Childrens Sermon Service

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (vv. 1-3)

Hi, everyone! (Let them respond) We have been remembering the things that happened the week that Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover holiday. On Sunday they came into town in a big parade with the crowds. That’s also the day that the leaders in the city gave Judas money to help them catch Jesus. Does anyone remember how much money they gave Judas? (Let them respond) Yes, they gave him 30 pieces of silver.

Yesterday on Maundy Thursday we remembered the night Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover seder and Jesus washed his disciple’s feet to remind them they were supposed to be servants instead of rock stars.

And now it is Friday, and a lot has happened since last night.

After Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover seder meal, they went to a place outside of the city where it was quiet. It was nice to find a place where they could be away from all the crowds for a while so they could get some rest. But, since they were away from the crowds, what do you think happened? (Let them respond.) Yes, Judas told the leaders where they were, and since there were no crowds around to stop them they sent some men to capture Jesus and take him away.

After they captured Jesus they took him to some of the leaders who tried to get him to say something they could arrest him for. That didn’t work so they took him to some other leaders and tried again. That didn’t work either. They kept dragging him around all day, and some of the disciples tried to follow them to see what was happening. People recognized two of the disciples, but when they asked them if they were with Jesus they both said “No!” and ran away to hide. Finally, one of the leaders sent Jesus to the Roman fortress where he was held as a prisoner and beaten, until finally late in the afternoon he was taken outside of the city and killed on a cross. (Show the little cross.) We are told that his mother and a couple of other women were there when it happened, but all of his disciples had run away and left Jesus alone.

It has been a pretty bad day, hasn’t it? (Let them respond.)

So, here is my question. Remember we said this was Holy Week, and last Sunday when they had the parade into town, who remembers what we call that first day of Holy Week? (Let them respond.) We call it Palm Sunday, don’t we, because of the people who picked up the palm branches and waved them. And who remembers what we call yesterday to remember when Jesus commanded his disciples to serve others? (Let them respond.) Since the Latin word for “command” is “mandatum” we call yesterday Maundy Thursday.

Well then, after all of the terrible things we remember that happened today, why do you think we call today “Good Friday”? (Let them respond.) There weren’t a lot of good things that happened were there?

Some people think we call today Good Friday because the word “good” sounds a lot like “God”, and it used to be called “God Friday.” But that probably isn’t it.

Some people think we call today Good Friday because even though all of those terrible things happened, it all turned out to be good because of what Jesus went through. Jesus suffered through all of those terrible things so good things could happen later.

And some people think we call it Good Friday because a long time ago the word “good” meant “holy,” so something that was “good” was something that came from “God.” Maybe that’s why.

Did you know in Germany they sometimes don’t even call it “Good Friday,” but call it “Sorrowful Friday” instead?

But you know, I don’t worry about why we call it whatever we call it. I just want to remember something else about this amazing day. I want to remember that sometimes it feels like everything has gotten terrible, and everything has gone wrong, and there is nothing good happening, and I am all alone, just like Jesus might have felt on this day a long time ago. But I want to remember that, just like then, God can sometimes change things and turn all of the terrible things into really great things. When I am having a terrible day or feeling alone, I want to remember that God can help change that. And I want to remember that when I meet someone who is having a terrible day or feeling alone, I might be able to show them I love them like God loves them and help make their day better, too.

Let’s say our prayer and ask God to help us remember.

Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. 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.