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(Children's Sermon Service...Plus)

We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. (v. 18)

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you remember what you did last Monday, the day after you were in church on Sunday? (let them answer) It is kind of hard to remember, isn't it? How many of you remember the children's sermon from last Sunday? (let them answer)

You are going to remember the children's sermon today because it is going to be something special. (Do whatever you have chosen to be a memorable event. Perhaps you can do several of the above like move the children to another location, make them all stand on one leg, wear a strange hat, eat a banana, or hum a tune.)

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. (v. 16)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have heard someone tell a ghost story while in the dark with a flashlight? (allow answers) How did that story make you feel? (allow answers) Ghost stories can be scary! Thankfully, ghost stories are usually made up. Even though they are scary to listen to, we know that we don't have to be scared of those stories in real life.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME
AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME


Materials:
Quilt/blanket or curtains (any color(s) except white)
Bleach pens (enough for children to share)


Directions:
Spread the blanket or curtains on a table or the floor. Have children use the bleach pens to draw on fabric and decorate it. Show that by taking away the color -- the "stain" -- we can make the fabric more beautiful. Just as bleach makes fabric pure, so Jesus' love makes our souls pure. Hang the quilt or curtains in the church or the Sunday school room.

I have something to show you today BUT... you only get to see a little bit of my picture -- a peep hole.  (Show picture covered over with piece of paper with a small square cut out.)  Does it make you wonder what the whole picture might look like?

Object: A bright flashlight. We will use the light to shine on faces to show how Jesus’ face might have shined on the mountain. For the best effect, I usually hold the light up high in front of the head and shine it down to the forehead, rather than directly into the face. When you use the light, you might shine it on yourself first, and then ask for volunteers to light up one at a time as well.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are we all ready to hear today’s story? (Let them respond.)

The disciples see Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and then Jesus tells them to tell no one. I don’t think I would have been up for the task of keeping that secret. I know this because the first time I played The Green Wall a friend told me the secret and I had the hardest time not telling everyone else the answer.

The Green Wall is played like this. You tell the kids there is a Green Wall next to you. You can see behind the wall but they need to guess items that might be behind the wall. The secret trick that only you know to begin with is that only things that are (or could be) green are behind the wall.

Good morning, boys and girls. Kermit the Frog came along with me this morning. How many of you watch Kermit on public television? (Let them answer.) I've watched a bit of Kermit myself. One of the things he does that I like the best is when he pre tends that he is a television newscaster. When he does this he always reports events as an eyewitness. How many of you like his eyewitness TV reports? (Wait for a show of hands.) Can anyone tell me what it means to be an eyewitness? (Let someone answer.) It means that someone actually saw an event take place. That person is telling others about it, as it was remembered by that person. It means that the "eye" (point to your eye) saw something happen.

This morning's lesson tells about an incredible eyewitness

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

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Blue construction paper
White cotton balls
Glue
Alphabet pasta

Directions:

1. Give each of the children a piece of blue construction paper.

2. Tell the children to use the cotton balls to make clouds and glue them onto the paper.

3. Have the children use the pasta letters to spell, "Listen to him," by gluing the letters on the blue construction paper under the cotton ball clouds.

Good morning, boys and girls. Does anyone know what the word "eyewitness" means? (let them answer) An eyewitness is someone who was present when something happened or was said. If I saw a basketball game with my own eyes, my information would be better than someone who read about it in the newspaper.

Good morning, boys and girls. I brought something this morning that I know each of you likes to look into. Do any of you know what it is called? (Let them answer.) This is called a kaleidoscope. How many of you have ever looked through one? (Let them answer.) You hold it up to a light, look through it and move the end. It creates very colorful designs. Each time I move it, it seems that a new design is created.

This morning's lesson reminds me of this kaleidoscope. The lesson is a story about Jesus and three of his disciples. Jesus took the three men near the top of a mountain. When they arrived at the top something wonderful happened. Do any of you know what happened? (Let them answer.) The disciples saw a vision. The

At night I cannot see as well. Sometimes I'm scared I'll run into something or trip over something. When I was young I was sometimes afraid that someone might try to harm me and get me in the dark. Maybe that's why I like flashlights. They provide light in the darkness. If I have a flashlight, I am less afraid.

But have you ever heard of someone being afraid of the light? I want to tell you about a strange story in which the disciples of Jesus were scared of the light.

One day Jesus led some of his followers up on a high mountain. Have any of you ever been on a high mountain? (Let them answer.) Was it noisy up on the mountain? Of course not! It's quiet on a high mountain!

While they were on the mountain, Jesus suddenly was

When I got married, the state wanted proof that I didn't just make it up. They wanted the names of "witnesses" -- people who were there when I got married. The same thing happened when I purchased a home. The bank wanted "witnesses" who would sign their names and tell the bank that I was the one who signed the agreement and not someone else who was using my name.

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. It is a day when we read about a strange thing that happened just before Jesus went to Jerusalem to suffer and die. It is such a strange story that people might think it was made up by someone who wanted to tell a good story. One of those who saw this wrote that the story is real and not a "cleverly devised" myth. He said he had been an

Good morning! Once, Jesus went up on a high mountain and he
took Peter, James, and John with him. On that mountain, he was
transfigured, that is, he appeared to get very bright and he was
so perfect that it was hard to look at him. Moses and Elijah
appeared there with him and they talked together. Here is a
picture that shows an artist's idea of what that might have
looked like. (Show the picture.)

One of the things that Peter said was, "Lord, it is good for
us to be here." I can understand why he would say that. Wouldn't
you like to be there and see Jesus that way and see Moses and
Elijah? (Let them answer.)

We weren't there, of course, and we aren't going to see

Good morning! I brought this newspaper clipping with me
today. It tells about a court trial where a person is being tried
for breaking the law. I want to read this one part to you. (Read
the part that mentions witnesses or a witness.)

Now, this person is testifying in court that he actually saw
what happened. He saw it with his own eyes. That's why we call
him an eyewitness. When you see something happen and you are
absolutely sure that it did happen, you are an "eyewitness." Do
you think the judge and the jury are going to be impressed by
this kind of testimony? (Let them answer.) Yes, I think they will
be impressed, and unless there is some other evidence that shows

Materials:
Film canister with snap on lid -- Fuji seems to work best (one per child)
Construction paper
Scissors
Scotch tape
Markers, crayons, stickers, and/or paints
Fizzing antacid tablets like Alka-Seltzer (generic works fine)
Water
Protective eye gear

Directions:

Have the children wrap their film canisters in construction paper and decorate the canisters to suit their tastes. Make sure the paper is tightly taped to the lid end so that it doesn't fly off. Be sure to leave enough space to get the lid on and off. Have the children make cone-shaped tops (which actually goes on the end opposite the lid) to put on the canisters.

Teachers: Three disciples heard a voice from a cloud. The voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" Try one or a number of the following suggestions, related to this text. Your direction depends on the interest of your class, the age of your students, and the availability of your sanctuary or tape ministry.

Tell the story of today's lesson. Have your class recite the words God spoke about Jesus. Take your class to your sanctuary. Have someone turn on the pulpit microphone. Give each student the opportunity to stand at the mike and recite the statement God made. You should be the first to speak in the microphone, so the students know what to expect. Each student will hear his voice

Teachers or Parents: Learn the hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." Point out how the words speak to us -- whether it is dark or light outside. Jesus is our friend -- no matter what!

*Read the Transfiguration story from a children's Bible.

*Talk about how changes can be scary -- even positive changes in our lives can bring out our base fears. Ask the children to share their experiences of:
-- Moving
-- The birth of a sibling
-- The first day of school
-- The first recital
-- The break up of a family
-- The death of a grandparent or great-grandparent
-- The death of an animal

Teachers and Parents: The transfiguration event in itself is
not easy for children to grasp, but they can understand how
wonderful and awesome it must have been for the apostles to be in
the presence of a glorified Jesus and two Old Testament prophets.
If we can show them that it is always good to be in touch with
God at church and in their Bible reading, we will have given them
some of the flavor of the transfiguration.

* Tell the children that you want them to find Jesus in this
room. Yes, we know that he is always present with us in spirit,
but we want to find him in a physical sense. Let them search and
see if anyone will identify the Bible as the place where he is.