Colossians 1:1-14, New International Reader's Version

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Timothy joins me in writing.

2 We are sending this letter to you, our brothers and sisters in Colossae. You belong to Christ. You are holy and faithful.

May God our Father give you grace and peace.

Paul Prays and Gives Thanks

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. 4 We thank him because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus. We have also heard that you love all God’s people. 5 Your faith and love are based on the hope you have. What you hope for is stored up for you in heaven. You have already heard about it. You were told about it when the true message was given to you. I’m talking about the good news 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the good news is bearing fruit. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world. It has been doing that among you since the day you heard it. That is when you really understood God’s grace. 7 You learned the good news from Epaphras. He is dear to us. He serves Christ together with us. He faithfully works for Christ and for us among you. 8 He also told us about your love that comes from the Holy Spirit.

9 That’s why we have not stopped praying for you. We have been praying for you since the day we heard about you. We keep asking God to fill you with the knowledge of what he wants. We pray he will give you the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. 10 Then you will be able to lead a life that is worthy of the Lord. We pray that you will please him in every way. So we want you to bear fruit in every good thing you do. We pray that you will grow to know God better. 11 We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. We pray that you will never give up. 12 We want you to give thanks with joy to the Father. He has made you fit to have what he will give to all his holy people. You will all receive a share in the kingdom of light. 13 He has saved us from the kingdom of darkness. He has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 Because of what the Son has done, we have been set free. Because of him, all our sins have been forgiven.

Object:

A small pocket-sized cross or Jesus figure for each child.

Message:

I have a challenging question for you this morning. Today, our Bible passage is taken from a letter that Paul wrote to the people in Colossae. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to a group of Christians, reminding them to put Jesus first in their lives. Even when Paul was in chains in prison, he talked about the joy of living a life that follows Jesus. The church in Colossae was struggling with what they believed, so Paul encouraged them.

My question for you today is, “Do the people around you know that you believe in Jesus?”

How would you answer that question? (Allow children to respond.)

People knowing that we are followers of Jesus doesn’t mean that we should stand on the front porch of our houses or at the local department store with a loudspeaker and announce it so that the world around us will hear. No, it means that we do good things in our daily life that “show” Jesus to others. Paul reminds us that we must both “show” and “tell” others about the good news of Jesus.

Paul tells us that when the good news of Jesus comes to us, it bears fruit. It is bearing and growing all over the world. In other words, when we share Jesus with others, they see it in our actions and in how we live. Knowledge of God produces fruit for God. That’s “telling” by “showing.”

How do we grow fruit for God? Do any of you have a garden in your yard? Can one of you tell me what grows in a garden? (Allow children to answer.) Those are excellent answers. Flowers grow in a garden. Vegetables grow in the garden. Plants grow in the garden. And of course, fruit can grow in a garden.

What do I need to plant to grow sunflowers in my garden? (Allow children to answer.) That’s right, I would need to plant seeds for sunflowers. If I wanted to grow strawberries or blueberries, what would I need to plant? (Allow children to answer.) That’s right, I would need to plant strawberries or blueberry bushes.

Did you know that your mind is a lot like a garden? Whenever you think about things that are excellent and true, you are getting your mind right and planting in your garden. As you grow, so do those plants. The seeds grow, and sooner than you might expect, they bloom into lovely flowers or they bear delicious fruit. But the “flowers” you have grown aren’t the kind that smell good, and the “fruit” isn’t the kind you can taste. When you plant good thoughts, you will see your life grow in wisdom and knowledge. When others see the good things that you do, strength, patience, kindness, and generosity grow in your life—all the “fruits and flowers” that make your life a joy to God and others.

To help remind us of the fruit we can grow in our lives, I have a “seed” of a small Jesus for each of you. Keep this “planted” in your pocket this week, as you bear “fruit” in every good thing you do. Remember the question I asked earlier: “Do people around you know that you know Jesus?” I wonder what you will do to show and tell others that you follow Jesus. Tell them by showing kindness, joy, patience, and love.

Prayer:

God, help me to plant good thoughts in the garden of my mind. Help me to see and remember the things that are of Jesus— kindness, patience, joy, and love. Let me tell others about those things too by showing them. Amen.

Between the Sundays: Family Conversation Starters

We have added conversation starters to each children’s message series to help spark conversations within families during the week. We encourage families to use these questions to guide them through conversations and subject matter discussed during the worship service, including the children’s messages on Sundays. These conversations will reinforce learning and nurture faith formation for the entire family.

As a family, discuss what “fruits” God has planted in your life. How do those fruits of good news affect the way you live?

Share an event from this week where you were challenged to “show and tell” others that you are a Christ follower.

Take turns “hiding” the miniature Jesus somewhere in a space where another family member will discover it. Once discovered, say a prayer for God’s fruit to be shown; then move the Jesus figurine somewhere else for another family member to find. This will serve as a reminder of Paul’s letter and the prayer he had for the people of Colossae.

Each day at the dinner table or each night before bed, spend some time as a family responding to the following: “Today, the people around me knew that I believe in Jesus because…” (Share an example each day.).

As a reminder, plant some seeds in a garden. This week, start a garden or add new seeds to an existing one as a reminder of the fruit we cultivate in our lives. What would you like to plant in your garden?