Seeing Jesus!
Children's sermon
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” (v. 8)
Object: A mirror. A small, handheld mirror will work just fine.
Note: When you first ask the children how they might use the mirror, try to engage them in some brainstorming. You may need to suggest some things like checking our hair, our face, our teeth, our shirt, etc. The goal is to get them thinking about uses for a mirror.
Hello, everyone! It is great to see everyone today! (Let them respond.) I’ll bet everyone knows what I have with me this morning (Show the mirror and let them respond.) It is a mirror, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) It is a small one. You probably have bigger mirrors at home too, don’t you? (Let them respond.) Who can tell me something we might use a little mirror like this for? (Let them respond.) Maybe to look at our hair and see if it looks okay? Or maybe to make sure we don’t have something stuck in our teeth? Or maybe to make sure our face is clean, or to make sure our clothes look okay?
We usually use a mirror like this to look at ourselves, don’t we? (Let them respond.) To check and see how we look! Sometimes how we look is really important, isn’t it? (Let them respond.)
Did you know that God cares about how we look? (Let them respond.) In fact, one day, Jesus was talking with his disciples, and he told them that God was going to send someone very important to come and be with them who would help them look the way God wanted them all to look. And after Jesus left his disciples, God’s spirit came to help them just like Jesus said. God’s Spirit came to help us so when we look into our little mirror, we look the way God wants us to look.
But God isn’t worried about what kind of hair we have, what our face looks like, or what our clothes look like. God isn’t worried about those things we usually look at in our mirror. God is looking at something else. Let me ask you a couple of questions and see if we can figure out what God wants us all to look like in our mirror, okay? (Let them respond.)
What should we do if we are at school or playing somewhere, and we see someone sitting by themselves and they look really alone and lonely? (Let them respond.) Maybe go and talk with them? Maybe invite them to join us? (Let them respond.) Those might be things Jesus would do if he was there, wouldn’t he? (Let them respond.)
And what should we do if we see someone new at school who looks really nervous and afraid because they don’t know anyone? (Let them respond.) We might go and say hello, or just ask them their name, right? That’s probably what Jesus might do if he was there, right? (Let them respond.)
Or what should we do if we see someone at school who looks or talks differently than everyone else, and other people are making fun of them and teasing them because of how they look or talk? We wouldn’t tease them too, would we? (Let them respond.) We might go to be with them and let them know that we care, right? (Let them respond.)
And if we do things like that, we are showing everyone what Jesus might have done if he was there. When people see us do those things, it is like they can see Jesus. And if we do the things Jesus would do to help take care of others, when we look in our little mirror it’s almost like we can see Jesus too, isn’t it?
And that is the way God wants us to look. God wants us to say and do things so when other people watch us and see the things we say and do, it reminds them of what Jesus would do. When they see us, it is almost like they are seeing Jesus.
If you look at us we all look very different, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And that is how God created us. But even though we are all different, when we treat each other the way Jesus would treat everyone, we can do some really amazing things to help other people! And that is what God’s Spirit wants to help us do; to help us take care of each other the way Jesus would take care of us.
Let’s all pray together and ask God to help us work together to take care of each other. And that we remember how much God loves every one of us no matter who we are, what we have, or where we are from and ask God to help us remember to do the things God wants us to do to take care of each other so we look just like Jesus.
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.
Object: A mirror. A small, handheld mirror will work just fine.
Note: When you first ask the children how they might use the mirror, try to engage them in some brainstorming. You may need to suggest some things like checking our hair, our face, our teeth, our shirt, etc. The goal is to get them thinking about uses for a mirror.
Hello, everyone! It is great to see everyone today! (Let them respond.) I’ll bet everyone knows what I have with me this morning (Show the mirror and let them respond.) It is a mirror, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) It is a small one. You probably have bigger mirrors at home too, don’t you? (Let them respond.) Who can tell me something we might use a little mirror like this for? (Let them respond.) Maybe to look at our hair and see if it looks okay? Or maybe to make sure we don’t have something stuck in our teeth? Or maybe to make sure our face is clean, or to make sure our clothes look okay?
We usually use a mirror like this to look at ourselves, don’t we? (Let them respond.) To check and see how we look! Sometimes how we look is really important, isn’t it? (Let them respond.)
Did you know that God cares about how we look? (Let them respond.) In fact, one day, Jesus was talking with his disciples, and he told them that God was going to send someone very important to come and be with them who would help them look the way God wanted them all to look. And after Jesus left his disciples, God’s spirit came to help them just like Jesus said. God’s Spirit came to help us so when we look into our little mirror, we look the way God wants us to look.
But God isn’t worried about what kind of hair we have, what our face looks like, or what our clothes look like. God isn’t worried about those things we usually look at in our mirror. God is looking at something else. Let me ask you a couple of questions and see if we can figure out what God wants us all to look like in our mirror, okay? (Let them respond.)
What should we do if we are at school or playing somewhere, and we see someone sitting by themselves and they look really alone and lonely? (Let them respond.) Maybe go and talk with them? Maybe invite them to join us? (Let them respond.) Those might be things Jesus would do if he was there, wouldn’t he? (Let them respond.)
And what should we do if we see someone new at school who looks really nervous and afraid because they don’t know anyone? (Let them respond.) We might go and say hello, or just ask them their name, right? That’s probably what Jesus might do if he was there, right? (Let them respond.)
Or what should we do if we see someone at school who looks or talks differently than everyone else, and other people are making fun of them and teasing them because of how they look or talk? We wouldn’t tease them too, would we? (Let them respond.) We might go to be with them and let them know that we care, right? (Let them respond.)
And if we do things like that, we are showing everyone what Jesus might have done if he was there. When people see us do those things, it is like they can see Jesus. And if we do the things Jesus would do to help take care of others, when we look in our little mirror it’s almost like we can see Jesus too, isn’t it?
And that is the way God wants us to look. God wants us to say and do things so when other people watch us and see the things we say and do, it reminds them of what Jesus would do. When they see us, it is almost like they are seeing Jesus.
If you look at us we all look very different, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And that is how God created us. But even though we are all different, when we treat each other the way Jesus would treat everyone, we can do some really amazing things to help other people! And that is what God’s Spirit wants to help us do; to help us take care of each other the way Jesus would take care of us.
Let’s all pray together and ask God to help us work together to take care of each other. And that we remember how much God loves every one of us no matter who we are, what we have, or where we are from and ask God to help us remember to do the things God wants us to do to take care of each other so we look just like Jesus.
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.
