Have you anything here to eat?
Children's sermon
Object:
an obituary page from a newspaper and a sandwich
Good morning, boys and girls. What do you think you would do if someone that had died showed up in your Sunday school class? (let them answer) I brought along the paper and in here is a page of all the people near here that died yesterday. (read some of the names and perhaps part of the obit, being sensitive as to whom is in the obituary) That's kind of interesting, isn't it? (let them answer) Do you know any of these people? (let them answer) Each of these people died and in a few days they are going to be put into a casket and be buried.
Let's suppose you do know one of the people that died yesterday and that person is sitting in church with us today. What would you think of that? (let them answer)
If one of those people told you that you were seeing them after they died, what would you do? (let them answer) Would you invite them to worship with us in our church next Sunday? Would you come to church next Sunday to see the person who died and is now living? That is very good.
When the disciples saw a person walk through doors that were locked shut, they were shocked. They wanted to believe it was Jesus, but they were too busy trying to figure it out to ask questions. So Jesus broke the ice.
Each one of the people who were there said they could see him but they wondered if he was real. Then Jesus had a great idea. He knew it was hard to believe what they were seeing. He turned toward them and asked them for a piece of fish. Here was the real test. What would happen when Jesus tried to eat? Would the food disappear; could you see the baked fish being put into the mouth of Jesus? Jesus chewed and swallowed it.
Only the people there saw this great occasion. I thought I would try it out with some of these people that just died. I thought I would go over to their houses and take a sandwich. (show the sandwich) If the dead person ate the sandwich, then I would think that everyone could be a miracle like Jesus.
It never works out that way. Only one person, Jesus Christ, has been raised from the dead. Other people who have died could not eat a sandwich until God raises them from the dead. But someday it will happen. That is Jesus' promise.
That's why it was so special that day that Jesus returned from the dead and met with his disciples. He knew that they were wondering if their eyes had gone bad or if it was a trick. They all knew that he had died, but when he ate the fish, they knew he was alive again. Amen.
Let's suppose you do know one of the people that died yesterday and that person is sitting in church with us today. What would you think of that? (let them answer)
If one of those people told you that you were seeing them after they died, what would you do? (let them answer) Would you invite them to worship with us in our church next Sunday? Would you come to church next Sunday to see the person who died and is now living? That is very good.
When the disciples saw a person walk through doors that were locked shut, they were shocked. They wanted to believe it was Jesus, but they were too busy trying to figure it out to ask questions. So Jesus broke the ice.
Each one of the people who were there said they could see him but they wondered if he was real. Then Jesus had a great idea. He knew it was hard to believe what they were seeing. He turned toward them and asked them for a piece of fish. Here was the real test. What would happen when Jesus tried to eat? Would the food disappear; could you see the baked fish being put into the mouth of Jesus? Jesus chewed and swallowed it.
Only the people there saw this great occasion. I thought I would try it out with some of these people that just died. I thought I would go over to their houses and take a sandwich. (show the sandwich) If the dead person ate the sandwich, then I would think that everyone could be a miracle like Jesus.
It never works out that way. Only one person, Jesus Christ, has been raised from the dead. Other people who have died could not eat a sandwich until God raises them from the dead. But someday it will happen. That is Jesus' promise.
That's why it was so special that day that Jesus returned from the dead and met with his disciples. He knew that they were wondering if their eyes had gone bad or if it was a trick. They all knew that he had died, but when he ate the fish, they knew he was alive again. Amen.
