Childrens Sermon Service

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Styrofoam cups
Construction paper -- blue and assorted colors
Glue
Cotton balls
Scissors
Small picture of Jesus (small enough to fit into the cup you are using), copied so that each child has two
Fishing line
Tapestry needle or larger needle

Directions:
1. Give each of the children a styrofoam cup.

2. Tell the children to cover their cups by gluing blue construction paper onto them.

3. Let the children decorate the cup sky by gluing on cotton balls to look like clouds.

While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. (v. 51)

Today, we will not do our children's sermon until after the worship service. I would like for all of you to meet me in the parking lot and we will have a small surprise for you.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him. (v. 17)

Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever heard about a man named Abraham Lincoln? (show the book and let them answer) What do you know about Abraham Lincoln? (let them answer each question) He was the president of the United States. Do you know when he was president? Do you know what he did that made him famous? Do you know where he grew up and what kind of a job he did before he became president? Do you know the name of his wife and the number of children he had? Do you know anything about the speeches he gave and where he gave them?

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME
AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME


Materials:
Blindfold
Variety of objects (example: Koosh ball, cooked pasta, dice, spoon, etc.)


Directions:
1. Even though we can't see God, we know he is there. We don't have to see something in order to know it!
2. Give every child a blindfold. Have each child feel the objects and try to figure out what they are.
3. Take off the blindfolds to see what they could identify without seeing.
4. Talk about how we use other senses to tell that something exists in this activity. Although we can't use our other sense to tell that God exists, we use something else -- faith -- to tell us that he exists.

You are witnesses of these things. (v. 48)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about aliens. How many of you have seen a movie with an alien in it? (allow answers) What did the alien look like? (allow answers) Did it look like the one I have here? (allow answers)

Does anyone actually know what aliens look like? (allow answers) No, they don't. Although lots of people believe that there are aliens out there, somewhere, in the universe, we don't know for sure. We don't know if anyone has ever actually seen an alien. No one has taken a real photograph of an alien.

Which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (v. 23)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you know who this is? (allow answers) This is Mr. Potato Head! How many of you have ever played with Mr. Potato Head? (allow answers) What do you do with Mr. Potato Head? (allow answers) Mr. Potato Head is a toy that is kind of shaped like a potato. His arms, legs, eyes, nose, and other body parts can all come off and be switched around. Mr. Potato Head can look pretty funny!

• First Thoughts
• Teaching On Your Own
• Teaching As A Team
• Closing Prayer
• Follow-Up Lesson

Object: A coin to flip.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Our story today is about something really amazing that happened to Jesus’ friends one day. I will tell you the story, and then you see if you can tell me what you think is so amazing about it. Are you ready? (Let them respond.) Great! Here we go.

Good morning, boys and girls. Why do you think I brought a kite with me this morning? (Let them answer.) I brought it because it will help me tell you about one of the most wonderful stories in the New Testament. It is today's lesson. As I tell you the story see if you can think why I brought my kite along. Have any of you flown a kite this year? (Let them answer.)

Teachers: On this Sunday we celebrate Jesus' ascension into heaven. Before Jesus ascended, the Bible states that he told the disciples many things. It says that he opened their minds to understanding the scriptures. Use the idea that a key unlocks doors to understanding. On a sheet of paper, draw a large key. Inside your key write:

"He opened their minds to understand the scriptures." - Luke 24:45

Use your example to show your students what they are to make. Explain that Jesus opened the minds of his disciples when he taught them. They were very inspired by his teaching. After he ascended to heaven they went to the temple (church). There the Bible says that they were "continually blessing God."

Good morning, boys and girls. (Fold your hands in prayer as you ask the opening question.) I want to tell you about a little girl your age. She had many things to be thankful for. She had wonderful friends and she lived in a wonderful family who loved her. Every night, when she went to bed, she said a bedtime prayer. One night she said her usual prayer. At the end of her prayer she decided to thank God for the wonderful time she had with her friends that day. The next night she decided to give thanks for her family at the end of her prayer. Soon after that, each night when she prayed she gave thanks for something special in her life.

Hello! One of my favorite comic characters has been Superman. How many of you have seen his comic or movie or television programs? (Let them answer.) That's good. You know who I'm talking about. Superman can do things that no one else can do. But there is something that he must stay away from. Can any of you tell me what it is that Superman absolutely must stay away from? (Give them a chance to answer. Someone might get it.) The answer is kryptonite!

Today I want to pretend that this is kryptonite and that it takes away all of Superman's power. How would Superman behave if he were as near this as you are right now? Show me. (Let some act as if their energy has drained from them.)

Sometimes people collect baseball cards. Some people have lots of money tied up in their collections of baseball cards. Some collections are worth a lot of money. Some people like playing baseball and hope someday to become such a good baseball player that they might have their own card. Do any of you hope to become a great baseball player? (Let them answer.) Others admire how much money famous baseball players get paid. Some get lots and lots of money. They are rich. Some baseball players make millions and millions of dollars! Really famous baseball players are called "great" because they are so well known and so good at what they do.

Good evening! Can anyone tell me why we are in church on
this Thursday night? We are not usually in church on Thursday, so
why are we here tonight? (Let them answer.) Tonight we are
celebrating the ascension of our Lord, Jesus Christ. That's a big
word, "ascension." Does anyone know what it means? (Let them
answer.) Well, to ascend means to go up, so ascension means the
act of going up. For instance, have any of you ever ridden on one
of these? (Show the picture and let them answer.) When you ride
on an elevator, you are ascending, going up.

Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into
Heaven. Do you think he rode up into Heaven on an elevator? (Let

Good evening! I have two pictures that I want to show you
tonight. First, look at this picture and tell me what it is.
(Show the picture of the heart and let them identify it). Yes,
that is a heart. Where is our heart located? (Let them answer.)
Yes, our hearts are located right here in our chest.

Now let me show you the second picture. Tell me what this
is. (Show the picture of eyes and let them identify it.) Yes,
these are eyes. Where are our eyes located? (Let them answer.) Of
course, our eyes are found right here in our head.

Do you think that anybody has eyes (show the eye picture) in
their heart? (Show the heart picture.) No, of course not. The

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. (v. 10)

Good morning, boys and girls. Life is not always easy is it? (let them answer) How do you feel when your friend is unhappy with you? (let them answer) How do you feel when everyone is picking on you? (let them answer) Sometimes it is a brother or a sister, sometimes the teacher at school, or the bus driver tells you to be quiet and you didn't even say anything. Sometimes your dog or your cat won't even come when you call.

And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. (v. 11)

Good morning, boys and girls. Before Jesus returned to heaven, he prayed to his Father in heaven and asked his Father to protect the disciples and all of his followers. He wanted God the Father to protect the disciples as much as his Father protected him.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Inexpensive (or recycled) umbrellas -- the local dollar store will probably have some or you can buy paper ones at the craft store
Acrylic paint
Paintbrushes

Directions:
1. Give each of the children an umbrella.

2. Have the children paint each section of their umbrellas with a different symbol that represents Jesus to them. Some examples might be: fish, rainbow, cross, dove, or praying hands.

3. Allow the paint to dry.

4. Talk about how Jesus protects them like the umbrellas will protect them.

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. (v. 7)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Do any of you know what this is? (allow answers) This is called a dolly. Do any of you know what a dolly is used for? (allow answers) A dolly is a kind of cart that people use to move heavy things. Instead of carrying all the weight of a heavy box, you can put the box on the dolly. It will still be heavy to move, but the dolly eases the burden -- it helps you move the weight more easily. People who use dollies to move things have less chance of pulling a muscle or getting hurt.

I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. (v. 4)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Look what I brought with me today: a sticker chart. How many of you have ever used a sticker chart at home, at school, or at daycare? (allow answers) How do you use a sticker chart? (allow answers) When you use a sticker chart, you are allowed to put a sticker on the chart each time you do something that you are supposed to do. We use sticker charts to help teach ourselves to form habits. We want to form these habits -- like making our beds every morning, or setting the table without complaining -- so that we can finish all the work that our parents or teachers want us to accomplish.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME
AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME


Materials:
Construction paper, copy paper
Rulers
Markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils
Stickers (enough for each child to take a sheet home)


Directions:
1. Talk about good habits that each child wants to form. (Example: stop biting fingernails, don't argue with mom and dad, share with brother or sister, help others... etc.)
2. Have each child create a sticker chart for him or herself. Make sure they write their goal at the top.
3. Instruct children to take the chart home and use it to try and create good habits.

What do you think of  ______________(child with stickers all over them)?

Don't you think he is a little sticker happy?  We often get stickers if we've gotten a good grade or done something really well. But do you think a child should get a sticker for just being quiet? Or for just sitting in their seat like they are suppose to do.  Aren't  those things just normal requirements?

Jesus was teaching his disciples-friends one day about how a serving person doesn't need to be thanked for things that are ordinarily just needed to be done. In John 17:10 it says,

The Point: Jesus has the authority to give eternal life.

The Lesson: Good morning boys and girls, and thank you for coming to share with me on this Seventh Sunday of Easter. See what I have brought with me this morning? (let children answer) That's right a key. Does anyone know what this key will open? (get many answers) Those are good guesses. Does anyone know which door this key will open? (let children answer) Wow, you are right! This is the key that will open the front door of the church so everyone can gather here to worship the good news that Jesus lives and because he lives we too will live.

Good morning! My father once had an old pickup truck that was a very light blue in color. It was an old work truck that was not too well taken care of. I remember taking some car polish and putting some on the finish of that pickup. I was amazed! The finish became bright and pretty -- not dull, faded and ugly like it had been. (Use a similar story from your life.)

The polish used on cars makes them pretty. It keeps the colors bright and actually makes the paint last much longer. It helps protect the metal under the paint from water and rust and will make the car look good longer and stay nicer looking.

Good morning! Here's a question for you: Who were you before you were born? I'm not just talking about when you were a baby in your mother's tummy. I mean before that. Who were you? What did you look like? I think it's fun to think about that. God has always known us, even before we were anything but an idea. He has always known what we'd look like, sound like and even what we'd be when we grew up. He's known all along whom we would be.

Hi, kids! Who can tell me what it means to cast something? (see if anyone can tell you) Casting is the same as throwing. (hold up your fishing rod and reel) People cast when they fish. When you fish, you have to get your hook way out into the water. To do this, you bring back the rod over your shoulder (demonstrate as you speak), whip it forward and cast the hook away from you. (if there's space, show them what casting looks like) Most people use the word "cast" when they are talking about throwing something a great distance or when they are trying to get rid of something.

Teachers or Parents: Spend time beautifying something in your home or church: waxing furniture (like the pews), polishing shoes, waxing the floor (after removing scuff marks), even painting tables that are worn, and so forth. Discuss how doing this not only makes the object more beautiful, but also protects it. "God protects us and brings us together."

* Weather and time permitting, ask an older member of your congregation if your class can wash and wax his or her car. Encourage the analogy between our taking care of something and God's taking care of us. We are God's precious possessions. We don't even belong to ourselves. We belong to God. We have an obligation to protect and keep ourselves.

It is difficult for children to know someone they have never seen. My children have a hard time feeling close to the aunts and uncles they have never met. Once they've met them, though, it's easy for them to think of them. They have a face to remember and characteristics they've experienced for themselves. This same principle is true for most of us when we consider who God is. How can we feel close to someone we've never seen? How can we know what he is really like?

Good morning! Let's think about some things that might scare
us. What kinds of things can you name that are scary? (Let them
answer.) Those are all scary all right. Let me show you this
picture. What's in this picture? (Show the picture and let them
answer.) Yes, that's a lion. If you saw that lion in the zoo, he
wouldn't be very scary. But what if you met him on a dark night
and he hadn't eaten anything for a few days? Would that frighten
you? (Let them answer.)

The Bible tells us that the devil is just like a hungry lion
running around trying to find something to eat. In fact, he is a
lot worse than a lion because all the lion can do is kill you.

Good morning! Have you ever seen one of these? (Show the
card and let them respond.) This is a business card. It tells
you who the person is who gives it to you and who they represent.
Most of us don't get a chance actually to see the companies that
we do business with. We just do business with an agent of that
company. For instance, if you were going to buy a new car, you
probably wouldn't go back to Detroit and inspect the factory
where the car is built. You would do business with a local person
who represents that company. If the agent is a good
representative, he or she will tell you the whole truth about the
product you are going to buy.