Children's Message

Date: February 8, 2026

Scripture:

Isaiah 58:1–9, New International Reader's Version

What True Worship Is All About

58 The Lord told me,
“Shout out loud. Do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Tell my people that they have refused to obey me.
Tell the family of Jacob how much they have sinned.
² Day after day they worship me.
They seem ready and willing to know how I want them to live.
They act as if they were a nation that does what is right.
They act as if they have not turned away from my commands.
They claim to want me to give them fair decisions.
They seem ready and willing to come near and worship me.
³ ‘We have gone without food,’ they say.
‘Why haven’t you noticed it?
We have made ourselves suffer.
Why haven’t you paid any attention to us?’
“On the day when you fast, you do as you please.
You take advantage of all your workers.
⁴ When you fast, it ends in arguing and fighting.
You hit one another with your fists.
That is an evil thing to do.
The way you are now fasting
keeps your prayers from being heard in heaven.
⁵ Do you think that is the way I want you to fast?
Is it only a time for people to make themselves suffer?
Is it only for people to bow their heads like tall grass bent by the wind?
Is it only for people to lie down in ashes and clothes of mourning?
Is that what you call a fast?
Do you think I can accept that?
⁶ “Here is the way I want you to fast.
“Set free those who are held by chains without any reason.
Untie the ropes that hold people as slaves.
Set free those who are crushed.
Break every evil chain.
⁷ Share your food with hungry people.
Provide homeless people with a place to stay.
Give naked people clothes to wear.
Provide for the needs of your own family.
⁸ Then the light of my blessing will shine on you like the rising sun.
I will heal you quickly.
I will march out ahead of you.
And my glory will follow behind you and guard you.
That’s because I always do what is right.
⁹ You will call out to me for help.
And I will answer you.
You will cry out.
And I will say, ‘Here I am.’
“Get rid of the chains you use to hold others down.
Stop pointing your finger at others as if they had done something wrong.
Stop saying harmful things about them.

Object:

Backpack

Message:

Good morning, friends. Today, I want you to imagine you are carrying a backpack everywhere you go. It is not a heavy backpack, just a special one that God gives you. Inside this backpack are all the ways you can show love: kind hands, gentle words, sharing, helping, listening, and caring for others. God gives you this backpack because God wants you to use it every day, not just at church.

Now, imagine you see someone who is sad. You can open your backpack, take out “caring,” and sit beside that person. Imagine someone is hungry. You can open your backpack and take out “sharing” and give that person something to eat. (Ask permission if you’re in the school cafeteria.) Imagine someone is left out at recess. You can open your backpack and take out “kindness” and invite that person to play. Every time you use something from your backpack, your love shines brighter, and the world gets brighter because of you.

Faith is like using the things inside your backpack. Faith isn’t just thinking about God; it’s doing the things God loves. It’s like when you help someone pick up the things in your room or sharing your crayons with a friend who doesn’t have any. When you use your backpack in these ways, you’re saying to God, “I love you,” even without using any words.

Think about this: if you opened your backpack only on Sundays, it wouldn’t be very useful. But when you use your backpack every day, at home, at school, or on the playground, that’s when your love really shines. That’s when God’s light shows up in you.

God wants our lives to be a kind of worship. Worship doesn’t just happen in the sanctuary. It happens when you give your sister a hug, when you make room for someone at your table, or when you help someone who feels sad. When you live with love, you help the world look more like the beautiful place God dreams it can be.

So, carry your backpack with you wherever you go, and let your love shine. People care more about what you do than what you say. When you do that, people can see God’s light in you.

Now let’s sing “This Little Light of Mine” to remind ourselves that God’s light shines brightest when we use the love inside our backpacks to help others. Point to your heart when we sing, “This little light of mine,” and then stretch your arms out to the world when we sing, “Let it shine.”

(Sing with motions.)

Lets pray.

Prayer:

God, thank you for giving us ways to help. Teach us to shine your light with our hands, words, and actions so we can make the world brighter. Teach us to shine your light by doing, not just talking. Amen.