilderness as an unexpected, wild place—likely a desert—and contrasts the devil’s offer of power, money, and authority with the kind of power Jesus shows: helping people live, love one another, and destroy hate. She reminds the children that God goes with them on the Lenten journey, teaching them how to live and love, and then invites them to sing and continue singing with Mr. Adam.

00:00 Welcome and Check In

00:04 Purple and Lent

00:38 What Lent Is

01:08 Jesus in the Wilderness

02:15 Temptation and True Power

02:58 Lenten Journey and Closing Song

Rev. Madeline Polhill leads a children’s sermon introducing Lent as the 40 days leading up to Easter, connected to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert and beginning on Ash Wednesday. She explains that the church color will change to purple and that the congregation will stop saying “hallelujah” during Lent, inviting everyone to say it loudly before Lent begins. She gives the children a take-home “map to Easter” with daily questions and coloring prompts to help families pray and reflect through Lent, from Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday through Easter when “hallelujah” returns. The group then sings “This Little Light of Mine,” and she distributes the maps, inviting them to journey through Lent together.

00:00 Welcome & What’s Different in Church Today?

00:25 Why Purple Next Week? Introducing Lent

00:33 What Lent Means: 40 Days to Easter & Jesus in the Desert

01:19 Lenten Changes: Saying Goodbye to “Hallelujah” (For Now)

01:45 A ‘Map to Easter’: Take-Home Lenten Journey Activity

03:07 Singing Together: ‘This Little Light of Mine’

In this children's sermon delivered by Mother Paige, the focus is on a story from Jesus that emphasizes the importance of being valuable and letting one's light shine. Drawing from the analogy of salt in ancient times, Mother Paige explains how salt was once so valuable that people were paid with it, hence the term 'salary.' She encourages the children to see themselves as precious and valuable ('Stay Salty') and as lights of the world ('Be Bright'), inspiring them to love God and their neighbors. The message is reinforced through the familiar song 'This Little Light of Mine,' urging everyone to let their light shine.

00:00 Introduction and Warm Welcome

00:06 Recognizing the Story

00:55 Key Message: Stay Salty, Be Bright

01:26 The Value of Salt

02:22 You Are the Light of the World

02:40 Living the Message

02:55 Singing Together

04:01 Conclusion and Final Encouragement

In this children's sermon delivered by Rev. Madeline, the congregation discusses the significance of the 40th day after Jesus' birth, when Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple. The white church decorations and attire symbolize this special occasion. Rev. Madeline narrates the involvement of Anna and Simeon, with Simeon proclaiming Jesus as salvation for all people. The sermon encourages children to embody peace and kindness in their lives and concludes with a communal song about sharing love and light.

00:00 Welcome and Greetings

00:07 Observations and Changes in the Church

00:18 Significance of the 40th Day

01:06 Simeon's Prophecy

02:33 Discussion on Peace and Mission

03:58 Closing and Song