Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Ghoul?
Children's sermon
Object:
some Halloween paraphernalia (optional)
First Thoughts: Children are likely to have mixed feelings about Halloween. It's a lot of fun to dress up and get candy, but there are also some pretty creepy elements present that can cause many children to be frightened. Even as they trick-or-treat, they are liable to see other costumes that are a bit too scary or home decorations that are a bit too dark for them. This is a good opportunity to remind children that all that frightening stuff is just pretend and it passes away. What is real is God's love for us, and God's willingness to help us in difficult situations just as Jesus was present for Lazarus. In preparation for your time with the children, think back on a time in your life when you were facing fear or uncertainty. How did God meet you in that fear? How did God turn your uncertainty into a cause for celebration and praise? Carry your prayer and reflection with you in your time with the children.
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has the props)
Leader 1: Hey, (name), did you go trick-or-treating last night?
Leader 2: Yeah, and I saw some amazing costumes. There were princesses and cowboys and superheroes and fairies. But you know what my favorite was?
Leader 1: What?
Leader 2: A mummy!
Leader 1: A mummy?
Leader 2: Yeah, some kid had wrapped himself all up in toilet paper and he was walking around like this (scary posture) and groaning like this (groans obnoxiously).
Leader 1: Why was that your favorite?
Leader 2: I don't know. It was kind of scary and weird and I like scary and weird things on Halloween.
Leader 1: It is kinda fun to be scared when you know it's all pretend, isn't it?
Leader 2: Yeah.
Leader 1: But what if it wasn't pretend?
Leader 2: What do you mean?
Leader 1: What if the mummy was real? Our Bible story today tells us about a real mummy.
Leader 2: Ooooh, sounds spooky.
Leader 1: Well, not really. See, Jesus had some very special friends in a town called Bethany. Their names were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, two sisters and their brother. One day Lazarus became very sick and died. Jesus wasn't there when Lazarus died, but he rushed right over when he heard. When he got there Lazarus had been dead three days, and he was already buried in a cave. When Jesus walked up both sisters were very sad. Jesus was sad too but he told them that they needed to open the cave where the tomb was. At first they didn't want to...
Leader 2: I don't blame them. It would make me kind of nervous too.
Leader 1: But he promised them it would be okay. So they opened the cave and Jesus prayed that God would help him. Then he called, "Lazarus, come out!"
Leader 2: (nervously) And did he?
Leader 1: He did and he was all covered up in cloth just like a mummy! But this mummy wasn't really a monster, just Lazarus come back to life. So they unwrapped him and had a great celebration.
Leader 2: Leave it to Jesus to take something that looks scary and turn it into a party!
Leader 1: Yep, that's Jesus' style all right!
Teaching On Your Own: Hey, everybody. Did you guys go trick-or-treating last night? What were your costumes? Did you see a lot of other costumes? What did you see? I saw lots of fun things. But you know what my favorite was? A mummy! Some kid had wrapped himself all up in toilet paper and he was walking around like this (scary posture) and groaning like this (groans obnoxiously). It was kind of scary and weird and I like scary and weird things on Halloween. It's kinda fun to be scared when you know it's all pretend, isn't it? But what if it wasn't pretend? What if the mummy was real?
You know, our story from the Bible today tells us about a real mummy. Sounds spooky, huh? Well, not really. See, Jesus had some very special friends in a town called Bethany. Their names were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, two sisters and their brother. One day Lazarus became very sick and died. Jesus wasn't there when Lazarus died, but he rushed right over when he heard. When he got there Lazarus had been dead three days, and he was already buried in a cave. When Jesus walked up both sisters were very sad. Jesus was sad too but he told them that they needed to open the cave where the tomb was. At first they didn't want to, but Jesus told them it would be okay. So they opened the cave and Jesus prayed that God would help him. Then he called, "Lazarus, come out!" And you know what? He did! All covered in cloths just like a mummy! But this mummy wasn't really a monster, just Lazarus come back to life. So they unwrapped him and had a great celebration. That's just like Jesus, isn't it? Taking something that looks scary and turning it into a party!
Closing Prayer: God, thank you for the fun times we have dressing up and using our imaginations to pretend. Thank you, too, that your love is real and always available to us, turning our fears into celebrations. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, invite the children to share more about the things that frighten them. Then talk about the things in our lives that help us be brave: friends who are with us, parents who protect us, teachers who help us. All of these are gifts from God. God wants us to know that there is nothing in this world that can keep us from God's love and care. Revisit the story of Lazarus. Even though he had been dead three days, he still wasn't so far away that God couldn't give him new life. As a craft idea, give each child materials to create their own mummy: craft sticks, glue, gauze or crepe paper, google eyes, safety pins, some craft paper. Fashion a basic stick figure out of the craft sticks and glue them together. Cut out rectangle shapes for the face and chest and glue them on the appropriate spots. Before you begin the wrapping, though, have the children right a message on the mummy's tummy -- something like "God is with me!" Then begin to wrap the gauze around the mummy's torso, gluing it on the back. When you're done with wrapping the torso, pin it with the safety pin (so the mummy can be unwrapped again to share God's message). Wrap the head separately, glue it on completely so it won't unravel. Add eyes. Close with a reminder to the children that situations that seem scary only need to be "unwrapped" to reveal the truth hidden beneath -- God is always with us! End your time together with prayer.
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has the props)
Leader 1: Hey, (name), did you go trick-or-treating last night?
Leader 2: Yeah, and I saw some amazing costumes. There were princesses and cowboys and superheroes and fairies. But you know what my favorite was?
Leader 1: What?
Leader 2: A mummy!
Leader 1: A mummy?
Leader 2: Yeah, some kid had wrapped himself all up in toilet paper and he was walking around like this (scary posture) and groaning like this (groans obnoxiously).
Leader 1: Why was that your favorite?
Leader 2: I don't know. It was kind of scary and weird and I like scary and weird things on Halloween.
Leader 1: It is kinda fun to be scared when you know it's all pretend, isn't it?
Leader 2: Yeah.
Leader 1: But what if it wasn't pretend?
Leader 2: What do you mean?
Leader 1: What if the mummy was real? Our Bible story today tells us about a real mummy.
Leader 2: Ooooh, sounds spooky.
Leader 1: Well, not really. See, Jesus had some very special friends in a town called Bethany. Their names were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, two sisters and their brother. One day Lazarus became very sick and died. Jesus wasn't there when Lazarus died, but he rushed right over when he heard. When he got there Lazarus had been dead three days, and he was already buried in a cave. When Jesus walked up both sisters were very sad. Jesus was sad too but he told them that they needed to open the cave where the tomb was. At first they didn't want to...
Leader 2: I don't blame them. It would make me kind of nervous too.
Leader 1: But he promised them it would be okay. So they opened the cave and Jesus prayed that God would help him. Then he called, "Lazarus, come out!"
Leader 2: (nervously) And did he?
Leader 1: He did and he was all covered up in cloth just like a mummy! But this mummy wasn't really a monster, just Lazarus come back to life. So they unwrapped him and had a great celebration.
Leader 2: Leave it to Jesus to take something that looks scary and turn it into a party!
Leader 1: Yep, that's Jesus' style all right!
Teaching On Your Own: Hey, everybody. Did you guys go trick-or-treating last night? What were your costumes? Did you see a lot of other costumes? What did you see? I saw lots of fun things. But you know what my favorite was? A mummy! Some kid had wrapped himself all up in toilet paper and he was walking around like this (scary posture) and groaning like this (groans obnoxiously). It was kind of scary and weird and I like scary and weird things on Halloween. It's kinda fun to be scared when you know it's all pretend, isn't it? But what if it wasn't pretend? What if the mummy was real?
You know, our story from the Bible today tells us about a real mummy. Sounds spooky, huh? Well, not really. See, Jesus had some very special friends in a town called Bethany. Their names were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, two sisters and their brother. One day Lazarus became very sick and died. Jesus wasn't there when Lazarus died, but he rushed right over when he heard. When he got there Lazarus had been dead three days, and he was already buried in a cave. When Jesus walked up both sisters were very sad. Jesus was sad too but he told them that they needed to open the cave where the tomb was. At first they didn't want to, but Jesus told them it would be okay. So they opened the cave and Jesus prayed that God would help him. Then he called, "Lazarus, come out!" And you know what? He did! All covered in cloths just like a mummy! But this mummy wasn't really a monster, just Lazarus come back to life. So they unwrapped him and had a great celebration. That's just like Jesus, isn't it? Taking something that looks scary and turning it into a party!
Closing Prayer: God, thank you for the fun times we have dressing up and using our imaginations to pretend. Thank you, too, that your love is real and always available to us, turning our fears into celebrations. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, invite the children to share more about the things that frighten them. Then talk about the things in our lives that help us be brave: friends who are with us, parents who protect us, teachers who help us. All of these are gifts from God. God wants us to know that there is nothing in this world that can keep us from God's love and care. Revisit the story of Lazarus. Even though he had been dead three days, he still wasn't so far away that God couldn't give him new life. As a craft idea, give each child materials to create their own mummy: craft sticks, glue, gauze or crepe paper, google eyes, safety pins, some craft paper. Fashion a basic stick figure out of the craft sticks and glue them together. Cut out rectangle shapes for the face and chest and glue them on the appropriate spots. Before you begin the wrapping, though, have the children right a message on the mummy's tummy -- something like "God is with me!" Then begin to wrap the gauze around the mummy's torso, gluing it on the back. When you're done with wrapping the torso, pin it with the safety pin (so the mummy can be unwrapped again to share God's message). Wrap the head separately, glue it on completely so it won't unravel. Add eyes. Close with a reminder to the children that situations that seem scary only need to be "unwrapped" to reveal the truth hidden beneath -- God is always with us! End your time together with prayer.
