“He Knows Your Name” Children’s Sermon from John 1:43-51 - Ministry-To-Children (2024)

This message aims to communicate to children the critical fact that God knows and loves them personally, and that He has a specific calling and plan for their lives. Kids can easily become confused or uncertain about things in this world, and being reassured of God’s love is important to boosting their confidence and identity. The optional object in this lesson uses simple beloved children’s toys to enhance understanding of what it means to have a plan and story in life.

“He Knows Your Name”Children’s Sermon from John 1:43-51 about God’s Calling and Purpose in our Lives

Law/Gospel Theme: Sometimes we develop the impression that we must “do enough” or work hard to truly be loved and used by God. We over-emphasize our role in our lives, when God is truly the author of all activity. This message reminds kids (and maybe adults, too!) that God has a specific plan and purpose for their lives. He knows and loves us and will always stay with us, using even tough circ*mstances for overall good.

Optional Materials: Small toys or dolls (optional)

Bible Passage: John 1:43-51; 1 Samuel 3:1-10

More Teaching Ideas

• Watch our video demonstration of this children’s sermon on YouTube
• Don’t miss the related craft ideas and full Sunday School Lesson on John 1:43-51
• Compare the lesson on this passage from rfour.org
• Compare “Tell Your Friends about Jesus” from sermons4kids

“He Knows Your Name” Children’s Sermon: John 1:43-51; 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Greet children, holding a few old toys, preferably some sort of dolls/stuffed animals/action figures:

Hello, children of God… You may have noticed I’ve got some little toys here…I used to love playing with these as a kid. Well, maybe I still do enjoy playing with them, actually. But I remember making up specific names for each one of these little dolls. In fact, not only did they have names, but they had stories, too. I had other dolls they interacted with, and I made up all sorts of elaborate and complicated stories for them. They had characters and there was a point to all of the little things that I had them do. Even though they are just toys, I cared about them in a sense, and I knew who they were and what I was doing with them.

Do you know what? In a very small way, this is sort of similar to how God knows us and has plans for our lives. Each of us has a story that God writes for us, and He is directing everything that happens to us. It might sometimes feel like we are insignificant and don’t really matter much in the grand scheme of things. It might even seem like God is distant or doesn’t care what happens to us. That’s not true! He is present in every moment of our lives. He has a plan for us. We all have special unique stories that He knows about. We have a purpose. This is why it’s important to pray and consider what God might want us to do. He puts events into motion, but we still need to remember that He is with us and that we should act according to His love and laws.

It’s also great to recognize that God loves and cares for each and every one of us. He loves us far more than we love our toys, because He created us! He knows our names and our stories, but He also knows our future, our favorite things, and even how many hairs are on our heads! I tried counting that once, and it isn’t easy to know. But God does. We are His most precious creation, and He has a special purpose for us.

You may not yet know what your specific “life calling” is, but you can trust that God has a great plan for you! Keep loving Him and His people, and ask Him to help show you the ways in which He wants you to live. Meanwhile, rest in knowing that He loves you and promises to be with you and take care of you. Your life is meaningful, and God loves YOU!

Prayer Moment:

(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for calling us by name
You have made us uniquely yours
Help us to trust in your purpose for our lives
Thank you for promising to stay near
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!

Bible Verses/story to Reference: John 1:43-51; 1 Samuel 3:1-10

The next day Jesus decidedto go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,“Follow me.”⁴⁴NowPhilip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.⁴⁵Philip foundNathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whomMoses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesusof Nazareth,the son of Joseph.”⁴⁶Nathanael said to him,“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,“Behold,an Israelite indeed,in whom there is no deceit!”⁴⁸Nathanael said to him, “Howdo you know me?” Jesus answered him,“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”⁴⁹Nathanael answered him,“Rabbi,you are the Son of God! You are theKing of Israel!”⁵⁰Jesus answered him,“Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”⁵¹And he said to him,“Truly, truly, I say to you,you will seeheaven opened, andthe angels of God ascending and descending onthe Son of Man.” -John 1:43-51

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to theLordin the presence of Eli.And the word of theLordwas rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

²At that time Eli,whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.³The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying downin the temple of theLord, where the ark of God was.

⁴Then theLordcalled Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”⁵and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶And theLordcalled again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”⁷Now Samuel did not yet know theLord, and the word of theLordhad not yet been revealed to him.

⁸And theLordcalled Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that theLordwas calling the boy.⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak,Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰And theLordcame and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

-1 Samuel 3:1-10