Backward Jesus
Children's sermon
Object: A mirror. Ideally, find a large mirror like you would put on the back of a door to use when dressing. Any mirror will do, but a large one that everyone can see easily will be more fun.
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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! To start the story, I have something I want to show you. (Show the mirror.) I’ll bet everyone knows what this is, don’t you? (Let them respond.) It’s a mirror, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Did you know there is something very special about a mirror? (Let them respond.) You can see yourself in it, yes. But does anyone have an idea what is even more interesting about a mirror? (Let them respond.) Let’s try something and see if we can figure it out.
First, do you know which of your hands is your left hand? (Let them respond.) This is our left hand, isn’t it? (Raise your left hand.) And this is our right hand. (Raise your right hand.) Okay, now I want you all to raise your left hand. (Have everyone raise their left hand.) Great. Now, each of you keep your left hand raised and move around so you can see yourself in the mirror. (Have each child get a moment to look at themself in the mirror.) Did you notice something interesting about what you saw in the mirror? (Let them respond.) Let me show you and see if we can find out what is so interesting. (Raise your left hand and get in front of the window so everyone can see your reflection.) Now, look at me and tell me which hand I am raising. (Let them respond.) It’s my left hand, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Now, look at my reflection in the mirror. Which hand does it look like I am raising? (Let them respond.) In the mirror it looks like I am raising my right hand, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) The mirror kind of turns things around, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) Now, I’ll raise my right hand, (Look at the children and raise your right hand, then turn to the mirror.) But the mirror makes it look like I am raising my left hand, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) The mirror is backward. Isn’t that interesting? (Let them respond.) And I’ll tell you something even more interesting. Did you know that, sometimes, Jesus does things backward too? (Let them respond.)
One day, a bunch of people came to see Jesus. It was a big crowd of people, too. And there were all kinds of people. Some of them were rich people who had come from the city to see Jesus. They wore fancy clothes and brought servants with them who carried food with them in case the rich people got hungry while they were there. Some of the people were really poor. They didn’t have any servants with food, and some of them were so poor they didn’t have any food at all for them or their family. Some of the people came to see Jesus because they were really sick, and they hoped that Jesus would help them. The rich people thought they were more important than everyone else, so when Jesus got there, they had their servants push the other people out of the way so they could be upfront and closer to Jesus. The rich people were smiling and laughing because they knew Jesus would be happy to see them since they were so rich and important. The rest of the people in the crowd were quiet, and hungry, and sad because they thought Jesus would probably just ignore them because they weren’t as important as the rich people were.
Jesus looked at all of the people. Then he looked at the people in the back, the poor people, and he said, “Blessed are the poor people because God is going to help you. And it’s too bad for you rich people because you have gotten all that you are ever going to get.”
And he said, “Blessed are the hungry people because God is going to make sure you are never hungry again. And it’s too bad for you people with all of your food because one of these days you are going to be out of food and be very hungry.”
And he said, “Blessed are the people who are sad and crying because God is going to take care of you so you can laugh and never cry again. And it’s too bad for those of you who are laughing and happy because you think you are so important because God is going to do things that are going to make you very sad.”
And he said, “Blessed are the people who are being picked on and pushed out of the way because God is going to show everyone just how important you really are. And it’s too bad for you people who are picking on people and pushing other people around because you are about to see that God does not think you are important at all.”
When the people came to see Jesus, they all believed that God cared more for rich people, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) And they thought that rich people were more important than people who were not rich, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) But Jesus surprised them, didn’t he? (Let them respond as you show the mirror.) Jesus acted just like a mirror, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) He acted just like a mirror and turned everything around backward, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) Jesus told them that the people God sent Jesus to help were the poor. God sent Jesus to feed the people who were hungry and didn’t have food. God sent Jesus to help people who were crying because they were sad or sick or didn’t have a home. God sent Jesus to help the people who were being picked on and pushed around. Jesus was sent to be just like a mirror and turn things around.
Our story happened a long time ago, but we still have people who believe they are the most important people because they are rich and have everything they need and spend their time picking on people and pushing people around, don’t we? (Let them respond as you show the mirror.) But Jesus said they had it all backward, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) I hope our story will remind us that God loves every one of us, and God expects us to love everyone else, even those people the rich and powerful keep pushing out of the way.
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! To start the story, I have something I want to show you. (Show the mirror.) I’ll bet everyone knows what this is, don’t you? (Let them respond.) It’s a mirror, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Did you know there is something very special about a mirror? (Let them respond.) You can see yourself in it, yes. But does anyone have an idea what is even more interesting about a mirror? (Let them respond.) Let’s try something and see if we can figure it out.
First, do you know which of your hands is your left hand? (Let them respond.) This is our left hand, isn’t it? (Raise your left hand.) And this is our right hand. (Raise your right hand.) Okay, now I want you all to raise your left hand. (Have everyone raise their left hand.) Great. Now, each of you keep your left hand raised and move around so you can see yourself in the mirror. (Have each child get a moment to look at themself in the mirror.) Did you notice something interesting about what you saw in the mirror? (Let them respond.) Let me show you and see if we can find out what is so interesting. (Raise your left hand and get in front of the window so everyone can see your reflection.) Now, look at me and tell me which hand I am raising. (Let them respond.) It’s my left hand, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Now, look at my reflection in the mirror. Which hand does it look like I am raising? (Let them respond.) In the mirror it looks like I am raising my right hand, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) The mirror kind of turns things around, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) Now, I’ll raise my right hand, (Look at the children and raise your right hand, then turn to the mirror.) But the mirror makes it look like I am raising my left hand, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) The mirror is backward. Isn’t that interesting? (Let them respond.) And I’ll tell you something even more interesting. Did you know that, sometimes, Jesus does things backward too? (Let them respond.)
One day, a bunch of people came to see Jesus. It was a big crowd of people, too. And there were all kinds of people. Some of them were rich people who had come from the city to see Jesus. They wore fancy clothes and brought servants with them who carried food with them in case the rich people got hungry while they were there. Some of the people were really poor. They didn’t have any servants with food, and some of them were so poor they didn’t have any food at all for them or their family. Some of the people came to see Jesus because they were really sick, and they hoped that Jesus would help them. The rich people thought they were more important than everyone else, so when Jesus got there, they had their servants push the other people out of the way so they could be upfront and closer to Jesus. The rich people were smiling and laughing because they knew Jesus would be happy to see them since they were so rich and important. The rest of the people in the crowd were quiet, and hungry, and sad because they thought Jesus would probably just ignore them because they weren’t as important as the rich people were.
Jesus looked at all of the people. Then he looked at the people in the back, the poor people, and he said, “Blessed are the poor people because God is going to help you. And it’s too bad for you rich people because you have gotten all that you are ever going to get.”
And he said, “Blessed are the hungry people because God is going to make sure you are never hungry again. And it’s too bad for you people with all of your food because one of these days you are going to be out of food and be very hungry.”
And he said, “Blessed are the people who are sad and crying because God is going to take care of you so you can laugh and never cry again. And it’s too bad for those of you who are laughing and happy because you think you are so important because God is going to do things that are going to make you very sad.”
And he said, “Blessed are the people who are being picked on and pushed out of the way because God is going to show everyone just how important you really are. And it’s too bad for you people who are picking on people and pushing other people around because you are about to see that God does not think you are important at all.”
When the people came to see Jesus, they all believed that God cared more for rich people, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) And they thought that rich people were more important than people who were not rich, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) But Jesus surprised them, didn’t he? (Let them respond as you show the mirror.) Jesus acted just like a mirror, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) He acted just like a mirror and turned everything around backward, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) Jesus told them that the people God sent Jesus to help were the poor. God sent Jesus to feed the people who were hungry and didn’t have food. God sent Jesus to help people who were crying because they were sad or sick or didn’t have a home. God sent Jesus to help the people who were being picked on and pushed around. Jesus was sent to be just like a mirror and turn things around.
Our story happened a long time ago, but we still have people who believe they are the most important people because they are rich and have everything they need and spend their time picking on people and pushing people around, don’t we? (Let them respond as you show the mirror.) But Jesus said they had it all backward, didn’t he? (Let them respond.) I hope our story will remind us that God loves every one of us, and God expects us to love everyone else, even those people the rich and powerful keep pushing out of the way.
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
