Freeze!
Children's sermon
Object:
a fake police badge, sunglasses, or other police paraphernalia
First Thoughts: In this next story of Jesus inviting disciples, we're going to focus on Jesus' invitation to repentance -- to stop, think, and turn around. As preparation for this lesson, I invite you to look back at your life focusing on those times when you made a shift in your path. Perhaps you changed careers, ended an unhealthy relationship, or just decided it was time for a fresh start and moved to another place. What was it that caused you to change direction? Do you feel the change benefited you? How does it feel to change direction and begin something new?
Props You Will Need: a fake police badge, sunglasses, or other police paraphernalia (optional)
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 comes making siren sounds, wearing police items)
Leader 1: What are you doing?
Leader 2: I was watching this great television show last night. It was all about police officers and what they do.
Leader 1: Yes, police officers can really help a community stay safe. They help people whose cars are stuck on the side of the road, make people drive more slowly, and sometimes they help children cross the street safely.
Leader 2: But you know my favorite part? When they shouted, "Freeze! Police!" That's so cool! Hey, why do you think they say "freeze" like that? It was supposed to be summertime in the show, so it wasn't that cold...
Leader 1: They weren't saying "freeze" because of the cold. They were telling someone to stop what they were doing. Police officers only tell people to freeze when that person is doing something dangerous and they need the person to stop. You know, there's a church word for that.
Leader 2: What's the church word?
Leader 1: Repent. It means to stop what you're doing and turn around. When John the Baptist was telling everyone that Jesus was coming he told them to repent: "Freeze right where you are. Are you ready to meet Jesus?" Then when Jesus first started calling his disciples, he also told them to stop what they were doing, leave everything behind, and follow him. When we become Christians, that's what we're doing too. We stop right where we are, whatever we're doing, and then we give our lives over to God.
Leader 2: So, instead of "Freeze! Police!" we could say, "Repent! Jesus!"
Leader 1: Yeah, something like that.
Teaching On Your Own: (wearing police items, making siren noises) I watched the best show last night. Do you like shows about police officers? What's your favorite part? Police do a lot of great things. They help people whose cars are stuck on the side of the road, make people drive more slowly, and sometimes they help children cross the street safely. But you know my favorite part? When they shout, "Freeze! Police!" That's so cool! Hey, why do you think they say "freeze" like that? Right -- they were telling someone to stop what they were doing. When do police officers tell someone to freeze? Usually it's when a person is doing something dangerous and they need the person to stop.
You know, there's a church word for that. Repent. It means to stop what you're doing and turn around. When John the Baptist was telling everyone that Jesus was coming he told them to repent: "Freeze right where you are. Are you ready to meet Jesus?" Then when Jesus first started calling his disciples, he also told them to stop what they were doing, leave everything behind, and follow him. When we become Christians, that's what we're doing too. We stop right where we are, whatever we're doing, and then we give our lives over to God. So in church, instead of "Freeze! Police!" we could say, "Repent! Jesus!"
Closing Prayer: Loving God, thank you for watching out for us and for helping us to lead lives in which we make good choices for ourselves and for those around us. Help us to listen for your voice, to give us encouragement when we're doing your will, and to tell us to repent when we need to change direction. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Activity: A great way to follow up on this activity, either at home or in children's church, is to further explore the need for repentance. Start by having the children make their own Jesus badge (fashioned on an old-time sheriff's badge). On the front you might write the word "Repent" or "Jesus Patrol." Then talk a bit about the way God wants us to act in the world and under what circumstances God will ask us to repent or change direction. Prepare several scenarios (such as one child bullying another, one child sharing toys with another, two children refusing to let another child play a game) You can either read these scenarios or have some of the children act them out. If the kids see something they think goes against God's will, they raise their badges and shout "Repent!" After each scenario, invite the children to discuss what was right/wrong about the situation, and how God might lead us to do something different.
Props You Will Need: a fake police badge, sunglasses, or other police paraphernalia (optional)
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 comes making siren sounds, wearing police items)
Leader 1: What are you doing?
Leader 2: I was watching this great television show last night. It was all about police officers and what they do.
Leader 1: Yes, police officers can really help a community stay safe. They help people whose cars are stuck on the side of the road, make people drive more slowly, and sometimes they help children cross the street safely.
Leader 2: But you know my favorite part? When they shouted, "Freeze! Police!" That's so cool! Hey, why do you think they say "freeze" like that? It was supposed to be summertime in the show, so it wasn't that cold...
Leader 1: They weren't saying "freeze" because of the cold. They were telling someone to stop what they were doing. Police officers only tell people to freeze when that person is doing something dangerous and they need the person to stop. You know, there's a church word for that.
Leader 2: What's the church word?
Leader 1: Repent. It means to stop what you're doing and turn around. When John the Baptist was telling everyone that Jesus was coming he told them to repent: "Freeze right where you are. Are you ready to meet Jesus?" Then when Jesus first started calling his disciples, he also told them to stop what they were doing, leave everything behind, and follow him. When we become Christians, that's what we're doing too. We stop right where we are, whatever we're doing, and then we give our lives over to God.
Leader 2: So, instead of "Freeze! Police!" we could say, "Repent! Jesus!"
Leader 1: Yeah, something like that.
Teaching On Your Own: (wearing police items, making siren noises) I watched the best show last night. Do you like shows about police officers? What's your favorite part? Police do a lot of great things. They help people whose cars are stuck on the side of the road, make people drive more slowly, and sometimes they help children cross the street safely. But you know my favorite part? When they shout, "Freeze! Police!" That's so cool! Hey, why do you think they say "freeze" like that? Right -- they were telling someone to stop what they were doing. When do police officers tell someone to freeze? Usually it's when a person is doing something dangerous and they need the person to stop.
You know, there's a church word for that. Repent. It means to stop what you're doing and turn around. When John the Baptist was telling everyone that Jesus was coming he told them to repent: "Freeze right where you are. Are you ready to meet Jesus?" Then when Jesus first started calling his disciples, he also told them to stop what they were doing, leave everything behind, and follow him. When we become Christians, that's what we're doing too. We stop right where we are, whatever we're doing, and then we give our lives over to God. So in church, instead of "Freeze! Police!" we could say, "Repent! Jesus!"
Closing Prayer: Loving God, thank you for watching out for us and for helping us to lead lives in which we make good choices for ourselves and for those around us. Help us to listen for your voice, to give us encouragement when we're doing your will, and to tell us to repent when we need to change direction. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Activity: A great way to follow up on this activity, either at home or in children's church, is to further explore the need for repentance. Start by having the children make their own Jesus badge (fashioned on an old-time sheriff's badge). On the front you might write the word "Repent" or "Jesus Patrol." Then talk a bit about the way God wants us to act in the world and under what circumstances God will ask us to repent or change direction. Prepare several scenarios (such as one child bullying another, one child sharing toys with another, two children refusing to let another child play a game) You can either read these scenarios or have some of the children act them out. If the kids see something they think goes against God's will, they raise their badges and shout "Repent!" After each scenario, invite the children to discuss what was right/wrong about the situation, and how God might lead us to do something different.
