Theological Status: ORTHODOX (Cold)
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Ephesus
❓ 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 call to return to the simplicity, honesty, and boldness of childhood prayer, while simultaneously committing to the active care and mentorship of children within the church community.
Pastoral Analysis: The sermon offers a warm, relatable, and culturally relevant message using humorous illustrations of children's prayers to encourage authentic faith. However, the theological foundation is compromised by a Major error: the sermon reduces the Gospel to a moralistic framework of behavioral imitation and social responsibility, omitting the essential doctrines of monergistic regeneration and penal substitution. While the pastoral tone is strong, the soteriological engine is broken, requiring a shift from 'praying like a child' to 'praying in the power of the finished work of Christ.'
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Ephesus — The sermon exhibits orthodox structure and warm pastoral affections but is compromised by a Major error in soteriology. The Gospel Engine is flagged as broken because the sermon relies on moralistic imitation and social responsibility rather than the foundational truths of monergistic regeneration and penal substitution, resulting in a 'Cold Orthodoxy' or 'Formal' state where the Cross is not explicitly proclaimed as the engine of salvation.
Big Idea: 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 is ready to show up. 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 sermon maintains a respectful and warm tone, using humor and personal anecdotes effectively without coarse language or pejoratives.
✝️ Christological Focus: Absent
"The sermon fails to explicitly connect the call to 'pray like a child' to the finished work of Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit, or the necessity of the Cross for salvation."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 2 | Referenced: 1 | 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 19:13-14
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 3,059 words
📌 View 6 Key Topics Addressed
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Prayer
00:28:53 ▶️ 📄
> The speaker introduces the topic of prayer by sharing examples of children's prayers to illustrate that prayer does not need to be polished or perfect. -
Childlike Faith
00:32:07 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor explains that Jesus values the simple, trusting faith of children, using the analogy of a walkie-talkie to illustrate direct, honest communication with God. -
Personal and Simple Prayer
00:36:09 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor contrasts complex, 'essay-like' adult prayer with simple, specific requests from children, emphasizing that God wants to hear our true needs and feelings. -
Community Responsibility for Children
00:38:01 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor challenges the congregation to be 'people' for children, emphasizing that the church is a village where adults must show up consistently to shape the next generation. -
Consistent Care and Presence
00:43:36 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor emphasizes the importance of remembering names, asking how children are doing, and being present, even without having all the answers. -
Prayer and Faith
00:44:45 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor invites the congregation to pray like a child with boldness and trust, believing that God hears and will shape the next generation through their prayers.
🖼️ View 7 Illustrations & Stories
-
Sermon Illustration
00:29:03 ▶️ 📄
> The speaker shares several humorous and sweet prayers from children, including a six-year-old asking for a puppy instead of a baby brother, a five-year-old wishing to be like his daddy without hair, a seven-year-old questioning giraffe anatomy, an eight-year-old asking if God sent an email, a ten-year-old praying for her cat after her mom hit it with the car, and an eight-year-old asking for forgiveness and help for the sick. -
Sermon Illustration
00:30:40 ▶️ 📄
> The speaker uses a walkie-talkie prop to demonstrate how children communicate simply and directly, comparing it to how children pray without formalities or hesitation. -
Sermon Illustration
00:30:40 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor uses a walkie-talkie prop to demonstrate how children communicate simply and directly, comparing this to how they pray to God. -
Sermon Illustration
00:32:52 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor shares a story of a three-year-old boy asking his baby sister to 'tell me about God' because he was beginning to forget, illustrating children's deep, intuitive connection to God. -
Sermon Illustration
00:35:27 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor recounts a story from a previous church where a little girl proudly recited the Lord's Prayer but asked, 'How did you know my name?' highlighting God's personal knowledge of us. -
Sermon Illustration
00:42:13 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his own teenage eye rolls and cringy dad jokes, admitting he is not 'cool' but is consistent, which is what teenagers actually need and trust. -
Sermon Illustration
00:45:29 ▶️ 📄
> The pastor shares a personal prayer from his daughter Hazel, who prays for safety, neatness, and kindness, which he invites the congregation to hear.
🚀 View 4 Calls to Action
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Pastoral Charge
00:38:38 ▶️ 📄
> Volunteer for kids and family worship or the playground party. -
Pastoral Charge
00:44:13 ▶️ 📄
> Ask God who to serve and take one step toward being a supportive adult to a child. -
Pastoral Charge
00:44:13 ▶️ 📄
> Ask God who to show up for and take one step toward being that adult. -
Pastoral Charge
00:45:32 ▶️ 📄
> Turn around to face the speaker/daughter.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Compromised / Weak
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Framework | ❌ FAIL | The Gospel Framework is broken because the sermon relies on a moralistic framework of behavioral imitation and social responsibility, omitting the foundational truths of monergistic regeneration, penal substitution, and total depravity. |
| Soteriology | ❌ FAIL | The sermon presents a synergistic or moralistic view of salvation, focusing on human effort to 'pray like a child' and 'show up' for others, rather than the monergistic work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and justification by grace alone. |
| Bibliology | ⚠️ WEAK | While Scripture is read, the sermon's application heavily relies on cultural illustrations and moral exhortation rather than a robust, expository engagement with the text's theological depth. |
| Hermeneutic | ⚠️ WEAK | The sermon uses a 'Thematic/Moralistic' approach, focusing on behavioral imitation ('Pray like a child') rather than a Redemptive-Historical or Christocentric exposition of the text. |
| Theology Proper | ⚠️ WEAK | The sermon lacks explicit Christological connection and fails to anchor the call to prayer in the finished work of Christ, instead focusing on human effort and community responsibility. |
| Sacramentology | ✅ PASS | No sacramental errors were detected. |
| Confessional Depth | ❌ SHALLOW | The sermon lacks depth in theological exposition, relying on cultural anecdotes and moral exhortation rather than deep engagement with doctrinal truths. |
⚙️ The Core Gospel Framework ⚠️ Incomplete / Compromised
What is the Gospel Framework? This section audits whether the sermon proclaims the essential foundation of the Gospel: Christ's substitutionary sacrifice, humanity's spiritual need, and salvation by sovereign grace alone.
How this is evaluated:
How this is evaluated:
- Essential Gospel Pillars: The framework is verified intact when the sermon substantively preaches Christ's atonement, declares human inability (articulated through either Total Depravity or the Law's condemnation), and guards salvation by grace alone against works-righteousness.
- Historic Confessional Depth: Deeper theological distinctives (such as the Active Obedience of Christ) enrich theological depth when expounded, but their absence in a focused topical or expository message is not an error and does not compromise the Gospel Framework.
🏛️ Essential Gospel Pillars
❌ The Cross & Atonement (Penal Substitution): Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Human Inability & Need: Not observed (neither human inability nor divine judgment was contextually proclaimed).
❌ Sola Gratia (Salvation by Grace Alone): Compromised
Soteriological errors detected regarding salvation by grace alone.
📜 Historic Confessional Depth
⚪ Active Obedience of Christ: Not explicitly expounded in this sermon.
Assessed under Confessional Depth diagnostic (SHALLOW). Its absence does not compromise the Gospel Framework.
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🟠 Major Assumed Gospel (Thematic/Moralistic)
Root Cause: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
"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 is ready to show up." 00:30:28 ▶️ 📄
Description: The sermon reduces the gospel to a moralistic framework of behavioral imitation and social responsibility, omitting the foundational truths of monergistic regeneration, penal substitution, and total depravity.
Biblical Correction: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)
✅ Commendations
Pastoral Warmth | Use of Childlike Illustrations
The use of humorous and sweet prayers from children effectively illustrates the simplicity and honesty of true faith, making the message accessible and engaging.
Community Focus | Village Mentality
The strong emphasis on the church as a 'village' that cares for children, including those who are not their own, is a commendable and practical application of Christian love.
📜 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.
