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  • Palm Sunday Walk with Jesus

    Children's drama for Palm Sunday / Holy Week      

    (Different denominations approach this day in a variety of ways. As young children often don’t come to Good Fridayservices I’m trying to highlight the importance of the cross)

     kids sermon for Palm Sunday
     
    Theme: Journey to the Cross, Holy Week
     
    Children's object lesson Props: “Palm” branches, Bread and Wine symbols, towel and basin, Cross
     
    Children's sermon idea: Consider each of the above items that signify events during the final week of Jesus physical ministry on earth. Physically walking to each of these helps the children (and adults if they are watching) get a feel for the sequence of these important events.
     
    Time:The idea is that this would move quite quickly. It can probably be done in about 6 minutes unless you want to stretch it out to include more teaching.
     
    Full Children's sermon: (Set up 4 “stations” across the front of the church with the various symbols.)
     
    Good Morning Children! This morning is Palm Sunday. This is the day we remember when Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. As he came down the hill into Jerusalem all the people welcomed him by shouting “Hosanna” and waving palm branches in the air. This was the beginning of some very important events in Jesus life. I would like you to join me in quickly walking through some of these events. Perhaps you can think of this as “walking with Jesus” on a very important journey. (1-Palm Branches) Please follow me over here and pick up a “palm branch,” pretending we are celebrating Jesus coming as a wonderful King! As they waved the palm branches they shouted out “Hosanna.” (save we pray) Let’s practice shouting that out. (Keep walking towards the next station). (2-Bread and Wine) A little while later Jesus planned to eat a special meal (the Passover) with his disciples. He met with them in a special upper room where they had some very special bread and wine. (Pick up the bread and wine – or get the children to hold it up) He shared that bread and wine with his disciples and he said that from now on they were to eat this simple meal remembering his body and blood. It was a way of remembering that Jesus loved us so much he was willing to give his life for us. (You could quickly sit down with the children in a circle) This bread and wine might look familiar to you because we still use this bread and wine at our communion service to remember Jesus and what he did for us.
    (3 –Towel and Wash Basin) (Pick up the towel and basin) After having this special meal with his disciples Jesus filled a basin with water and washed his disciple’s feet. It was a wonderful example of being a servant. As important as Jesus was he was able to serve others by washing their feet. (You could quickly knell down with the basic and towel as if you were washing one of the children’s feet.) He went on to say that we should show our love to one another by doing the same sort of thing to help others. (4 –The Cross) Let’s keep walking. Later that night Jesus went up on a hill to pray. (Prayer could be a special station) He prayed all through the night and then suddenly some soldiers came and took him away. After an unfair trail he was tortured on a cross where he died for our sins. (Walk the children to the cross) This cross reminds us of Jesus great love. He loved us so much he was willing to suffer and die for us. Let’s all knell down here near the cross. We’ll be very quiet as we think of what happened to Jesus on that Friday 2000 years ago.
    PRAY: Dear God. We are remembering some very important things in the life of Jesus this week. Help us to remember when the children and all the people praised Jesus with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna.” Help us to remember how he asked us to remember him in the Bread and the Wine. Help us to remember how he washed his disciple’s feet as an example to us of being a servant. Help us also to remember how he died for us on the cross – how he gave his live so that we might have life. In Jesus’ name. Amen
     

    Copyright 2009 Andrew Hewlett SundayChildrensFocus.com  - Please "Like"this if you found it helpful!

    PS - Very Simple idea: (If you use palm crosses) Have the children do a simple processional with palm branches. Sit the children down and then explain how the crowds started out praising Jesus with palm branches but soon after this he was put on a cruel cross. Take a palm reed and fold it into a simple cross. Let them know that this palm cross will remind them of the joyous coming of Christ as King, but also that on Good Friday he died for us on a cross.

  • 10 Tips to Spice up your Sunday School lessons

    10 tips to spice up your Sunday School class sessions - 

    Spice up

    1. Create Interactive Lessons: Incorporate interactive activities like games, puzzles, and role-playing into your kids lessons. Interactive learning is more engaging and will help them understand complex biblical concepts better. By changing thing up they will keep excited and engaged.
    2. Do Creative Storytelling: Share Bible stories in a captivating and creative way. Use props, visuals, or storytelling techniques to make the narratives come alive. Risk being a little silly! Don’t forget to see if you have members of your congregation with acting skill. They just need to be asked.
    3. Add Music and Songs: Integrate music into your lessons. Teach children songs related to the lesson's theme, and consider playing Christian music that's suitable for their age group. Of course, action songs are still awesome!
    4. Arts and Crafts: Plan craft activities that connect to the lesson. Children can create art or crafts that reinforce the biblical teachings they've learned. When they take them home it also lets parents know what you have been teaching.
    5. Outdoor Activities: Take the class outside occasionally for lessons or activities. Jesus used nature to teach the disciples. Try nature walks, scavenger hunts, or outdoor games can provide a refreshing change of scenery.
    6. Guest Speakers: Invite guest speakers from the community or church to share their stories or expertise on certain topics. Hearing from different voices can be inspiring and, if they are interesting topics it will create a sense of anticipation.
    7. Use modern Technology: Incorporate age-appropriate technology like educational apps or multimedia presentations to make learning more interactive and relevant. That being said, don’t completely give up on the old flannel graph if it connects with the younger kids.
    8. Group Discussions: Encourage group discussions where children can express their thoughts and questions about the lesson. This promotes critical thinking and peer learning. The key here is to spend time creating engaging questions.
    9. Themed Lessons: Create themed lessons or series that cover specific topics or stories from the Bible. For example, focus on the parables of Jesus or the stories of heroes of faith.
    10. Field Trips: Organize occasional field trips to places like a local church, a museum, or a community service project. Experiencing faith in action can be inspiring. Do an internet search in your area to find the Christian ministries in your locality.

    PS – Do whatever you can to create a sense of surprise. Excitement and anticipation is vital.

  • Caesar or God

    Resources for Sunday School / Children's Church Kids (Matt 22 sermon 

    Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar - Give to God what belongs to God 22: 15-22

    Idea for Children’s Sermon:

    Show the children a coin and demonstrate how you can “flip a coin” and make a decision by guessing “Heads” or “Tails.” Explain how you can trick a person by saying “Heads I win, Tails you loose.” Tell the children about how some religious leaders tried to trick Jesus and get him in trouble with a coin. If the children are very young you might want to simply go with the idea that it was impossible for them to out-smart Jesus.
     
    (Note: R.T France, N.T. Wright and J. Nolland all have a slightly different take on this passage. You may want to adjust the ending to fit your own theological take on things. I would be very easy to confuse the kids with a bunch of religious theo-babble.)
     
    Complete Children’s sermon: 
    Good morning children! (Show them a coin.) Do you know what this is? That’s right. It is a quarter. When I was young, I played soccer. We would flip a coin in the air like this (demonstrate) to decide what team would start with the ball. This side of the coin (show them) would be “heads.” You can see the head of George Washington (or the Queen if you are in Canada). This other side we would call “tails.” One player would chose “heads” or “tails,” and then we would flip the coin to see which side landed face up. The winner of the coin toss would get to start the game and pick which side of the field to start begin. (Ask one of the children to make a choice and then flip the coin.) Your right! When I was young, we would often flip a coin if we needed to make a decision. Sometimes we would play a little trick on each other. Perhaps there were two of us and we had only one candy. We needed to flip a coin to see who was going to get the candy. However, the person would say, (listen carefully) “Heads I win – tails you loose.” Can you see that this would mean that the other person would always loose. It was a way of tricking the person.
     
    In our bible reading today some religious leaders tried to trick Jesus with a coin. They asked him if money should go to Caesar the ruler, or to God. Some of the people there felt money should go to Caesar and some felt it should not. They really wanted to trick Jesus and get him in trouble. However, Jesus was too smart for them. He said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.” Jesus was letting them know that they could not trick him. He was the one in control. I think he was also reminding them that they had not been very faithful in offering their lives to God.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us always to use our money and everything we have to please you. We know that no one can trick you so help us to always be honest with you and your son Jesus. In Jesus’ name – Amen!


    Copyright 2011 Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett  - Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thank you! A.H.

  • Children' Sermon: Rich Man and Lazarus

     

    The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31


    Money won’t get you to heaven    

     Rich Man Lazarus
    Children’s Sermon idea: Bring in tools, instruments or other items and demonstrate their use. Highlight how they work very well for one use but not at all for another use. Show the children some money and explain how it can be used to purchase various item but that it doesn’t work at all as a means of getting into heaven.
    (Note: Theologians are divided on the central meaning of the Rich Man and Lazarus. For this reason and because I’m speaking to a very young audience I’m avoiding a discussion about heaven and hell. Please forgive me for using more theological leeway than usual.)
     
    Object lesson items: Suggestions: Guitar, toothbrush, money (bills and coins)
     
    5 Minute Kids Sermon:
     
    Good morning children. This morning I brought in some things to show you. I have a guitar, a toothbrush and some money. A guitar is very good a making a nice sound. (Play some chords.) But what if I wanted to use it to hammer a nail into the wall like this. (Pretend to hold the guitar and use it like a hammer.) That wouldn’t work at all! It’s good for playing music but it doesn’t work at all for hammering in nails. Look at this toothbrush. It works well for brushing my teeth. (Give a short demo.) However, what if I wanted to use it for a microphone? (Give a demon and pretend to speak into the toothbrush) Do you think it would work well? No! Of course it wouldn’t work. Now look what I have in this little bag. It’s money! Money is very useful because we can use it to buy things we need. We can use it to buy clothes, food, and gasoline for our cars. But what if I tried to use it to buy my way into heaven. Do you think it would work for that? No, of course not.
    In our bible reading today Jesus told a story about a rich man who had so much money he could buy anything he wanted. The sad part about the story is that he seemed to think that his money would get him into heaven. He was very wrong and he ended up far away from God. Money can buy all kinds of good things but it won’t get you into heaven. It just doesn’t work for that.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Thank you for the money that we have that can buy food, clothing and other important things, but help us always to remember that money can’t get us into heaven. Help us always to trust in your son Jesus for that.
     
    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett   Feel free to use this story on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus and consider linking your church web site to this site. A.H.

  • Children's Sermon - God and Money

     

    Put God First!           You can’t serve God and money.    Bible talk  Luke 16:1-13

     
    Children’s Sermon / Lesson idea: Show some familiar items (eg: socks and shoes / putting on toothpaste then brushing, batteries and a flashlight) to the children and ask them “what comes first?” Stress the importance of putting things in the right order. Discuss God and Money and explain how Jesus said it was important to put God first in life.
     
    Object lessonitems: Shoes and socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, flashlight and some batteries, etc. (Use your imagination) Finally bring in some money and something to represent God (Perhaps a cross, a bible, etc.) 
     
    Short Children’s Sermon:
    Good morning children! I brought some things in this morning that you may have seen before. Look at this. I’ve got a sock and a shoe. What would you say if I put the shoe on first and then tried to put the sock on after? That’s right. That’s a silly thing to do. It doesn’t work. You have to get the order right. You need to know what comes first. Here is something else I brought with me this morning. I’ve got a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Do you brush your teeth in the morning? Good. That’s important to do. What if you brushed your teeth and then put on the tooth paste? Would that be a good idea? Of course not. It’s important to put the toothpaste on before you brush you teeth. You have to know what comes first. I have two other things with me this morning. I’ve got a flashlight and some batteries. If it was dark and I was in a hurry to get some light would it work to take the flashlight and leave the batteries behind? No, of course not. You have to put the batteries in the flashlight or else it won’t shine the light. The batteries have to go inside first. You have to get things in the right order and know what comes first. Now, I brought in two other things this morning. I’ve have a Cross that reminds us of God / Jesus and I’ve got this pot of money (Give it a jingle so they hear the money). Jesus said that it was very important to get these in the right order if life is going to work right. If we put money first in life we end up in all kinds of trouble. Jesus said that it was important to put God first and not worry too much about money. He wanted us to make sure we put things in the right order!
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to always put you ahead of money or anything else in life. Thank you that life will work when we put you first. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
     

    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett 2010. Feel free to use this talk on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider linking to this site. Thanks. A.H

  • Children's sermon - Doubting Thomas

    Teaching Children to Believe


    Children's Sermon Theme    : Believing that Jesus is Alive (rough draft for Friday! - Please excuse typos - in a rush today)  
     
    Text:John 20:19-31 Jesus appears to Thomas
     
    Object Lesson props: Small box with an interesting knickknacks inside
     
    Basic Children's sermon idea:
     
    Speculate that you have a very interesting / surprising item inside the box. Allow some children to see inside the box in order to know if you are telling the truth. The other half of the children will have to believe based on their testimony. Relate this to the story of “doubting Thomas” and show how this relates to our believing in the resurrection of Jesus.
     
    Full Children's sermon:
    Good Morning Children. Last Sunday we celebrated the wonderful miracle of Jesus being raised from the deadand coming back to life. This morning I’d like to tell you the story one of the disciples named Thomas. Jesus appeared alive to the disciples but Thomas wasn’t there…(Tell the story or read Biblical text from John 20.) End with Jesus comment that those who haven’t actually seen the risen Jesus are nevertheless “blessed.”
    Now children I want to show an example of these two different types of faith and belief.
    If I told you that inside this box I had a, say…a valuable pearl necklace (or whatever object you pick –Make sure the tone of your voice casts some double in the children’s mind.) would you believe me? (Discuss what it would take for them to believe you). OK. Let’s have you, you, and you come over here and I’ll let you look inside. (Open up the box for them to see inside.) Are you believe now? Yes? Great. Now, I’ll ask you other children who haven’t seen again. Do you now believe me? (They probably will now. If not get the other witnesses to convince them that they actually saw what was in the box.)
     
    --- Sit the children down and discuss the story of Thomas and the two types of believing. (1) Believing when you have SEEN (2) Believing when you have not seen – usually based on someone else’s testimony or witness.
     
    Pray:God, we thank you that Jesus rose from the deadand is alive. Thank you that your apostle Thomas was able to see Jesus alive. We also thank you even though we did not see Jesus rise from the dead we can still believe and know that Jesus is alive.  
     
    Copyright 2009 Andrew Hewlett Sundaychildrensfocus.com            

    -- use the story but please give credit to this site        -- Please consider putting a link on your web site

     

    --

  • Children's sermon - Greed

    Greed– The Parable of the Rich Fool  Luke 12: 13-21  balloons picture   How to catch a Monkey with a penny and a jar. 

     
    Children’s sermon idea: (This public domain story / anecdote has been around for a long time but I do think it works.) Tell the children how you can catch a monkey with jar and a penny. Put a penny in a small mouth jar and attach it (the jar) to a post with a rope. Explain how the monkey will reach inside grabbing the penny with his fist. Because he is holding the penny in his fist he can’t get his hand out without letting go. He gets caught because he is too greedy to let go of the penny. Explain how Jesus warned about greed.
     
    Object lessonitems: A small mouth jar or vase, A Penny, A rope or piece of string to tie onto the jar.   monkey
     
    Full Children’s Story: Good morning children. This morning I want to explain to you how to catch a monkey. We don’t have a monkey here this morning so you’ll have to use your imagination. Do you see this jar? I’m going to take this jar and put a penny inside it like this. I’ll put the jar down here on the floor. Then I’m going to tie this rope to the jar. Good. That’s nice and tight. Then I’m going to hang on to the other end of the rope and behind this chair. I’ll explain how this works. If a monkey comes along and sees the penny inside he’ll say to himself. Hmm. I want to have that penny all to myself. So he reaches in and grabs the penny. (Show them with your hand.) He makes sure he is holding it very tightly in his hand. But when he tries to take his hand out he can’t remove it because he is making a fist holding on to the penny. He can’t get his hand out as long as he holds on to the penny. He could get away very easily if he just let go of the penny but he loves the money so much he just can’t let go. Then you just need to pull on this rope and you have caught a monkey with his hand in the jar. In our bible reading this morning form Luke chapter 12 Jesus warned about greed. Greed means hanging onto money very tightly so that you don’t seem to care about anything else. Like the monkey that gets caught by hanging on to money, we can also get trapped by money. We can be so concerned about hanging on to our money that we forget about other people in need and we can even forget about God. Jesus said that happiness is not found in having lots of money and lots of “things.”
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God. Thank you that all of us here this morning have enough food to eat and we have nice homes to live in too. Help us not to be greedy. Help us to be people who share what we have with others and put you first. Thank you that real happiness comes from following Jesus and knowing his love. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    A.H. Sundaychildrensfocus.com

  • Children's sermon - Treasure in Heaven

     

    Treasure in heaven         Kids Bible lesson: Luke 12:32-40   Eek

     
    moneyandtreasure
     
    Children’s sermon idea: Show the children some “treasured” items that are broken, moth eaten or rusted. Include a picture or drawing of something that was stolen. Remind the children how most of our earthly “treasures” don’t last. Explain how Jesus said we could live life His way and actually have treasure in heaven that would last for ever.
     
    Object lesson items: Worn out, moth eaten or rusted items; some representation of a stolen item;
    For dramatic effect: Consider have a garbage can that you can throw discarded items into.
     
    Children’s sermon: Good morning children. This morning I want to show you some of my favourite treasures. Look at this nice watch. This watch cost me a lot of money and it used to be one of my favourite little treasures. But a while ago I discovered it wasn’t working. It is completely broken and it can’t be fixed. I might as well throw it into the garbage. Look at this nice sweater. It was one of my favourite sweaters that I’ve been keeping safe in a storage closet. I was sure it was safe and sound, but look at this hole! Do you know what made this hole? Yes. It was a moth. Moths seem nice and gentle but they actually love to eat the material that this sweater is made of. Now my nice sweater is worthless. I might as well throw it out. Look at this wrench. I bought this a while ago but I left it outside in the rain and now it is so rusted up and it doesn’t work at all. I’ll throw that out too. Now I have one last item to show you. (Hold up a picture of an item that was stolen) Can you tell what this is a picture of? That’s right. It’s a picture of my favourite baseball mitt. I only can show you a picture because the real baseball mitt was stolen from me. I left it on a park bench for a few minutes and when I came back it was gone! Someone had stolen my nice baseball mitt.
    In our bible lesson today in Luke chapter 12, Jesus warns us that our earthly treasures don’t last forever. They can break down, rust out, get eaten by moths or can even be stolen. Because they don’t last, we certainly don’t want to spend all our time and energy worrying about those sorts of things. However, Jesus said that we could actually make treasures in heaven that will last forever. He said that when we live life Jesus’ way (Showing love to others, feeding the poor, telling others about Jesus and his love, etc.) we actually are storing up real treasure in heaven. I don’t know exactly what that treasure looks like but Jesus made it clear that these would be wonderful treasures that would last forever.
     
    Children’s prayer: Heavenly Father, Help us not to spend too much of our lives worrying about fancy treasures here on earth. Help us to live life Jesus’ way and have true treasure in heaven. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2010 sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlett  Feel free to use this on a sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider making a website link to this page. A.H.

  • Children's sermon for Palm Sunday

     

    Palm Sunday Children’s sermon     Luke 19:28-40   Sunday of the Passion 

     For Sunday School or Children's Church -

    Lectionary

    Palm Sunday Kids
    Children’s Sermon Idea: Talk about the excitement around the recent Olympic Games land show how many people waved flags in the air when the athletes entered the stadium. Explain how Jesus came down into Jerusalem and all the people waved Palm branches in celebration. (You could also use the idea of players entering as stadium at the superbowl or an NHL hockey game playoff) 
     (PS - Don't forget to check out the home page for other ideas or go here -> a list of Palm Sunday ideas.)
    Objects lesson props: 1. Some flags or banners you can wave. (Use an Olympic flag if you have one or make one out of paper.) 2. A palm branch or some facsimile.
     
    Children’s Sermon for Palm Sunday: Good morning children. How many of you watched the Olympic Games on T.V.? Great. Our whole family watched them on T.V. What was your favourite event? (Interact with the children) Do you know what my favourite part was? It was the opening ceremonies when the athletes entered into the stadium with all the people cheering. Many of the people waved flags as they cheered the athletes. (Give a demonstration or ask some of the children to help you out.)
    It was a great celebration. The people were so excited that the athletes were getting reading to compete in all the events. There was so much excitement.
    In our bible reading today we are remembering a very special event in the life of Jesus. Today is called Palm Sunday and we remember the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people were so excited that King Jesus was coming to the city. They didn’t have flags but they cut down palm branches and waved them in the air. They shouted out “Hosanna in the highest” as Jesus rode into the city. It was so exciting. Today (Palm Sunday) we remember that special when all the people celebrated and cheered on Jesus with Palm branches in the air.
     
    (Consider placing a robe on one of the children (as Jesus) and have the other children wave palm branches as you process down the church isle. At our church we also sing the song “Hosanna in the highest” as we process.)
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, as we celebrate on this Palm Sunday help us to remember that day when all the adults and children waved palm branches and cheered as Jesus entered Jerusalem as King. We know Jesus rose from the dead and is alive. Help us to remember that he is our wonderful King and that we can praise him everyday! In Jesus’ name – Amen.

    Copyright Sundaychildrensfocus.com Andrew Hewlet  - Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to sundaychildrensfocus.com and consider placing a link on your church web site. Blessings, A.H.


     

  • Children's sermon Grace lavished on us

    “The Riches of God’s grace that he Lavished on us” Ephesians 1:8 -

    Gospel idea: Demonstrate visually what it means for God to “lavish” his grace and goodness on us. Show the children a serving tray with a plate, bowl and cup. Demonstrate how a very stingy person might give a very small portion. Then have fun filling everything to overflowing and explain that is how God lavishes is grace and love to overflow on us, his children.

    Objects needed: Plate, bowl and cup (and perhaps a tray underneath to catch any overflow) and some appropriate food items.

    Full Children’s Message: God morning children!  One of our bible readings this morning is from the book of Ephesians (NIV or ESV). In verse 8 of chapter 1 Paul says that God “lavished” his grace and goodness on us. That is a word you may or may not know. To lavish means to be super generous. It means to give to overflowing. Let me show you what I mean.  (Pull out your tray with the plate, bowl and cup).  Now, if you came over to my house for dinner and I gave you a very small portions like this (very carefully place a little bit of food /water in the containers.) How would you feel about that?

    Now, let’s see what it would look like if I decided to “lavishly” dish out the food. (Have fun pouring large quantities of food out. Make sure you really fill things up till they overflow.) To lavish a plate with food is to make it overflowing so there is more than enough.

    Now the bible says God “lavished” his grace, forgiveness, love and goodness on us. He has given us these things in abundance so that they can overflow in our lives.

    All of us have times when we feel sad and alone. However, if you are feeling that way remind yourselves that God’s love for us is lavished on us to overflowing. His grace (unmerited favor) towards us full to overflowing too.

    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, thank you that you are not stingy with your forgiveness, love and grace. Thank you that you lavish these on us so that they overflow from our lives into the lives of others. In Jesus’ name, Amen!  Feel free to use this on Sunday morning but please give credit to Sundaychildrensfocus.com and please "like" this page. 

    Grace lavished illusration

     

     

  • Children's sermon Lazarus come out!

    Sundaychildrensfocus - Childrens Biblical Lesson: John 11:1-45 Lazarus come out - wake up              

     Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead

    Kids sermon idea: Explain how Jesus had the power to wake up even the dead. Demonstrate different ways of waking up people; alarm clock, clapping hands, singing, banging pots and pans, etc. We can wake up people when they are sound asleep but with the command of his voice Jesus can wake up the dead. (Explain this or act it out with a volunteer “Lazarus.”)
     Jesus raises Lazarus
    Object lesson props: Various noise makers: alarm clock, bell, rolled up paper megaphone, pots and pans etc.
     
    Children’s sermon: Good morning children! Do you find it easy to wake up in the morning? Hmmm. Well, some people wake up easily and others find it hard to wake up. I have some different ways of waking people up. Many people use an alarm clock like this. Listen to the ring. That would wake up some people. Other people wake up when the birds sing outside. Can you make the sound of a bird chirping? That’s good. There are other people who sleep very soundly. They need to be woken up with something like this. (Bang the pots and pan lids.) We can wake up just about anyone if we make enough noise. However, no matter how much noise we make I don’t think we could wake up someone who had died. That would be impossible. But did you know there is someone who can even wake up the dead. His name is Jesus. In chapter 11 of John’s gospel we can read about how Jesus’ friend Lazarus died. By the time Jesus got to his house he had already been dead four days. Of course, no one else could bring him back to life. But Jesus called out, “Lazarus come out!” Let’s call that out loudly together, “Lazarus come out.” Immediately Lazarus came back to life from the dead. That’s amazing that Jesus has power to raise people from the dead.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God. Thank you the Jesus has the power to wake up people from the dead. Help us to follow him and trust that nothing can separate us from his love and power. In Jesus’ name – Amen.
     
    Copyright 2020 Andrew Hewlett (Sunday Children's Focus) feel free to use this 5 minutes children's sermon but please "Like" this on facebook (see link top of main page) and link to this web site. Blessings, A.H.

  • Children's sermon on Interpreting the Times and Seasons

    Children’s Sermon on Interpreting the Times – Luke 12: 49-57

    Idea for the kids talk on Sunday morning:  Jesus talked about interpreting the weather and interpreting the times. Bring up various items related to different weather conditions. (ie Sun glasses, umbrella, rubber boots, sweater, etc)  Describe different weather conditions and ask the children tell you what item would be appropriate for each type of weather. Give a short overview of Luke 12:9-57 and explain that interpreting the weather is important but it is even more important to understand the times and seasons of life. Conclude by telling the children that it is always the right time and season to follow Jesus.

    Object lesson props:  Unbrella, sweater, rubber boots, sun glasses, sun tan lotion, jacket.

    Full Children’s sermon based on the Lectionary Gospel reading: Good morning Children! Look at some of these things I brought with me this morning. (Alternately, you could come out wearing some of the items!) Do you know what all these items are? Have you ever put on any of these items? Ok, now I want to see if you know when you would wear these items. What if it was a really sunny day with no clouds in the sky? What would be good to wear? That’s right. Putting on the suntan lotion would help prevent a sun burn. Yes, wearing the sun glasses would make it easier on your eyes. Now, what if it was a little bit of cloud with cold wind blowing? Yes, I think it would be a good idea to put on this sweater or wind breaker. Ok, what would I wear before going outside if I looked out and saw big, dark clouds? What should I wear with that type of weather? That’s right, it might be wise to put on a rain jacket because the dark clouds might be a sign that it is going to rain. Well done! You are all very good at interpreting the weather and knowing how to prepare.

    In our bible lesson from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talked about the importance of “understanding the times”. He said that people can look at the weather and understand how to prepare and what to do.  But for some reason the people didn’t understand Jesus and the need to follow him! They could understand what to do when the sun came out but they didn’t know what to do when God sent His son Jesus! God sent his son Jesus so we could know Him and discover his love. And we know that Jesus is alive and wants us to follow him and to discover his wonderful life.

    So…When you go outside I hope you will remember to check the weather and put on the right clothing. I also hope you will remember that it is always the right time to follow Jesus (to live the way he wants us to live) and discover all we were meant to do and be!

    Children’s Prayer: Dear God, help us to be wise and understand that it is always the right time and season to follow Jesus. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2016 Sunday Children's Focus - Andrew Hewlett.  Feel free to use this kids lesson on Sunday Morning / Sunday School but please give credit to SundayChildrensFocus.com and consider linking to this web site. Thank you! A.H.

  • Children's sermon on the widow's mite

    Short Fun Children's Sermon on the Widow's offering  (or The Widow's Mite)

    Mark 12: 38-43 Children's message for Trinity 22 - a Widow's offering

    Children’s Sermon Idea: Spontaneous Drama: Have one of the children pour a large container of coins into a box. Add pomp and ceremony with the kids doing cheering, drum rolls and trumpets. Have another child come up and add two pennies. Discuss with the children the astounding truth that she actually gave more.
     Widows mite
     
    Object Lesson items: (1) Large jar with many coins. For the paper money you could use monopoly money if you have it. (2) Two pennies (3) Some box to serve as the treasury container. A metal box will produce better sound effects.
     
    Full Widow’s Mite Children’s Sermon: Good morning children. Today’s bible reading is from Mark 12 where we hear about people bringing offerings to the temple treasury. Some of the rich people liked to be noticed (or show off) when they gave large amounts of money. But this didn’t impress Jesus. I’ll show you what it was like that day. Here is a jar with a large amount of money in it. I need someone to pretend to be the rich person. Thank you Michael. The rest of you children can help celebrate as this large offering of money is put into this treasury box. Let’s practice doing a drum roll with our hands on the benches just like this. (Have a little drum roll practice) That’s great. Now, what would really draw attention to this great offering gift would be some trumpets. Let’s pretend to make the trumpets sound (da da da dat tad ah!). On that day in the temple there was also an older lady who was a poor widow. She was only able to give two small coins. I need another volunteer to be that poor lady. Thank you Carol. Here are two pennies. I’ll explain what to do when we come to your part.
    Let’s act it out now. One day Jesus was watching as people were putting money in the temple treasury. Rich people came and put in large sums of money. As Michael walks forward to give his huge offering lets do a drum roll. (Start the drum roll and get the children to follow along.) Now let’s sound the trumpets. (Start a trumpet call and get the children to follow along). Now Michael, impress us by pouring in your large offering. Let’s listen to see if the congregation is impressed. (Hopefully they will join in with Oooos and Wows as the money is poured into the box.) That was impressive. Then there was a poor widow who came up and put in two small coins. Hardly anyone noticed at all. (Motion to the girl to put in the small coins.) What is amazing about this event is that after Jesus saw this he told his disciples that it was this poor widow that gave the most of all! Jesus said that she gave all the money she had. The large sums of money looked impressive but it was really just extra money. In God’s eyes the poor widow actually gave more because she gave everything she had. If we could hear what was going on in heaven the loudest cheering would happen when the poor widow gave!
    Members of the congregation. Let’s give these children a hand for helping out so will with my little skit.
     
    Children’s Prayer: Dear God. Help us to be generous in giving for your work. We may not be very rich but Jesus showed us that what little we give can actually be a lot in God’s eyes. If we ever do have large amounts of money to give, help us not to show off but rather be thankful to you for what we have. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen!
     
    Copyright Andrew Hewlett - Please use this on Sunday morning but link to this sight of "Like" us on facebook. Thank you!  A.H.

  • Children's sermon The Rich Fool

    Children’s talk on the Rich Fool Luke 12:13-21

    (This is a slightly different angle from the original parable but I think it still works)

    Rich Fool

    Children’s sermon idea overview: If you focus your life on accumulating stuff / things you won’t be able to do the work that God has for you: Have two people stand in front of the children. (You could use adult volunteers) Load the first person down with all kinds of “things” so they can barely move. Give just a few good things to the second person. Then ask the first to help you out with some act of compassion. (Putting on a band aid, helping a pretend injured person get up, etc.) They won’t be able to help you since they are carrying all that stuff. Get the second person to help you.

    Note: Make sure you don’t tell this in a way that condemns those who are blessed materially but are faithful stewards!

    Preparation: 2 volunteers (best to have adults who have been primed), various items to have the volunteers hold (For the first volunteer try to include lots of useless luxury items.)

    Full Children’s sermon: Good morning children! You’ll notice I have two adult volunteers to help me with my talk this morning. Our bible reading this morning from Luke 12 (13-21) Jesus tells a parable about a very foolish rich man who was not rich towards God. Watch this and it might help you to understand that parable. Now, Fred, I’m going to pretend that you spend all you time thinking about how to get lots of things in life. Maybe you spent all your time thinking about your comfort (Load them up with a big pillow, a tv remote, a box of gold (rocks!), etc. Keep going until they can barely move.) Now for my second volunteer. Maybe you don’t have quite as much. (Give then 2 or 3 things to hold).

    Look at these two people! There is quite a difference. No let’s pretend that someone is hurt here. Sally, would you lie down and pretend you’re hurt and need help. Now, Fred, can you come here and help this person out? No, I guess you can barely move! It looks like you are scared that you might have to let go of some of those things. Well let’s ask our second volunteer Brian. Look at that, he is free to kneel down and help right away. He wasn’t weighed down with so much stuff.

    Kids, God has provided lots of good things in life for us to enjoy. He wants us to enjoy those good things with thanksgiving. But we never want to spend all our time thinking about what we want and forget to think about God or ways to serve God. Whether we are rich or poor we always want to be rich towards God.

    Children’s prayer: Dear God, thank you for the many good things we have in life (food, clothing, toys etc.) No matter what we have, help us always to be rich to you by being generous to others and by living the way you want us to live. In Jesus’ name – Amen!

    Copyright 2022 SundayChildrensFocus.com Feel free to use this but it would be great if you can give credit to this website and consider linking or “liking” this. Blessings – A.H.

  • Children's skit on the Resurrection

    Title: Kids drama for Sunday School - The Case of the Empty tomb    

    Object Lesson Props: Magnifying glass and cloak (for Inspector Snoop), Card table and blanket (tomb), Round cardboard (stone), strips of cloth (grave clothes),
    Basic Children's sermon idea: Inspector Snoop gets the children to help solve the “case of the Empty Tomb.”

  • Children's story for Easter

    Resurrection Children's Sermon - New GrowthObject Lesson for Easter Sunday
     
    Objects: Large Easter lily or some other beautiful flower, old plant bulb
     
    Basic Children's message idea:

    Make the comparison between the old dead looking bulb and the beautiful flower it grows into and show how that it was also a wonderful miracle that Jesus rose victorious after being dead in a tomb.

  • Church Treasure

    Theme: The real treasure of the church is not gold and silver -

    (a Children's Sermonor an introduction for a Sunday School lesson)

     Church Treasure
     
    Props:Fancy box/container. A Bible (representing the Gospel). A picture of the congregation or church directory (something to represent the people)
     
    Basic idea for the Children's Sermon: The real treasure of your church is not a fancy golden trinket, it’s the Gospel and it’s the people that make up the congregation.
     
    Full Children's Sermon / Bible Lesson: Good morning girls and boys. This morning I want to show you something very special. This morning I’m going to show you the treasures of the church! Would you like to see the treasures? (Bring out a very fancy looking container. Get some of the children to hold onto the box and process (adding dome pomp and ceremony) to where you want them to sit down.) Inside this box are the most valuable treasures that our church has. (You might let the children guess what that is) Now this is so important I need the congregation to do a drum roll. (Get the people to tap on their chairs or thighs.) I also need some of you children to make the sound of a trumpet. (Show them how to pretend to make a trumpet call – dut dut dut duhhhh!)
    Now, have one of the children slowly open the box. What do you see? That’s right a bible and a picture of our congregation. (It’s a little anticlimactic) Now, this may not look like fancy gold or treasure but it is our most important treasure. This bible contains the Gospel – the good news of Jesus and his love. That is a priceless treasure. Without the Gospel we would be lost. It’s so important the we never forget what Jesus did for us.
    Now this picture represents the other great treasure. It’s the people that make up the church. Each one here, and that includes each of you, are very precious – much more precious that gold or silver. The people are the other great treasure of our church.
    We might not seem like a fancy or wealthy church but I think we have the most valuable treasures in the whole world; we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have all the peoplehere that make up the family of God.
     
    Children's Prayer: Lord, thank you for these two great treasures. Help us always to be thankful for your great love and help us to be ready to share the Good News of Jesus with others. Also, thank you God for our family and friends in the family of God – each person is a precious treasure too.
     
    Copyright sundaychidrensfocus 2009

     

     

     

     

     

  • Easter Sunday: Mary Sees Jesus

    Lesson provided by 'God's Big Story' - ANIC Anglican Network in Canada

  • Free Bible Story Coloring pages

    Free Coloring pages for Sunday School -

    Only a few here so far but there will be more coming!  (Thank you Echo for drawing these!)

     

    -->Acts-214-Peters-Sermon-at-Pentecost.pdf

    -->Acts-1615-Lydias-Conversion.pdf

    --> Acts-1624-Paul--Silas-in-Prison.pdf

     ---> In_the_Begining_coloring_page.pdf

    --> Childrens_Advent_Wreath.pdf

    -->Jesus_in_Temple_coloring_page.pdf

    -->Jesus_lord_of_all_coloring.pdf

    -->Jesus__His_Disciples_coloring.pdf

    -->Jesus__Nicodemus.pdf

    -->Jesus__The_Blind_Man_coloring.pdf

    -->Letters_to_Gods_People_coloring.pdf

    -->Jeus__Lazarus_coloring.pdf

    -->Palm_Sunday_Coloring.pdf

    -->shepherds_coloring_page.pdf

    -->The_Crucifixion_coloring.pdf

    -->The_Holy_Spirit_coming.pdf

    -->The_Lords_Supper_coloring.pdf

    -->The_Lord_is_My_Shepherd_coloring.pdf

    -->The_Ressurection_coloring_page.pdf

    -->The_Road_to_Emmaus_coloring_page.pdf

    --> Check back later - more to come!

     

     

    children sun

  • Fun Sunday School ideas for Easter Morning

    Children's object lessons for Sunday School on Easter Day

    Easter is a joyous celebration for Christians around the world as it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is alive! Here are some Sunday School object lesson ideas that you can use for Easter morning:

    Sunday School Resurrection

    The Empty Tomb: Use a small cardboard box or a plastic Easter egg to represent the empty tomb of Jesus. You could also place a blanket over some chairs or a card table. Explain to the children how on Easter morning, the women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body but found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. Discuss how this event is a sign of hope and new life for Christians.

     Resurrection Easter Eggs: Use a set of “Resurrection Eggs”, which are a series of plastic eggs that contain small items that tell the story of Easter. Each egg contains a different symbol that represents a part of the Easter story, such as a small piece of cloth to represent the burial cloth or a small rock to represent the stone that was rolled away. Have the children take turns opening the eggs and discussing the significance of each symbol.

    The Cross: You could combine this with your Easter message and your kids may have missed the Good Friday service during the week. Use a large wooden cross as a visual aid. Discuss how on Good Friday, Jesus was crucified on a cross, but on Easter morning, He rose from the dead. Discuss how the cross is a symbol of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and how His resurrection is a sign of hope and new life. You could also have the children carry the cross and discuss what it would have been like for Jesus.

    The Butterfly: Use a butterfly to represent the resurrection on Jesus and also the new life that Jesus' resurrection brings to us. Discuss how just as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, we too can be transformed through our faith in the risen Christ. You can also have the children color and decorate butterfly cut-outs to take home as a reminder of this lesson.

    The Joyful News of the resurrection: Use a large sign or banner that says "He is Risen!" or "Happy Easter!" to symbolize the joyful news of Jesus' resurrection. Discuss how this news is a reason for celebration and how it reminds us of God's love and grace.

    This is a sample of Sunday School object lesson ideas for Easter morning. Don’t forget to keep the lessons age-appropriate and interactive to engage the children's attention and help them better understand the significance of this important day in the Christian faith. Also, don’t forget to drive home the important point that because of the resurrection Jesus is now alive!

    Blessings – A.H.