The Light Of Our World
Children's sermon
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
some very small flashlights (one for each child)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
-- Matthew 8:12
Thank you for coming and sharing with me some ideas about a funeral. How many of you have ever been to a funeral before? (let them answer) For a lot of you, this is your first funeral. That means that the person who died must be someone very special to you. Funerals are a different experience. There seems to be times when adults are very sad and other times when they seem to be having a good time. They are sad when they think about the person who died and how much they meant to them. They seem happy when they meet a lot of people they have not seen for a long time or when they are sharing a story about something the person did while alive.
What did you think about when you were told that (name of the deceased) had died? (let them answer) It wasn't a happy thought, was it? (let them answer) Some people worry about the idea that they will not see them again, or talk to them again. Other people worry about the dead being in darkness and all alone. Today we know that (the name of the deceased) is in the casket, but in a couple of hours the casket will be closed and the person will be buried in the ground. Some people really do worry about this.
I have a different idea and I would like to share it with you today. In the Bible, Jesus told people that he was the light of the world. He said that anyone who followed him would never know darkness, but instead, their lives would be filled with light. That's pretty good, isn't it?
Have you ever been in real darkness? Was it so dark that you could not see anything? (let them answer) No matter how you look with your eyes in every direction, you cannot see. It is just dark. Hold up your hand, and you cannot see it. If you walk in one direction, you may run into something or fall in a hole. This is not a good thing, but if you reached into your pocket and found your friend, Freddy Flashlight, and you turned Freddy on so that you could see, everything seemed different. I brought along a lot of Freddys and I am going to give one to each of you before you leave. Freddy can be a real friend.
Jesus is like this to the dead and the living. With our own eyes, we cannot see what it looks like after we die. From this sight it looks very dark, but Jesus said that after we die, he will become such a bright light that we will never have anything to fear again. Shine a flashlight in any direction and it is light. When we die with Jesus as our Lord, he lights every direction and shows us the way into heaven where it is filled with light.
The next time you see a flashlight or pull Freddy from your pockets, I want you to think about Jesus and how he lights up our world, even when we die or after we die. Jesus is the light of the world. Amen.
-- Matthew 8:12
Thank you for coming and sharing with me some ideas about a funeral. How many of you have ever been to a funeral before? (let them answer) For a lot of you, this is your first funeral. That means that the person who died must be someone very special to you. Funerals are a different experience. There seems to be times when adults are very sad and other times when they seem to be having a good time. They are sad when they think about the person who died and how much they meant to them. They seem happy when they meet a lot of people they have not seen for a long time or when they are sharing a story about something the person did while alive.
What did you think about when you were told that (name of the deceased) had died? (let them answer) It wasn't a happy thought, was it? (let them answer) Some people worry about the idea that they will not see them again, or talk to them again. Other people worry about the dead being in darkness and all alone. Today we know that (the name of the deceased) is in the casket, but in a couple of hours the casket will be closed and the person will be buried in the ground. Some people really do worry about this.
I have a different idea and I would like to share it with you today. In the Bible, Jesus told people that he was the light of the world. He said that anyone who followed him would never know darkness, but instead, their lives would be filled with light. That's pretty good, isn't it?
Have you ever been in real darkness? Was it so dark that you could not see anything? (let them answer) No matter how you look with your eyes in every direction, you cannot see. It is just dark. Hold up your hand, and you cannot see it. If you walk in one direction, you may run into something or fall in a hole. This is not a good thing, but if you reached into your pocket and found your friend, Freddy Flashlight, and you turned Freddy on so that you could see, everything seemed different. I brought along a lot of Freddys and I am going to give one to each of you before you leave. Freddy can be a real friend.
Jesus is like this to the dead and the living. With our own eyes, we cannot see what it looks like after we die. From this sight it looks very dark, but Jesus said that after we die, he will become such a bright light that we will never have anything to fear again. Shine a flashlight in any direction and it is light. When we die with Jesus as our Lord, he lights every direction and shows us the way into heaven where it is filled with light.
The next time you see a flashlight or pull Freddy from your pockets, I want you to think about Jesus and how he lights up our world, even when we die or after we die. Jesus is the light of the world. Amen.