Transfigured
Children's sermon
Object:
an optical illusion -- such as the face of Jesus in a background that
cannot be seen unless you concentrate on the face or another optical illusion that
you have available
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became dazzling white. (v. 2)
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the Transfiguration of our Lord and it is one of the special days of the church year. Today we talk about Jesus changing in several ways while three of his disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- watched. How did he change? The Bible says that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became gleaming white. There were other things that happened that the disciples remembered and we will talk about them, also.
Have you ever seen an optical illusion? (let them answer) An optical illusion is when you are looking at one thing and all of a sudden you see something else. I brought an optical illusion for you to see. You must concentrate very hard and not take your eyes off it. Keep staring, don't blink and think very hard about what you are seeing. As soon as you see it change, raise your hand but don't say anything because other people are still looking very closely. (after several have seen it, tell the other children where to look and what they should see if they look very carefully) Isn't that amazing? Right in front of you it changed and you were all looking at the same thing. We call this an optical illusion.
Jesus took three of his disciples up a mountain and soon after they got there, things began to change. The disciples said that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun. That is very bright. We should never look at the sun unless we wear special sunglasses because it could hurt our eyes. I also told you that the disciples reported that Jesus' clothes were dazzling white. That is also very bright. "Dazzle" means to really stand out.
There was more. While they were watching Jesus, two men appeared. The two men were Moses and Elijah and they were talking with Jesus. While they were talking, a large cloud came very close to them because they were at the top of the mountain. The cloud seemed to just float over them and then a voice came from the cloud. "This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" The voice was so big and so close that Peter, James, and John fell to the ground and covered their heads with their arms and hands. They had heard the voice of God. When they looked up, Elijah and Moses had left. When they looked around, the cloud was gone and only Jesus remained with them. It was a day they would never forget for the rest of their lives. The next time you see an optical illusion, I hope you will remember the day Jesus was transfigured on the top of a mountain. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the Transfiguration of our Lord and it is one of the special days of the church year. Today we talk about Jesus changing in several ways while three of his disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- watched. How did he change? The Bible says that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became gleaming white. There were other things that happened that the disciples remembered and we will talk about them, also.
Have you ever seen an optical illusion? (let them answer) An optical illusion is when you are looking at one thing and all of a sudden you see something else. I brought an optical illusion for you to see. You must concentrate very hard and not take your eyes off it. Keep staring, don't blink and think very hard about what you are seeing. As soon as you see it change, raise your hand but don't say anything because other people are still looking very closely. (after several have seen it, tell the other children where to look and what they should see if they look very carefully) Isn't that amazing? Right in front of you it changed and you were all looking at the same thing. We call this an optical illusion.
Jesus took three of his disciples up a mountain and soon after they got there, things began to change. The disciples said that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun. That is very bright. We should never look at the sun unless we wear special sunglasses because it could hurt our eyes. I also told you that the disciples reported that Jesus' clothes were dazzling white. That is also very bright. "Dazzle" means to really stand out.
There was more. While they were watching Jesus, two men appeared. The two men were Moses and Elijah and they were talking with Jesus. While they were talking, a large cloud came very close to them because they were at the top of the mountain. The cloud seemed to just float over them and then a voice came from the cloud. "This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" The voice was so big and so close that Peter, James, and John fell to the ground and covered their heads with their arms and hands. They had heard the voice of God. When they looked up, Elijah and Moses had left. When they looked around, the cloud was gone and only Jesus remained with them. It was a day they would never forget for the rest of their lives. The next time you see an optical illusion, I hope you will remember the day Jesus was transfigured on the top of a mountain. Amen.
