Praise Unlocks the Door

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
       and his courts with praise;
       give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

Props: large, oversized key labeled “praise” and real (or imaginary) door

There are lots of Christians who want to pray, but don’t know how.  How many of you have ever wondered how to pray before?  (Allow for response).  Prayer is no big mystery; it’s simply talking with God and listening to Him—in other words, connecting with Him.  But there are some ways to go about praying that are better than others. 

            Imagine that God is on the other side of this door, seated on His throne in Heaven.  Many people just stand at the door and never go in to God.  They may be afraid or not know what to say.  Lots of people just don’t “feel” like praying, or they don’t think it will do any good.  So they never go to God.

            Then there is a different group of people.  These people just barge right in.  Their prayer time sounds something like this: “Dear God, give me a good day with lots of fun and please let my mom say I can have all my friends over and, oh, yeah, let me get good grades on all my tests and heal my big toe and make my brother share and…”  These people nearly knock the door down and then throw everything on God and run out! 

            But there is a better way to come to God!  Psalm 100:4 says “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”  That means that when you come near to God, the first thing you should do is give thanks to Him and praise Him.  Tell Him thanks for all the great things He has done for you and praise Him for all His wonderful works.  (Display key).  Your praise is like a key that unlocks the door to where God is.  You can go right up to His throne as you praise and thank Him.  Then you can ask Him for all the things you need.  Your praise and thanks will get you in to God.  So as you begin your prayer time each day, remember to start with thanks and praise to God.

Praise Every Day

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
       I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12

Props: reward stickers, pom-poms, trophy, certificate of award, etc.

            How many of you have ever thought, “I’d like to praise the Lord, but I don’t know how”?  Praise is not as hard as it sounds.  In fact, you do it almost every day.  You may not think of some things as praise, but they are.  For example, if you are at your school’s talent show and someone sings a great song, what do you do when they are finished?  (Lead the children in an applause).  That’s right, you clap.  And when you go to a sports game, like the one we saw on the video, what do you do when someone makes a great play?  (Pick up the pom-poms and begin to cheer).  You cheer.  When you are good at school, your teacher may give you a sticker like one of these.  (Have the helpers distribute stickers to the children).  People who do great things may earn trophies or certificates or awards of many kinds.  These are all ways to show praise.  There is nothing wrong with showing people praise, as long as you don’t worship those people.  But if we give people praise, then how much more should we praise God?  God is the One who created the heavens and the earth, the mountains and the oceans, the animals, the birds and all the people that we sometimes praise for their good works.

            Praising God is not hard at all; we have so much to praise Him for.  If you can cheer for people, you can cheer for God.  If you can clap for people, you can do the same for God.  You can say, “Good job, Lord,” when you look at His beautiful creation.  You can also tell Him how wonderful He is for working in your life.  All of these things—clapping, cheering, saying, “Good job”—are examples of praise.  God is awesome and deserves our best praise.  We worship God for Who He is and we praise Him for all He has done.   Start praising Him today!

Worship in the Busy Times

I will praise the Lord at all times.  His praise is always on my lips.  Psalm 34:1

Props: phone with cord, cordless phone, cell phone

             Today we’re going to have a little history lesson.  Do any of you remember life without a phone?  Of course not!  You’re all too young.  But your great-grandparents actually lived without a phone for some of their lives.  And your great-great grandparents lived without a phone in their home for much of their lives. 

             March 1876—Alexander Graham Bell first spoke over the telephone.

Phones slowly made their way into towns, businesses and homes.  All phones were attached to the wall with a cord.  People using the phone had to stand right beside it and couldn’t move around.   

 1970s— The very first cordless phones were introduced.  Cordless

phones allowed people to move around their house while still talking on the phone.

1973—The first cell phone call was made.  But it wasn’t until…

1982—Cell phones were made available to the public.  With cell phones,

you can go anywhere and still talk on the phone.

The history of the phone reminds me of 4 types of people: 

 Pre-phone (before phone was invented): People who don’t worship God and aren’t connected to Him. 

 Old-fashioned phones:  People who only worship God at church on Sunday.  They are limited in their worship time and are stuck to one time, one place.       

Cordless phones:  People who worship God only at a set time every day.  They have a little more flexibility in their relationship with God, but not total freedom. 

 Cell phones:  People who worship God all day, every day, no matter what

they’re doing.  They have total freedom in their relationship and worship with God.  They’re not afraid to give God praise when they’re out in public or around others.  They are ready to worship all the time. 

 What kind of worshiper do you want to be?

Worship Is Adoration

“…those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.”  John 4:24

 Props: cherished keepsake, such as a special figurine

             Today I brought with me something very special.  This teddy bear (or other object) is very special to me because my best friend gave it to me.  So usually I just leave it in a box in the drawer under my socks.  Does that sound right?  (Allow for response).  Of course not!  I love this teddy bear, so I love to look at it and show it to other people.  I love to talk about how cute it is and how much it means to me.  I wouldn’t dream of putting it away.

            Worshiping God means letting Him know how much you love Him.  If you love Him you’re going to want to tell Him and others.  I wouldn’t put away my special teddy bear, neither would I keep my love for God buried.  I tell Him how much I love Him and I tell others how much I love Him.  Worshiping is giving God what He deserves.

Worship Is Devotion

“…those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.”  John 4:24

 Props: roll of packing or masking tape

 As you begin speaking, bring up a helper and begin taping your leg to his or hers, as you would for a three-legged race. 

 Worshiping God means giving Him what He deserves.  God deserves for us to be totally dedicated, committed, sold out to Him.  Some people only want to “worship” God when they’re at church; that’s not worship at all.  We need to stick with God and worship Him all the time.  (Finish taping).  Look at my friend and me.  We’re stuck together now.  That means that I’m committed to him and he’s committed to me.  I’m taking him everywhere with me.  I’m stuck to him in the good times and the bad times.  I’m not going to just be around him when it’s convenient; we’ll always be together. 

Worshiping God means taking Him with you everywhere you go, like my friend and I are stuck together.  It means being with Him all the time.  You can’t just come to church, go home and leave God here.  (If you feel that it would be best at the time, talk for a moment about your personal time with the Lord at home, prayer time with family and friends, etc.)  Take Him with you and worship Him constantly.  Worshiping is giving God what He deserves.  He deserves our total commitment.

Worship is Worth-Ship

“…those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.”  John 4:24

 Props: several real or play dollar bills, various items marked with large price tags

Begin with a scene in which a little boy is shopping for a special gift for his mother.  He and his friend “browse” through the merchandise while talking. 

 Boy:  My mom’s birthday is coming up and I’ve got to find something really special for her.

 Friend:  Well, how much money do you have to spend?

 Boy:  I have ten dollars.

 Friend:  Wow!  Ten dollars!  That’s a lot.  You could spend five on your mom and spend the other five dollars on a game for us to play with later.

 Boy:  Are you crazy?

 Friend:  I’m sorry…Maybe you could spend two dollars on your mom and eight dollars on a game for us. 

 Boy:  You don’t get it, do you?  My mom is soooo special; she deserves the very best.  I want to spend all of my money on a gift for her. 

 Friend:  All of it?  All of it?

 Boy:  Yep.  Every single bit.  She is such a wonderful person, and she has done so much for me, she deserves a special gift—even if it costs me everything I have. 

 Friend:  Wow.  You must really love your mother.

 Boy:  Sure do.  (Sees flowers and picks them up).  Wow!  Look at these flowers.  They’re beautiful.  And they cost…(looks at price tag) ten dollars.  Well, looks like I’ve found what I want to buy.  Let’s go pay for them and go home.

 Friend:  Sounds good to me. 

 (They exit). 

 Follow up: This little boy was willing to spend everything he had to buy that special gift for his mother.  His mother meant that much to Him.  We are called to “spend” or to give everything we have for God.  That’s what worship is all about.  Our worship should show what God is worth to us.  Worship is giving God what He deserves.

God Is the Holy One

“Our Lord and our God,

            we praise you

and kneel down to worship you,

            the God of holiness!”    Psalm 99:5

Props: video of sports stars, music and/or movie stars in action

We worship God because He is Holy.  When we say that God is Holy, we mean that He is perfect.  He makes no mistakes.  He is totally separate from evil and sin.  Every person makes mistakes, but not God.  That is why we worship Him and Him alone.

Some people worship others because of their talents or abilities.  There’s nothing wrong with admiring others, or applauding them, but God is the only one we should worship.  Watch how people act when they see others doing something great.  (Show clip of the “stars” in action).  Thousands of people stand to their feet and cheer when a baseball player hits a homerun.  People whistle and clap when a music star gives a concert.  Fans crowd into buildings to see movie stars and the public will line the streets if they think the President is going to drive by.  We scream and holler and cheer for other human beings.  Yet they are people just like you and me.  They make mistakes.  They say and do wrong things.  But God is perfect.  He is holy.  If we are willing to cheer for people—human beings—how much more should we be willing to worship God?  God has never made a mistake, there is no wrong in Him.  We worship God for who He is and for all He does.  Let’s worship Him for who He is—He is holy.

God is the Great “I Am”

“Our Lord and our God,

we praise you

and kneel down to worship you,

            the God of holiness!”    Psalm 99:5

            Prepare name tags labeled with different titles corresponding with your roles in life (e.g., “mother,” “sister,” “friend,” etc.).  As you name each one, place it on your shirt.  Also prepare banners with the names of God that you will be using.  As you mention each name of God, have a helper carry out the corresponding banner. 

            Each of us have different names sometimes.  Let me explain:  When I was born, I was a daughter to my parents.  At the same time, I was also a sister, niece and grandchild.  As I began to grow up, I became a friend to some kids my age.  I was also a student.  As time went by, I grew up and became a wife, mother and aunt (name any other appropriate family or occupational positions).  People know me in many different ways.

            Each of us are known in many different ways by different people.  We can also know God in many different ways.  God and Jesus are called many wonderful names in the Bible.    

 

We worship God because He is the:

            –Everlasting Father.  He is the One who always has been and always will be a Father to those who love Him. 

            –Mighty/All-Powerful One.  All power belongs to Him; He can do anything.

            –Wonderful Counselor.  He guides and leads us where we need to go.  He directs our steps.  He always gives us the best advice.

            –Prince of Peace.  He calms us when we are worried or afraid. 

            –Jehovah Jireh.  God is our Provider.  He always gives us what we need when we need it.  This is what Abraham named the place of worship after God provided the sacrifice. 

            The more we know about God, and the more we know God, the more we understand that He deserves our best worship.  He deserves the very best that we can give Him—the best obedience, honor and respect.  Remember that we worship God for who He is and for all He does.     

For All He Does (skit)

“Our Lord and our God,

            we praise you

and kneel down to worship you,

            the God of holiness!”    Psalm 99:5

Props: bag of M-n-Ms

 

Begin with the following skit in which two friends, Jenna and Sarah, meet after school one day.  Sarah has a bag of candy.

Jenna: Hey, Sarah.  How’s it goin’?

Sarah:  Fine.  What’s up?

Jenna: Oh, not much.  Hey, you have candy.  It looks pretty good.

Sarah: It is.  Do you want some?

Jenna: Oh, I couldn’t possibly…but if you insist. 

(Sarah pours a few candies into Jenna’s hand.  Jenna begins eating them and doesn’t pay attention to anything else.)

Sarah: Did I tell you that my family went on vacation to Universal?

Jenna: No.  Tell me about it.  (Jenna holds out her hand for more.)

Sarah:  Well, we stayed in a great hotel for two nights and it had a really big swimming pool.

Jenna: Uh, huh. (Jenna holds out her hand for more, not listening to Sarah.)

Sarah: And we rode all the rides on the first day and then on the second day…(Jenna reaches over and takes the bag of candy)…we went to…(Sarah notices that Jenna is not really listening and she tries to get her attention.)  Jenna, you’re standing in an ant bed.

Jenna: Uh, huh.

Sarah: Um, I think your house is on fire.

Jenna:  (Eats the last piece).  Well, I gotta go.  See you later.  (Jenna hands the empty bag to Sarah and exits). 

Sarah: Thanks for eating all of my candy.  (Sarah exits).

Teacher follow-up:  Boys and girls, how would you feel if this were your friend?  (Allow for response).  Did Jenna really care about Sarah?  (Allow for response).  All she wanted was the candy.  She didn’t care about Sarah’s life or family.  She wasn’t interested in being her friend.  She only stayed around Sarah because she had candy.

            One of the reasons we praise and worship God is for all He does for us.  If all we do is ask God for things, and we never thank, praise and worship Him, that’s not right.  God wants to give us something far better than all of the things we ask Him for—He wants to give us His love and friendship, and that can only come when we spend time with Him in praise and worship. 

            Remember: We worship God for Who He is and for all He does.  Let’s be sure to worship God for the many things He has done for us.