Theological Status: COMPROMISED (Worldly/Sloppy)
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Pergamum
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
The Compromised Parallel
Pergamum
Teaching that parallels churches tolerating the "doctrine of Balaam" through cultural accommodation (Rev 2:14), characterized by weak boundaries, sloppy theology, and worldly compromise.
Why strictly "Mark & Avoid"?
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
🧐 Overview
Theological Verdict & Summary
Sermon Summary: A heartwarming exploration of prayer through the lens of children's honesty and the urgent call for believers to mentor the next generation.
Pastoral Analysis: The sermon offers a charming and accessible illustration of prayer using children's anecdotes and a walkie-talkie prop. However, it suffers from a significant homiletical imbalance by presenting these spiritual disciplines as mere behavioral commands without anchoring them in the Gospel. The message relies on moral effort rather than the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, leaving the congregation with instructions on what to do but no theological foundation for how to do it in grace.
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Pergamum — The sermon exhibits a homiletical imbalance characterized by moralism, where the call to action is detached from the empowering grace of the Gospel. This reflects a 'Pergamum' state of compromise, where the message tolerates a worldly approach to spiritual disciplines, relying on human effort rather than the transformative power of Christ.
Big Idea: Prayer should be characterized by simple, honest trust like a child's, and believers are called to actively show up for and pray for the next generation. [00:30:28 ▶️ 📄]
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
- Primary Text: Matthew 19:13-14
- Usage Classification: Thematic
- Text-to-Talk Ratio: Low
- Pulpit Decorum: ✅ PASS - The tone was warm, accessible, and appropriate for the congregation.
✝️ Christological Focus: Moralistic/Imitative
"The sermon encourages imitating the behavior of children (honesty, simplicity) but fails to connect this imitation to the redemptive work of Christ or the indwelling Spirit."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 2 | Referenced: 2 | Alluded: 0
📖 View 1 Passages Read Aloud
-
Matthew 19:13-14
[00:26:56 ▶️ 📄]
"Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Key References: Matthew 19:14, Lord's Prayer
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 2,954 words
📌 View 9 Key Topics Addressed
-
Children's Prayer
[00:28:53 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker shares several anecdotes of prayers spoken by children to illustrate simplicity and honesty in communication with God. -
Simplicity in Faith
[00:30:28 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker argues that effective prayer is not about being polished or perfect, but about being simple and direct, using the walkie-talkie analogy. -
Community Announcements
[00:11:25 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker lists various community joys and concerns, including funerals, vacations, school starts, and natural disasters, to be lifted in prayer. -
Childlike Prayer
[00:30:28 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor argues that prayer should be simple, honest, and trusting, using the example of children who do not worry about using 'fancy' words or having a perfect script. -
Community Responsibility
[00:38:08 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor challenges the congregation to be consistent adults in children's lives, emphasizing that kids need to belong and be known by people outside their immediate family to grow in faith. -
Consistency over Coolness
[00:42:13 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares personal anecdotes about being 'not cool' but consistent, arguing that showing up reliably is more important to children than being entertaining or trendy. -
Parental and Community Responsibility
[00:43:09 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor expresses a hope that his daughter will have supportive adults and urges the congregation to become those 'people' who remember names and ask about their weeks. -
Practical Application of Faith
[00:43:49 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor suggests concrete actions like joining kids ministry, working with youth groups, or simply learning a child's name to provide consistent care. -
Invitation to Prayer and Presence
[00:44:45 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor issues a final call to 'pray like a child' and be present for children, emphasizing that one does not need to have all the answers, just be willing to show up.
🖼️ View 9 Illustrations & Stories
-
Sermon Illustration
[00:29:03 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker shares a series of humorous and sweet prayers from children aged 5-10, including requests for puppies, comments on hair and giraffes, asking for an email from God, and praying for a cat hit by a car. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:30:40 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker uses a walkie-talkie as a prop to illustrate how children pray: by pressing the button, speaking directly without formality, and waiting for a response, just as one would use a walkie-talkie. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:30:40 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses a walkie-talkie prop to illustrate prayer as a simple, direct connection where one speaks and waits for a response, sharing a story of his daughter shouting for a snack without hesitation. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:32:37 ▶️ 📄]
> A story about a three-year-old boy who, when left alone with his newborn sister, leaned over the crib and whispered, 'Tell me about God. I think I'm beginning to forget.' -
Sermon Illustration
[00:35:27 ▶️ 📄]
> A humorous anecdote about a young girl in Sunday School who, when asked to recite the Lord's Prayer, responded, 'Our Father who art in heaven... how did you know my name?' -
Sermon Illustration
[00:42:13 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares personal stories about his interactions with teenagers, noting that despite his 'cringy dad jokes' and lack of coolness, his consistent presence has earned their trust and late-night texts. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:43:09 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares a personal hope for his daughter Hazel, wanting her to know she can come to him and her father with worries, and hopes the congregation will become her supportive 'people'. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:44:13 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor mentions a personal worry that his last page was missing, using it as a transition to the final invitation. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:45:17 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares a special prayer his family says every night, inviting his daughter Hazel to come pray for the congregation.
🚀 View 4 Calls to Action
-
Pastoral Charge
[00:38:38 ▶️ 📄]
> Volunteer for kids and family worship or the playground party. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:43:49 ▶️ 📄]
> Get information on joining kids ministry/youth group or learn the name of a child seen weekly. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:44:13 ▶️ 📄]
> Ask God who to support and take one step to be a consistent, caring adult for a child. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:44:45 ▶️ 📄]
> To pray with boldness and simplicity, and to actively show up and be consistent in caring for children.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Compromised / Weak
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Presentation | ❌ FAIL | The Gospel Engine is not intact. The sermon failed to anchor the call to prayer and mentorship in the Gospel of grace, resulting in a moralistic approach that relies on human willpower. |
| Soteriology | ⚠️ WEAK | While not explicitly denying salvation by grace, the sermon's practical application implies that spiritual vitality is achieved through behavioral modification and moral effort, neglecting the necessity of the Holy Spirit's renewing work. |
| Bibliology | ✅ PASS | No errors detected regarding the authority or interpretation of Scripture. |
| Hermeneutic | ✅ PASS | No errors detected regarding the method of interpretation. |
| Theology Proper | ✅ PASS | No errors detected regarding the nature of God. |
| Sacramentology | ✅ PASS | No sacramental errors detected. |
| Confessional Depth | ❌ SHALLOW | The sermon lacks depth in explaining the theological 'why' behind the 'how,' focusing almost exclusively on external behavior. |
⚙️ The Core Gospel Framework
What is this? This section checks if the sermon contains the essential building blocks of the Gospel. We look for explicit, substantive mentions of God's holy standard, human inability, and Christ's finished work on the cross.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
❌ The Law And Wrath: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Total Depravity And Inability: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Active Obedience Of Christ: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ The Cross And Atonement: Not observed in the sermon.
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🟠 Major Homiletical Imbalance (Moralism)
Root Cause: Moralism
The Belief/Behavior: The speaker presents these actions as achievable through human willpower and moral effort, without explicitly anchoring them in the Holy Spirit's work or the Gospel of grace.
Why It's Dangerous: This leaves the congregation with a burden of performance, leading to spiritual exhaustion and a lack of true spiritual vitality, as they are told what to do but not empowered by the Gospel to do it.
Biblical Correction: Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
✅ Commendations
Illustration | Effective Use of Childlike Analogies
The use of children's prayers and the walkie-talkie prop effectively demystified prayer, making it accessible and relatable to the congregation.
Pastoral Care | Strong Call to Mentorship
The specific application to 'show up' for children and be a consistent presence in their lives is a vital and actionable pastoral charge.
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:00:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:00:01] Hey, good morning, you guys. We invite you to stand as you're able and sing some songs with us. And Megan's going to help us out with some sign language.
[00:00:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:00:18] Christ be with y'all. Welcome to the Peace of Christ, y'all. You can grab a seat.
[00:10:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:10:07] Friends, it's good to see you all today. For those of you who are joining us through livestream, we hope that this service is meaningful to you.
[00:10:13] If you're visiting in person with us today, we welcome you. We are so glad that you have joined us today and would love to connect with you.
[00:10:21] And if you want, to help you learn about our church, please fill out a visitor card so we can be in touch.
[00:10:28] You can learn more about Ardmore UMC on our website.
[00:10:31] Today, we have Jessica Dalton, our Christian educator, in our worship service.
[00:10:35] Meanwhile, Pastor Kelly is wrangling children on the prayer ground.
[00:10:39] And I'm sure that he needs our prayers.
[00:10:42] This coming Wednesday night, the children will return for the Through the Week school.
[00:10:46] Let's keep all of them, their parents and the teachers, in our prayers this week.
[00:10:50] If you missed last week's stewardship presentation by Ellie Clark, it's not too late to hear it.
[00:10:56] You can see her talk about the just one more effort to do just one more thing to fulfill the pledge we take as members of the church.
[00:11:04] To uphold the church by our prayers, presence, service, and gifts, Ellie's talk was about prayer.
[00:11:11] We know that most of you have had opportunities to be away this summer, and we hope that all of you can help us catch up on our giving to the church.
[00:11:19] In a few minutes during our next song, we will be collecting an offering.
[00:11:23] Jessica Dalton will come now and lead us in a time of prayer.
[00:11:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:11:25] Good morning, everybody.
[00:11:35] I want to try not to blow the paper away.
[00:11:38] Let's see here.
[00:11:39] All right, we'll try that again.
[00:11:40] Good morning.
[00:11:42] How's everybody doing this morning?
[00:11:45] Good.
[00:11:46] I'm going to tell you a little secret.
[00:11:48] You guys have already been a little bit more responsive than the 10 a.m. service.
[00:11:52] so I'm not keeping score, but if I was, but I'm not, but I'm not. So this morning I am joining you all in our community prayer time, so I wanted to share a few things that's going on in our
[00:12:07] community, and then I wanted to reach out to all of you and hear some of your joys and concerns that you may want to share with us to be in prayer for. So yesterday John Hank's funeral
[00:12:17] was held here, so we want to continue to keep his family in our prayers. Our beloved Mary Jo, nothing's wrong, don't worry, is having a very hard week of vacationing in Hawaii, and we're all
[00:12:31] very salty that she did not invite us, but we're hoping that she's having a great time and a chance to get away. She works so hard here at the church, and so we're glad that she has gotten a chance to
[00:12:41] get away. Some college students, do we have any college students in here today? Yes, college students have headed back this past week, and some maybe have gone to class. Have you guys had classes yet? No, no, no, no, but I know that we have some other students at different campuses
[00:12:56] that have started back to class, so we want to be in prayer for our college students all over the state and the country, really. I know we've had some that are traveling. As Ollie had mentioned,
[00:13:06] our Through the Week school, our half-day preschool program here at Ardmore United Methodist Church starts back on Wednesday morning, not in the evening. We have not started a night school for the kids but we'll keep you posted if anything changes but our preschool
[00:13:21] teachers have started back this past week they've gotten their classrooms ready there's a lot of excitement and it's so it's just fun to see the eagerness as we await the kids that are going to arrive this week and we just
[00:13:32] want to give kudos to our new director Lauren Reed for just doing such a great job and organizing everything so far this year our youth group kickoff was last Sunday. And we wanted to say a special thank you to Matthew, who's not here, Josh, Shane, and
[00:13:48] Recy, who offered up their cars and braved the streets of Winston-Salem last week to have crazy teenagers ride around with them for a photo scavenger hunt. So thank you for that. Everyone made it to one location at the end safely. And everyone was greatly rewarded with ice cream
[00:14:08] from Mayberry, so that was a win. I did want to share a joy that we had 20 students that joined us last week for our youth group. So that was fun, yeah. It was exciting to see lots of new faces. We
[00:14:19] have several sixth graders moving up, so that's really fun. And then also on Wednesday night, we had popsicles in the park for the community, and there was lots of cooler weather, which I did overhear Pastor Kelly this week praying for cooler weather on Sunday, and I think he got his
[00:14:36] prayer so he is outside with the children and we're very thankful for him switching places although there's a small part of me that wishes it was 90 degrees but I know he's having a great time learning from them as much as they are learning from him
[00:14:51] so now it's your turn what would you guys like to add to our list of joys or concerns that we want to be lifted up in prayer today yes and what's his name Sawyer Knox
[00:15:15] beautiful well that's exciting Sawyer Knox was born last Sunday yes listen yes obviously we'll be looking at all the photos after service we want to see baby Sawyer so thank you for sharing that and congratulations on your great
[00:15:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:15:31] grandson anybody else yes well we were happy to support and be there as a part
[00:15:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:15:49] of the community and family Jennifer's family's visiting from Louisiana and And her sister is a YouTube star, she shared with us, which we're very excited about, showing her beautiful ASL, like she was doing sign language for us, which was awesome.
[00:16:08] She does worship at her church.
[00:16:10] So thank you for being with us this morning.
[00:16:12] Anyone else?
[00:16:14] Yes.
[00:16:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:16:15] Perfect.
[00:16:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:16:24] We'll just open the doors and yell for them.
[00:16:26] Great.
[00:16:27] Okay, so Mike and Winnie just, are they closed on it?
[00:16:29] They haven't moved yet?
[00:16:31] Perfect.
[00:16:31] Closed on a new house on Brantley.
[00:16:33] We'll get the address later so we can all just swarm the house and do dinner one night or something like that.
[00:16:37] Great.
[00:16:38] Okay.
[00:16:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:16:39] did somebody else have a hand up over here? Yes. Yes. Okay. Perfect. It's like a first date.
[00:16:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:16:58] Yeah. Okay. No, that sounds great. Very cool. Yes. Very cool. Okay. We'll definitely, so what is your organization? What do you like? Okay. I like that. All right. Yeah. Scott, did you have? Absolutely. That's a mess. I know. And our hearts are breaking for
[00:17:25] lots of people for lots of different reasons and um we hope to see continued growth and change
[00:17:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:17:33] in that situation anybody else yes uh-huh yeah so hurricane erin came through friday thursday
[00:18:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:18:02] was it wednesday thursday and the outer banks definitely got hit hard i know some other parts of the coast probably suffered some damage from that but yeah it sounds like and i saw some
[00:18:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:18:10] pictures of buxton yeah we'll definitely be in prayer for that community lunch date with one of
[00:18:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:18:30] my hands i'm so sorry yes we will be praying for your aunt her lung cancer diagnosis donna
[00:18:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:18:43] thank you guys for sharing all this is there anybody else yes stage four cancer
[00:19:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:19:03] a former firefighter we'll definitely be praying for that yes okay yeah classes tomorrow is that when classes start for you guys too yes all the college people absolutely okay anyone else thank you guys for sharing all this oh let's see here I'm trying to find Casey would you like to
[00:19:36] come up and help us center ourselves a little bit with some music as we begin to pray good and gracious God we thank you for gathering us here today we've brought with us all kinds of weeks
[00:20:14] Some joyful, some heavy, some rushed, and some slow But in this moment we pause to rest in your presence Remind us that you welcome us just as we are Open our hearts to your spirit
[00:20:34] Open our ears to your word And open our hands to care for one another Like the family of faith you've called us to be God touch the lives of those we have mentioned today With the birth of Sawyer
[00:20:53] And for the family and the community That came around to support the life of John Hanks We celebrate family being in town New houses being closed on The staff and teachers and families and students that are affected by all the decisions made at the Winston-Salem
[00:21:25] Forsyth County School System. And Lord, we just ask that you continue to be present in all of those meetings and all of those decisions and emails. We pray for the town of Buxton and all of
[00:21:34] the outer banks as they are affected by, as they have been affected by Hurricane Erin and other areas of the coast that have been affected as well. We pray prayers of healing and comfort over
[00:21:48] those who may be experiencing sickness or struggling with cancer. Lord, we lift all the prayers to you, even if we haven't spoken them. They're on our hearts and you know them. And lastly, we ask that you lift up all those students that are headed back to college and starting
[00:22:07] classes and the families that are at home praying and thinking of them. Bless this time of worship, Lord. May our songs, our prayers, and our listening bring joy to you and draw us closer
[00:22:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:22:23] together. We offer all of this in your name, Jesus. Amen. I'm sure I did all the things and I was told
[00:26:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:26:43] I was supposed to do a high five. So this morning before I begin our sermon, I wanted to share with you our scripture lesson from the book of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 13 through 14. And we're reading
[00:26:56] this from the NIV. So as we read the gospel, will you stand if you're able? Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples
[00:27:11] rebuked them. Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. The word of God for the people of God. Amen. You may be seated.
[00:27:26] so at this point in the morning on a sunday i'm typically dripping in sweat sitting on a blanket under a tree telling a bible story to several young kids maybe a little sticky or sweaty and have no understanding of personal space so you guessed it i am typically at this
[00:27:49] point doing our kids and family worship on the playground and even though i did not give it the greatest review then. It is just a wonderful time of worship, and I'm grateful to be in the AC with
[00:28:00] you this morning, but we want to lift up Pastor Kelly in prayer as he is with the kiddos and the families out on the playground for both services. So give him a bottle of water when you see him.
[00:28:12] Let's keep him hydrated, all the things. So for those of you that don't know, my name is Jessica Dalton. I'm the Director of Christian Education here at Ardmore United Methodist Church, and I have the joy of spending time with the children and the teenagers each week at our church. And
[00:28:29] let me tell you, if you ever want to learn how to pray, spend a few minutes listening to a child.
[00:28:37] Listening to a child pray at bedtime or before a meal, you'll hear a prayer that isn't polished and it isn't perfect, but it's powerful. So as I said, I'm all flustered. Let me start again.
[00:28:53] I want to talk to you about prayer today, but I thought the best way to share that would be to share some prayers that I have heard from children before. So bear with me because some of them are
[00:29:03] quite fun and quite sweet. Dear God, thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. It's from Corinne, age six. Dear God, I want to be just like my daddy when I grow up,
[00:29:18] but without so much hair all over me. Chance, age five. Dear God, did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident? Sarah, age seven. Dear God, I say your prayer every night. Lead us
[00:29:35] not into temptation and deliver us an email. But I never get an email from you. Do you have my right email address? This is from Aaron, age eight. Dear God, this is my favorite. Dear God, when my mom
[00:29:50] makes leftovers. Do I have to pray for that food again? Elizabeth, age 10. Dear God, thank you for everything I have. Please make my cat better because my mom hit him with the car last night.
[00:30:05] Glad he doesn't have any broken bones. Blake, age 9. And lastly, dear God, thank you for letting it rain for the flowers. Please forgive me for everything I've done. Please help the people who are sick and help the people that need food. Page age eight. So here's the big idea. Prayer
[00:30:28] doesn't have to be complicated and Jesus reminds us that faith like a child pray it means praying like a child. It means praying simply and praying for others. Oh I brought something with me and I
[00:30:40] think I left it. Hold on one second. I think it's right here. I brought a prop. Does anybody know what this is it's a walkie-talkie great job Jennifer it is a walkie-talkie and I um we have
[00:30:52] one at our house don't we Hazel we have two but I left them and so I borrowed this from Miss Lauren at the preschool I'm gonna put it back don't worry but um I wanted to show you something um
[00:31:04] when we're talking on a walkie-talkie how many of you guys played with these as a kid or maybe even pretended to play with them as a kid right so you press the button you say hello is anybody
[00:31:13] there over right you've got to do the over it doesn't count if you don't do the over and then at that point you wait and hopefully hear response or maybe you hear static right so one time hazel
[00:31:26] and i were playing with our walkie talkies and at one point she shouted mom can you bring me a snack and she wasn't shy about it and she wasn't formal and she didn't worry if it was the right request
[00:31:40] She just believed the other person listening, me, was going to show up with a yummy snack.
[00:31:47] And that's prayer.
[00:31:49] It's simple.
[00:31:50] It's trusting.
[00:31:50] It's like a child with a walkie-talkie talking to God.
[00:31:56] Jesus says in Matthew 19, 14, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
[00:32:05] So what does that mean?
[00:32:07] Jesus is saying that kids have the kind of faith that God loves.
[00:32:12] Kids don't need to have all the right words or know everything about God to come close to him.
[00:32:17] They just trust.
[00:32:20] And when a child prays, it's often simple like, God help me, or thank you, or I love you.
[00:32:28] That's the kind of honest and real prayer that God wants from all of us.
[00:32:34] Children have an uncanny sense of connection with God.
[00:32:37] and I heard a story once of two young children that I thought really kind of beautifully illustrated the connection they have with God. So there was an older child about three years old and a newborn sister was brought home from the hospital and the older child kept insisting that
[00:32:52] his mom allow him alone time with his baby sister. For any of you that have multiple children, I don't and I already know this, you would be a little weary, right, of like what's going to
[00:33:03] happened during this alone time with this young baby and older sibling. So naturally at first the mom hesitated, not really knowing the child's intentions, but the big brother persisted and finally his mother gave in and so she stood outside the door where the little boy couldn't see her
[00:33:20] but she could see everything going on and she could hear every word that was spoken and the little boy walked slowly over to the crib and leaned carefully over it and in a hushed little voice said to the baby, tell me about God. I think I'm beginning to forget. So when we pray,
[00:33:40] Jesus wants us to pray like children, open, real, and trusting him completely. So the first way I want you to think about prayer this morning is to put yourself in the shoes of a child. Not really,
[00:33:53] because right, they're probably small, uncomfortable. Don't want to do that. But one of the best things about kids is how honest they are. They don't hide their feelings. They bring joy, worry, silliness, and honesty. And if they're scared, they say it. If they're excited, everybody knows it.
[00:34:14] And if they want something, they absolutely do not hold back. That's the kind of prayer Jesus is talking about. Praying like a child means being real with God. You don't have to sound fancy.
[00:34:27] You don't have to use big church words or pretend to have it all together.
[00:34:32] God wants to hear the truth.
[00:34:34] Your worries, your joys, your questions, even your whys and your I don't understand.
[00:34:42] Think about it this way.
[00:34:43] If you're talking with your best friend, you're probably not sitting there with a script or worrying about your grammar.
[00:34:50] You're just talking, laughing, sharing, and maybe you're even crying together.
[00:34:56] That's how God wants us to pray.
[00:34:59] Kids show us that prayer can be simple, real, and full of trust.
[00:35:03] So when Jesus says, let the children come to me, he's saying, don't block that honesty.
[00:35:10] Don't lose that simple trust.
[00:35:11] Pray like a kid and be real with me.
[00:35:16] Pray like a child.
[00:35:18] So one morning in a previous church that I served in, we were in our children's Sunday school class, and I asked a group of kids if they knew the Lord's Prayer.
[00:35:27] um per my information from pastor kelly it sounds like you all have been learning some about the lord's prayer oh i see a couple nods good some of you guys have been paying attention great
[00:35:37] um so i asked the kids does anybody know the lord's prayer and one little girl began very proudly and she said our father who art in heaven how did you know my name and she was completely
[00:35:50] sincere about it and it was very funny but but it's not true at all right because god absolutely knows our names. He absolutely knows everything about us. And prayer is personal. God knows our names. He knows our voices. So the second way I want you to think about prayer this morning is
[00:36:09] keep it simple. Kids also do not complicate prayer. If they're scared, they say, God, please help me not have bad dreams. If they're thankful, they say, thank you for my dog. Simple, straightforward.
[00:36:22] They don't worry about saying the perfect thing.
[00:36:26] They just talk to God.
[00:36:28] A short thank you God can mean more than a long speech.
[00:36:34] But sometimes as adults, we treat prayer like an essay that we're getting graded on.
[00:36:40] And we worry about the words and that prayer feels sometimes more like a performance.
[00:36:47] But it's not.
[00:36:48] It's our presence.
[00:36:51] Simple, straightforward, and to the point.
[00:36:55] God loves those prayers.
[00:36:57] A child wouldn't say, dear God, please bless me with comfort.
[00:37:01] They'd say, God, I'm scared of the dark.
[00:37:04] Please help me not be afraid tonight.
[00:37:07] Or instead of saying, thank you for your provision, a child would say, thank you for my mac and cheese and ice cream.
[00:37:15] That's what God invites us to do, to pray specifically, to tell him what we really need, even if it seems small.
[00:37:23] Want peace about a doctor's appointment?
[00:37:26] Ask. Want courage to talk to a friend about something difficult? Ask. Want help forgiving someone? Ask. When we pray like a child, we're showing trust that God is listening and cares about the details of our lives. So maybe this week we try it differently. Short, childlike prayers
[00:37:46] throughout the day. God, I need strength. God, thank you for this moment. God, help me love well.
[00:37:58] Pray simply.
[00:38:01] Lastly this morning, I want you to know it's not just about learning from children's prayers, but it's about lifting children up in prayer.
[00:38:08] Our world is so full of noise, confusion, and pressure, and kids are right in the middle of it.
[00:38:14] They need adults who are praying for them by name, covering them in love and faith.
[00:38:21] They need our prayers to help guide them and protect them and remind them that they are precious children of God.
[00:38:30] And that's where you come in.
[00:38:31] You, the congregation.
[00:38:34] You play a vital role in a child's faith journey.
[00:38:38] When you greet them at the door or when you volunteer in kids and family worship or on the playground party, small plug if you want to volunteer for either one of those, come see me, I would be happy to have you.
[00:38:50] When you pray for them at home, you are shaping their spiritual lives.
[00:38:55] Whether you're a parent or a grandparent or a teacher or just an adult who cares, you have the power to shape a child's future through prayer.
[00:39:05] Within the church, most kids and teenagers need to belong before they can believe or keep believing.
[00:39:14] Think about that.
[00:39:15] They need to feel like they belong before they can believe or keep believing.
[00:39:20] That's why it is so important for us to make sure kids and teenagers have people who know them and offer them a place where they are known.
[00:39:30] In everyone's story of faith, there are people who have shown up and become catalysts for their spiritual growth.
[00:39:36] Chances are, you believe what you believe and you do what you do because of the way someone influenced your faith.
[00:39:46] More than likely, it wasn't just one person, but several.
[00:39:49] So I want you, I'm going to challenge you to take a moment to think about the names of some of those people right now.
[00:40:04] Uses people.
[00:40:06] That's the point.
[00:40:07] He always has.
[00:40:08] And sometimes we forget that the God of the Bible is also the God of the people of the Bible.
[00:40:14] Every child needs at least one adult in their life besides their parents who consistently shows up and cares about them.
[00:40:21] It's not because parents aren't doing enough because goodness knows they are.
[00:40:24] but it's because God designed the church to be a community, to be a family, to be a village.
[00:40:33] And we all share the responsibility of shaping the hearts of the next generation. There's none of the, I've did that, I've done that, I've been there. You know, we all, we all have that responsibility together. Whether it's a preschooler who needs a consistent adult because they can be
[00:40:47] terrified by unfamiliar faces. Or maybe an elementary age child who needs a consistent adult because they crave approval and belonging. A middle schooler who needs a consistent adult because absolutely nothing else in their life is consistent. Or even a high schooler who needs a
[00:41:06] consistent adult because they only trust people who show up consistently. If you want to help a kid know they matter, then get serious about knowing a kid now. So let's be those people.
[00:41:19] Let's show up. Let's pray for them and listen to them and remind them that they are deeply loved, not just by their parents but by the body of Christ by this church pray for a child so Ardmore
[00:41:34] today I want to challenge you not just to hear this message you've done well so far you're doing really good I'm seeing lots of nods not many of you are sleeping so I want to challenge you to
[00:41:44] not just hear this message but to live it out if every child needs an adult other than their parent who cares about them, then you might be the answer to someone's prayer. You don't have to
[00:42:01] be a parent or a teacher or a youth pastor. You just have to be present. You just have to show up and listen, encourage, and pray. And here's the best part. You don't have to be cool.
[00:42:13] Just be consistent. Trust me, I am not cool. The amount of eye rolls, I see some of our teenagers here. The amount of eye rolls that I get from the teenagers on a regular Sunday afternoon at
[00:42:26] youth group or the size because of the new silly game I've invented or the audible groans from my cringy dad jokes. But you know what? I'm there and I show up and I will keep showing up and that's
[00:42:42] what they need and that's what they want. Because even though I might be in the top 10 list of the lamest people on planet earth, they trust me. They check in with me and they text me at 10
[00:42:54] o'clock at night on a Wednesday because they are struggling with something. And it's an honor and a privilege to get to be someone else's person. My prayer is that my daughter Hazel has that as
[00:43:09] she grows up. I hope she always knows that she can come to me and Josh if she has any kind of worries or she's scared or she's figuring stuff out. But I also hope that one of you sitting out
[00:43:22] there in the congregation today or maybe some of our youth will become one of her people and love her like Jesus. What our children need from us is someone who remembers their name, someone who asks
[00:43:36] how their week was, someone who sees them. So maybe it's joining our kids ministry, working with our awesome youth group. Again, small plug if you want any information. Or simply learning the name of a
[00:43:49] kid that you see every single Sunday. Whatever it looks like, your consistent care and prayer could be the difference between a child who feels forgotten and one who feels deeply loved. So today ask God, who are you calling me to show up for? And then take one step, just one, toward being that
[00:44:13] adult who makes a lasting impact. I was worried that my last page was missing. So here's your invitation, Ardmore. Pray like a child with boldness and trust. Pray simply with faith that God hears and pray for a child with the heart of someone who's ready to show up because every child needs
[00:44:45] someone who cares, someone who doesn't have it all together, doesn't have all the answers, but is willing to be present. Someone who doesn't have to be cool, just consistent. Let's be that someone. Let's be the church that prays and shows up. And let's believe that through our prayers
[00:45:03] and our presence, God will shape the next generation in a way that we cannot even begin to imagine and shape us to in the process. To close in prayer, I wanted to share a special prayer
[00:45:17] that we hear every night in our house.
[00:45:19] So I have invited a special guest to come pray for us.
[00:45:23] My daughter Hazel is going to come and pray for us this morning with a prayer that we say every night.
[00:45:29] You're going to turn around.
[00:45:32] You ready?
[00:45:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:45:33] Let's pray.
[00:45:35] Thank you, God, for today and for my friends and family.
[00:45:41] Help us to be safe and neat and kind.
[00:45:46] Amen.
[00:45:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:45:48] Thank you.
[00:45:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:45:54] Would y'all stand as you're able to sing one more with us?
[00:49:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:49:52] Beloved children, living with trust, living with love, with the grace of Christ.
[00:50:00] Amen.
[00:00:01] Hey, good morning, you guys. We invite you to stand as you're able and sing some songs with us. And Megan's going to help us out with some sign language.
[00:00:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:00:18] Christ be with y'all. Welcome to the Peace of Christ, y'all. You can grab a seat.
[00:10:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:10:07] Friends, it's good to see you all today. For those of you who are joining us through livestream, we hope that this service is meaningful to you.
[00:10:13] If you're visiting in person with us today, we welcome you. We are so glad that you have joined us today and would love to connect with you.
[00:10:21] And if you want, to help you learn about our church, please fill out a visitor card so we can be in touch.
[00:10:28] You can learn more about Ardmore UMC on our website.
[00:10:31] Today, we have Jessica Dalton, our Christian educator, in our worship service.
[00:10:35] Meanwhile, Pastor Kelly is wrangling children on the prayer ground.
[00:10:39] And I'm sure that he needs our prayers.
[00:10:42] This coming Wednesday night, the children will return for the Through the Week school.
[00:10:46] Let's keep all of them, their parents and the teachers, in our prayers this week.
[00:10:50] If you missed last week's stewardship presentation by Ellie Clark, it's not too late to hear it.
[00:10:56] You can see her talk about the just one more effort to do just one more thing to fulfill the pledge we take as members of the church.
[00:11:04] To uphold the church by our prayers, presence, service, and gifts, Ellie's talk was about prayer.
[00:11:11] We know that most of you have had opportunities to be away this summer, and we hope that all of you can help us catch up on our giving to the church.
[00:11:19] In a few minutes during our next song, we will be collecting an offering.
[00:11:23] Jessica Dalton will come now and lead us in a time of prayer.
[00:11:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:11:25] Good morning, everybody.
[00:11:35] I want to try not to blow the paper away.
[00:11:38] Let's see here.
[00:11:39] All right, we'll try that again.
[00:11:40] Good morning.
[00:11:42] How's everybody doing this morning?
[00:11:45] Good.
[00:11:46] I'm going to tell you a little secret.
[00:11:48] You guys have already been a little bit more responsive than the 10 a.m. service.
[00:11:52] so I'm not keeping score, but if I was, but I'm not, but I'm not. So this morning I am joining you all in our community prayer time, so I wanted to share a few things that's going on in our
[00:12:07] community, and then I wanted to reach out to all of you and hear some of your joys and concerns that you may want to share with us to be in prayer for. So yesterday John Hank's funeral
[00:12:17] was held here, so we want to continue to keep his family in our prayers. Our beloved Mary Jo, nothing's wrong, don't worry, is having a very hard week of vacationing in Hawaii, and we're all
[00:12:31] very salty that she did not invite us, but we're hoping that she's having a great time and a chance to get away. She works so hard here at the church, and so we're glad that she has gotten a chance to
[00:12:41] get away. Some college students, do we have any college students in here today? Yes, college students have headed back this past week, and some maybe have gone to class. Have you guys had classes yet? No, no, no, no, but I know that we have some other students at different campuses
[00:12:56] that have started back to class, so we want to be in prayer for our college students all over the state and the country, really. I know we've had some that are traveling. As Ollie had mentioned,
[00:13:06] our Through the Week school, our half-day preschool program here at Ardmore United Methodist Church starts back on Wednesday morning, not in the evening. We have not started a night school for the kids but we'll keep you posted if anything changes but our preschool
[00:13:21] teachers have started back this past week they've gotten their classrooms ready there's a lot of excitement and it's so it's just fun to see the eagerness as we await the kids that are going to arrive this week and we just
[00:13:32] want to give kudos to our new director Lauren Reed for just doing such a great job and organizing everything so far this year our youth group kickoff was last Sunday. And we wanted to say a special thank you to Matthew, who's not here, Josh, Shane, and
[00:13:48] Recy, who offered up their cars and braved the streets of Winston-Salem last week to have crazy teenagers ride around with them for a photo scavenger hunt. So thank you for that. Everyone made it to one location at the end safely. And everyone was greatly rewarded with ice cream
[00:14:08] from Mayberry, so that was a win. I did want to share a joy that we had 20 students that joined us last week for our youth group. So that was fun, yeah. It was exciting to see lots of new faces. We
[00:14:19] have several sixth graders moving up, so that's really fun. And then also on Wednesday night, we had popsicles in the park for the community, and there was lots of cooler weather, which I did overhear Pastor Kelly this week praying for cooler weather on Sunday, and I think he got his
[00:14:36] prayer so he is outside with the children and we're very thankful for him switching places although there's a small part of me that wishes it was 90 degrees but I know he's having a great time learning from them as much as they are learning from him
[00:14:51] so now it's your turn what would you guys like to add to our list of joys or concerns that we want to be lifted up in prayer today yes and what's his name Sawyer Knox
[00:15:15] beautiful well that's exciting Sawyer Knox was born last Sunday yes listen yes obviously we'll be looking at all the photos after service we want to see baby Sawyer so thank you for sharing that and congratulations on your great
[00:15:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:15:31] grandson anybody else yes well we were happy to support and be there as a part
[00:15:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:15:49] of the community and family Jennifer's family's visiting from Louisiana and And her sister is a YouTube star, she shared with us, which we're very excited about, showing her beautiful ASL, like she was doing sign language for us, which was awesome.
[00:16:08] She does worship at her church.
[00:16:10] So thank you for being with us this morning.
[00:16:12] Anyone else?
[00:16:14] Yes.
[00:16:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:16:15] Perfect.
[00:16:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:16:24] We'll just open the doors and yell for them.
[00:16:26] Great.
[00:16:27] Okay, so Mike and Winnie just, are they closed on it?
[00:16:29] They haven't moved yet?
[00:16:31] Perfect.
[00:16:31] Closed on a new house on Brantley.
[00:16:33] We'll get the address later so we can all just swarm the house and do dinner one night or something like that.
[00:16:37] Great.
[00:16:38] Okay.
[00:16:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:16:39] did somebody else have a hand up over here? Yes. Yes. Okay. Perfect. It's like a first date.
[00:16:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:16:58] Yeah. Okay. No, that sounds great. Very cool. Yes. Very cool. Okay. We'll definitely, so what is your organization? What do you like? Okay. I like that. All right. Yeah. Scott, did you have? Absolutely. That's a mess. I know. And our hearts are breaking for
[00:17:25] lots of people for lots of different reasons and um we hope to see continued growth and change
[00:17:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:17:33] in that situation anybody else yes uh-huh yeah so hurricane erin came through friday thursday
[00:18:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:18:02] was it wednesday thursday and the outer banks definitely got hit hard i know some other parts of the coast probably suffered some damage from that but yeah it sounds like and i saw some
[00:18:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:18:10] pictures of buxton yeah we'll definitely be in prayer for that community lunch date with one of
[00:18:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:18:30] my hands i'm so sorry yes we will be praying for your aunt her lung cancer diagnosis donna
[00:18:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:18:43] thank you guys for sharing all this is there anybody else yes stage four cancer
[00:19:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:19:03] a former firefighter we'll definitely be praying for that yes okay yeah classes tomorrow is that when classes start for you guys too yes all the college people absolutely okay anyone else thank you guys for sharing all this oh let's see here I'm trying to find Casey would you like to
[00:19:36] come up and help us center ourselves a little bit with some music as we begin to pray good and gracious God we thank you for gathering us here today we've brought with us all kinds of weeks
[00:20:14] Some joyful, some heavy, some rushed, and some slow But in this moment we pause to rest in your presence Remind us that you welcome us just as we are Open our hearts to your spirit
[00:20:34] Open our ears to your word And open our hands to care for one another Like the family of faith you've called us to be God touch the lives of those we have mentioned today With the birth of Sawyer
[00:20:53] And for the family and the community That came around to support the life of John Hanks We celebrate family being in town New houses being closed on The staff and teachers and families and students that are affected by all the decisions made at the Winston-Salem
[00:21:25] Forsyth County School System. And Lord, we just ask that you continue to be present in all of those meetings and all of those decisions and emails. We pray for the town of Buxton and all of
[00:21:34] the outer banks as they are affected by, as they have been affected by Hurricane Erin and other areas of the coast that have been affected as well. We pray prayers of healing and comfort over
[00:21:48] those who may be experiencing sickness or struggling with cancer. Lord, we lift all the prayers to you, even if we haven't spoken them. They're on our hearts and you know them. And lastly, we ask that you lift up all those students that are headed back to college and starting
[00:22:07] classes and the families that are at home praying and thinking of them. Bless this time of worship, Lord. May our songs, our prayers, and our listening bring joy to you and draw us closer
[00:22:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:22:23] together. We offer all of this in your name, Jesus. Amen. I'm sure I did all the things and I was told
[00:26:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:26:43] I was supposed to do a high five. So this morning before I begin our sermon, I wanted to share with you our scripture lesson from the book of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 13 through 14. And we're reading
[00:26:56] this from the NIV. So as we read the gospel, will you stand if you're able? Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples
[00:27:11] rebuked them. Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. The word of God for the people of God. Amen. You may be seated.
[00:27:26] so at this point in the morning on a sunday i'm typically dripping in sweat sitting on a blanket under a tree telling a bible story to several young kids maybe a little sticky or sweaty and have no understanding of personal space so you guessed it i am typically at this
[00:27:49] point doing our kids and family worship on the playground and even though i did not give it the greatest review then. It is just a wonderful time of worship, and I'm grateful to be in the AC with
[00:28:00] you this morning, but we want to lift up Pastor Kelly in prayer as he is with the kiddos and the families out on the playground for both services. So give him a bottle of water when you see him.
[00:28:12] Let's keep him hydrated, all the things. So for those of you that don't know, my name is Jessica Dalton. I'm the Director of Christian Education here at Ardmore United Methodist Church, and I have the joy of spending time with the children and the teenagers each week at our church. And
[00:28:29] let me tell you, if you ever want to learn how to pray, spend a few minutes listening to a child.
[00:28:37] Listening to a child pray at bedtime or before a meal, you'll hear a prayer that isn't polished and it isn't perfect, but it's powerful. So as I said, I'm all flustered. Let me start again.
[00:28:53] I want to talk to you about prayer today, but I thought the best way to share that would be to share some prayers that I have heard from children before. So bear with me because some of them are
[00:29:03] quite fun and quite sweet. Dear God, thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. It's from Corinne, age six. Dear God, I want to be just like my daddy when I grow up,
[00:29:18] but without so much hair all over me. Chance, age five. Dear God, did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident? Sarah, age seven. Dear God, I say your prayer every night. Lead us
[00:29:35] not into temptation and deliver us an email. But I never get an email from you. Do you have my right email address? This is from Aaron, age eight. Dear God, this is my favorite. Dear God, when my mom
[00:29:50] makes leftovers. Do I have to pray for that food again? Elizabeth, age 10. Dear God, thank you for everything I have. Please make my cat better because my mom hit him with the car last night.
[00:30:05] Glad he doesn't have any broken bones. Blake, age 9. And lastly, dear God, thank you for letting it rain for the flowers. Please forgive me for everything I've done. Please help the people who are sick and help the people that need food. Page age eight. So here's the big idea. Prayer
[00:30:28] doesn't have to be complicated and Jesus reminds us that faith like a child pray it means praying like a child. It means praying simply and praying for others. Oh I brought something with me and I
[00:30:40] think I left it. Hold on one second. I think it's right here. I brought a prop. Does anybody know what this is it's a walkie-talkie great job Jennifer it is a walkie-talkie and I um we have
[00:30:52] one at our house don't we Hazel we have two but I left them and so I borrowed this from Miss Lauren at the preschool I'm gonna put it back don't worry but um I wanted to show you something um
[00:31:04] when we're talking on a walkie-talkie how many of you guys played with these as a kid or maybe even pretended to play with them as a kid right so you press the button you say hello is anybody
[00:31:13] there over right you've got to do the over it doesn't count if you don't do the over and then at that point you wait and hopefully hear response or maybe you hear static right so one time hazel
[00:31:26] and i were playing with our walkie talkies and at one point she shouted mom can you bring me a snack and she wasn't shy about it and she wasn't formal and she didn't worry if it was the right request
[00:31:40] She just believed the other person listening, me, was going to show up with a yummy snack.
[00:31:47] And that's prayer.
[00:31:49] It's simple.
[00:31:50] It's trusting.
[00:31:50] It's like a child with a walkie-talkie talking to God.
[00:31:56] Jesus says in Matthew 19, 14, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
[00:32:05] So what does that mean?
[00:32:07] Jesus is saying that kids have the kind of faith that God loves.
[00:32:12] Kids don't need to have all the right words or know everything about God to come close to him.
[00:32:17] They just trust.
[00:32:20] And when a child prays, it's often simple like, God help me, or thank you, or I love you.
[00:32:28] That's the kind of honest and real prayer that God wants from all of us.
[00:32:34] Children have an uncanny sense of connection with God.
[00:32:37] and I heard a story once of two young children that I thought really kind of beautifully illustrated the connection they have with God. So there was an older child about three years old and a newborn sister was brought home from the hospital and the older child kept insisting that
[00:32:52] his mom allow him alone time with his baby sister. For any of you that have multiple children, I don't and I already know this, you would be a little weary, right, of like what's going to
[00:33:03] happened during this alone time with this young baby and older sibling. So naturally at first the mom hesitated, not really knowing the child's intentions, but the big brother persisted and finally his mother gave in and so she stood outside the door where the little boy couldn't see her
[00:33:20] but she could see everything going on and she could hear every word that was spoken and the little boy walked slowly over to the crib and leaned carefully over it and in a hushed little voice said to the baby, tell me about God. I think I'm beginning to forget. So when we pray,
[00:33:40] Jesus wants us to pray like children, open, real, and trusting him completely. So the first way I want you to think about prayer this morning is to put yourself in the shoes of a child. Not really,
[00:33:53] because right, they're probably small, uncomfortable. Don't want to do that. But one of the best things about kids is how honest they are. They don't hide their feelings. They bring joy, worry, silliness, and honesty. And if they're scared, they say it. If they're excited, everybody knows it.
[00:34:14] And if they want something, they absolutely do not hold back. That's the kind of prayer Jesus is talking about. Praying like a child means being real with God. You don't have to sound fancy.
[00:34:27] You don't have to use big church words or pretend to have it all together.
[00:34:32] God wants to hear the truth.
[00:34:34] Your worries, your joys, your questions, even your whys and your I don't understand.
[00:34:42] Think about it this way.
[00:34:43] If you're talking with your best friend, you're probably not sitting there with a script or worrying about your grammar.
[00:34:50] You're just talking, laughing, sharing, and maybe you're even crying together.
[00:34:56] That's how God wants us to pray.
[00:34:59] Kids show us that prayer can be simple, real, and full of trust.
[00:35:03] So when Jesus says, let the children come to me, he's saying, don't block that honesty.
[00:35:10] Don't lose that simple trust.
[00:35:11] Pray like a kid and be real with me.
[00:35:16] Pray like a child.
[00:35:18] So one morning in a previous church that I served in, we were in our children's Sunday school class, and I asked a group of kids if they knew the Lord's Prayer.
[00:35:27] um per my information from pastor kelly it sounds like you all have been learning some about the lord's prayer oh i see a couple nods good some of you guys have been paying attention great
[00:35:37] um so i asked the kids does anybody know the lord's prayer and one little girl began very proudly and she said our father who art in heaven how did you know my name and she was completely
[00:35:50] sincere about it and it was very funny but but it's not true at all right because god absolutely knows our names. He absolutely knows everything about us. And prayer is personal. God knows our names. He knows our voices. So the second way I want you to think about prayer this morning is
[00:36:09] keep it simple. Kids also do not complicate prayer. If they're scared, they say, God, please help me not have bad dreams. If they're thankful, they say, thank you for my dog. Simple, straightforward.
[00:36:22] They don't worry about saying the perfect thing.
[00:36:26] They just talk to God.
[00:36:28] A short thank you God can mean more than a long speech.
[00:36:34] But sometimes as adults, we treat prayer like an essay that we're getting graded on.
[00:36:40] And we worry about the words and that prayer feels sometimes more like a performance.
[00:36:47] But it's not.
[00:36:48] It's our presence.
[00:36:51] Simple, straightforward, and to the point.
[00:36:55] God loves those prayers.
[00:36:57] A child wouldn't say, dear God, please bless me with comfort.
[00:37:01] They'd say, God, I'm scared of the dark.
[00:37:04] Please help me not be afraid tonight.
[00:37:07] Or instead of saying, thank you for your provision, a child would say, thank you for my mac and cheese and ice cream.
[00:37:15] That's what God invites us to do, to pray specifically, to tell him what we really need, even if it seems small.
[00:37:23] Want peace about a doctor's appointment?
[00:37:26] Ask. Want courage to talk to a friend about something difficult? Ask. Want help forgiving someone? Ask. When we pray like a child, we're showing trust that God is listening and cares about the details of our lives. So maybe this week we try it differently. Short, childlike prayers
[00:37:46] throughout the day. God, I need strength. God, thank you for this moment. God, help me love well.
[00:37:58] Pray simply.
[00:38:01] Lastly this morning, I want you to know it's not just about learning from children's prayers, but it's about lifting children up in prayer.
[00:38:08] Our world is so full of noise, confusion, and pressure, and kids are right in the middle of it.
[00:38:14] They need adults who are praying for them by name, covering them in love and faith.
[00:38:21] They need our prayers to help guide them and protect them and remind them that they are precious children of God.
[00:38:30] And that's where you come in.
[00:38:31] You, the congregation.
[00:38:34] You play a vital role in a child's faith journey.
[00:38:38] When you greet them at the door or when you volunteer in kids and family worship or on the playground party, small plug if you want to volunteer for either one of those, come see me, I would be happy to have you.
[00:38:50] When you pray for them at home, you are shaping their spiritual lives.
[00:38:55] Whether you're a parent or a grandparent or a teacher or just an adult who cares, you have the power to shape a child's future through prayer.
[00:39:05] Within the church, most kids and teenagers need to belong before they can believe or keep believing.
[00:39:14] Think about that.
[00:39:15] They need to feel like they belong before they can believe or keep believing.
[00:39:20] That's why it is so important for us to make sure kids and teenagers have people who know them and offer them a place where they are known.
[00:39:30] In everyone's story of faith, there are people who have shown up and become catalysts for their spiritual growth.
[00:39:36] Chances are, you believe what you believe and you do what you do because of the way someone influenced your faith.
[00:39:46] More than likely, it wasn't just one person, but several.
[00:39:49] So I want you, I'm going to challenge you to take a moment to think about the names of some of those people right now.
[00:40:04] Uses people.
[00:40:06] That's the point.
[00:40:07] He always has.
[00:40:08] And sometimes we forget that the God of the Bible is also the God of the people of the Bible.
[00:40:14] Every child needs at least one adult in their life besides their parents who consistently shows up and cares about them.
[00:40:21] It's not because parents aren't doing enough because goodness knows they are.
[00:40:24] but it's because God designed the church to be a community, to be a family, to be a village.
[00:40:33] And we all share the responsibility of shaping the hearts of the next generation. There's none of the, I've did that, I've done that, I've been there. You know, we all, we all have that responsibility together. Whether it's a preschooler who needs a consistent adult because they can be
[00:40:47] terrified by unfamiliar faces. Or maybe an elementary age child who needs a consistent adult because they crave approval and belonging. A middle schooler who needs a consistent adult because absolutely nothing else in their life is consistent. Or even a high schooler who needs a
[00:41:06] consistent adult because they only trust people who show up consistently. If you want to help a kid know they matter, then get serious about knowing a kid now. So let's be those people.
[00:41:19] Let's show up. Let's pray for them and listen to them and remind them that they are deeply loved, not just by their parents but by the body of Christ by this church pray for a child so Ardmore
[00:41:34] today I want to challenge you not just to hear this message you've done well so far you're doing really good I'm seeing lots of nods not many of you are sleeping so I want to challenge you to
[00:41:44] not just hear this message but to live it out if every child needs an adult other than their parent who cares about them, then you might be the answer to someone's prayer. You don't have to
[00:42:01] be a parent or a teacher or a youth pastor. You just have to be present. You just have to show up and listen, encourage, and pray. And here's the best part. You don't have to be cool.
[00:42:13] Just be consistent. Trust me, I am not cool. The amount of eye rolls, I see some of our teenagers here. The amount of eye rolls that I get from the teenagers on a regular Sunday afternoon at
[00:42:26] youth group or the size because of the new silly game I've invented or the audible groans from my cringy dad jokes. But you know what? I'm there and I show up and I will keep showing up and that's
[00:42:42] what they need and that's what they want. Because even though I might be in the top 10 list of the lamest people on planet earth, they trust me. They check in with me and they text me at 10
[00:42:54] o'clock at night on a Wednesday because they are struggling with something. And it's an honor and a privilege to get to be someone else's person. My prayer is that my daughter Hazel has that as
[00:43:09] she grows up. I hope she always knows that she can come to me and Josh if she has any kind of worries or she's scared or she's figuring stuff out. But I also hope that one of you sitting out
[00:43:22] there in the congregation today or maybe some of our youth will become one of her people and love her like Jesus. What our children need from us is someone who remembers their name, someone who asks
[00:43:36] how their week was, someone who sees them. So maybe it's joining our kids ministry, working with our awesome youth group. Again, small plug if you want any information. Or simply learning the name of a
[00:43:49] kid that you see every single Sunday. Whatever it looks like, your consistent care and prayer could be the difference between a child who feels forgotten and one who feels deeply loved. So today ask God, who are you calling me to show up for? And then take one step, just one, toward being that
[00:44:13] adult who makes a lasting impact. I was worried that my last page was missing. So here's your invitation, Ardmore. Pray like a child with boldness and trust. Pray simply with faith that God hears and pray for a child with the heart of someone who's ready to show up because every child needs
[00:44:45] someone who cares, someone who doesn't have it all together, doesn't have all the answers, but is willing to be present. Someone who doesn't have to be cool, just consistent. Let's be that someone. Let's be the church that prays and shows up. And let's believe that through our prayers
[00:45:03] and our presence, God will shape the next generation in a way that we cannot even begin to imagine and shape us to in the process. To close in prayer, I wanted to share a special prayer
[00:45:17] that we hear every night in our house.
[00:45:19] So I have invited a special guest to come pray for us.
[00:45:23] My daughter Hazel is going to come and pray for us this morning with a prayer that we say every night.
[00:45:29] You're going to turn around.
[00:45:32] You ready?
[00:45:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:45:33] Let's pray.
[00:45:35] Thank you, God, for today and for my friends and family.
[00:45:41] Help us to be safe and neat and kind.
[00:45:46] Amen.
[00:45:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:45:48] Thank you.
[00:45:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:45:54] Would y'all stand as you're able to sing one more with us?
[00:49:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:49:52] Beloved children, living with trust, living with love, with the grace of Christ.
[00:50:00] Amen.
