Good morning, girls and boys. I brought one of my favorite books with me today. It’s called A Bad Case of Stripes and it’s by David Shannon. Raise your hand if you know it. We don’t have time to read the whole thing but I’d like to share the story and see what you think it’s trying to say. (As you tell the story, show pictures.)
Camilla Cream loves what? (See if kids know.) Lima beans! But she never eats them because ALL her friends hate them. She was always worried about what people thought about her.
It’s the first day of school and she tries on 42 outfits, trying to pick something everyone will like- looks in the mirror and screams! Stripes! She stays home.
The doc says she can still goes to school and gives her ointment.
The next day was terrible- they laughed at her, called her Camilla Crayon. She breaks out into stars when she gives the pledge of allegiance.
The kids thought this was great! “I want to see purple polka dots,” someone says, so she turns purple polka dots. Someone else said checkerboard- she changed checkerboards on her skin. She was changing over and over. The school sent her home- she was being a distraction.
What would make her feel better? She wanted lima beans but didn’t want to be laughed at. Specialists came and gave her pills- she began to look like a big pill!
Experts came, saying that it’s a virus, it’s bacteria, it’s a fungus.
The news came telling the story of “The Bizarre Case of the Incredible Changing Kid.” She had all kinds of people telling her all kinds of things and she began to look like all of it!
One day a woman came to the door. She said Camilla had a bad case of stripes and pulled out a container of lima beans.
Camilla wanted to eat them, but she was afraid to admit it. She let the woman go, but then stopped her. “The truth is I really love lima beans!” she said. She ate them and was cured!
From then on she ate lima beans. Some kids thought she was weird, but she didn’t care and never had stripes again.
What do you think this story is trying to tell us? (Let children respond.) We are supposed to be who God made us to be- the real us inside. People will always have things to say about how we live. Sometimes they’ll give us compliments and praise. Some people will criticize. But as Christians, we just keep on going, being who God calls us to be, and that will make God happy and ourselves happy.
Dear God, as we try to become the loving people you want us to be, we know people may like what we do or they may not. Help us remember that it’s You we are trying to please. We love you God. Amen.
This children’s sermon was give April 15, 2018, Year B, Third Sunday of Easter, to accompany scripture from Acts 3:13-15, 17-19.