Childrens Messages Advent - Transfiguration
Children’s Messages
Advent 1, December 3, 2006
Blessed Is the King Who Came!
Text: Luke 19:28–40
Visuals: stick horse, small wooden rocking horse, or picture of colt; clothes the leader or children can place on colt and on ground.
Summary: Jesus came—twice—to die.
Kay L. Meyer, president
Family Shield Ministries, St. Louis, Missouri
Hello, boys and girls. How many of you have ever watched, or been in, a parade? Allow children to raise their hands. Parades have music, singing, and lots of people riding horses, in cars, on decorated floats, and walking. Parades are celebrations!
Today’s Bible story reminds me of a parade. Jesus tells two of his disciples to go to a nearby village and bring back a colt for him to ride. Show the horse or picture. The disciples find the colt and bring it to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on it. Allow children to place clothes on the horse. Jesus sits on the colt and rides it. The people spread their clothes on the ground in front of him. Spread other clothes. This was their way of showing respect and honor to Jesus. The Bible reading tells us that the disciples praised God joyfully with loud voices as Jesus rode the colt! They said, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (v 38). Those are exciting words, aren’t they! Do they sound like anything you’ve heard any other time? Listen to that last part again: Glory in the highest! Peace!
In just a few weeks we’re going to hear angels saying that: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace” (Lk 2:14). When did the angels say that? Receive responses. Right! When Jesus was born. Christmas is coming, and that’s very exciting, isn’t it! In just twenty-two days we’re going to celebrate Jesus coming—just like we’re celebrating Jesus coming today.
On the day he rode the colt into Jerusalem, everybody praised him coming as the King. At Christmas he came as a baby. But both times, he really came for the same reason. He came to die. That’s right. He came to earth as a baby to grow up and die. He came to Jerusalem on a colt to die. And you know why he came to die, don’t you? His death on a cross took away our sins. Now since our sins are forgiven, we will be with him forever in heaven. That’s why Jesus came—and that’s reason to celebrate his coming, isn’t it? Say this with me: Blessed is the King who came! Glory in the highest! Peace!
Advent 2, December 10, 2006
The Word of God for Me!
Text: Luke 3:1–14 (15–20)
Visuals: Make a small paper scroll using two pencils, an 8½ x 11-inch piece of paper, and scotch tape. Write Acts 3:19 on the paper; then tape the edges to the sides of the pencils, and roll the paper over both pencils.
Summary statement: God’s Word assures us that Jesus blots out our sins.
Kay L. Meyer, president
Family Shield Ministries, St. Louis, Missouri
Hello, boys and girls. Anyone know what this is? Hold up the scroll. That’s right. A scroll. Long ago, Bibles, God’s Word, looked like this. Today’s third Bible reading, the Gospel, says, “The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (v 2). This was John the Baptist. When he was growing up, he lived off in the wilderness, in wild country, but even out there he probably did a lot of reading with scrolls like this to find out what God’s Word said. In fact, some famous scrolls that go way back to around the days when John lived have been found in that wilderness. Now John came and preached what God’s Word said to people—that they should repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
A sin is something we do or say or think that’s wrong. God’s Word gives us the Ten Commandments. They help us recognize our sins. We try to follow the Commandments, but often we don’t do what they say.
We feel bad about doing wrong things, don’t we? When we repent of our sins, we say we’re sorry. We want to stop doing them. It’s like we turn away from those sins—we don’t want to look at them anymore. We don’t want to see them or do them. We ask God to forgive us and help us.
God’s Word that John preached (hold up the scroll) told us about our sin and told us to repent. But John also said someone greater than he was coming who would take away those sins. You know who that was! Of course! Jesus! Jesus came to die on the cross to take away our sins. Now that Jesus has done that, listen to what else God’s Word says. Open up the scroll and read the verse. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.” Our sins are blotted out, washed away, because of Jesus. Just like John said. Just as God’s Word says!
Let’s pray: Lord, thank you for loving me and for giving me your Word. Thank you for washing away my sins. Help my faith to grow. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Advent 3, December 17, 2006
It’s Hard to Wait!
Text: Luke 7:18–28 (29–35)
Visuals: none
Summary: Waiting for our Savior, Jesus, isn’t always easy, but we have his promise that heaven will be worth the wait.
Rev. Kevin A. Karner, senior pastor
Grace Lutheran Church, Muncie, Indiana
I have to tell all of you something that I’m not very proud of. There’s something that’s really hard for me to do: I hate to wait! What about you? Is waiting something you like to do? Probably not. Most people aren’t very good at waiting. Can you help me think of times when it’s really hard to wait?
Let’s see: Sometimes you have to wait your turn to swing on a swing or slide down a slide, right? Or what about when you’re out shopping with your mom or dad, and there’s a long line of people in front of you paying for the things they want to buy?
We can think of a lot of other times when it’s hard to wait, like waiting for your birthday, a family vacation, or a certain holiday. Speaking of holidays, what holy day or holiday is the hardest to wait for? Listen to responses. That’s what I thought you’d say! Christmas! It’s hard to wait for Christmas, isn’t it?
Well, you and I aren’t the only ones who think waiting is hard. In the Bible, we read about people who had to wait, including the men in our Gospel this morning. Read Luke 7:18b–20.
These men were waiting for God to send them a very special gift—the Savior—someone who would win their fight for them against sin, death, and the devil and show them the way to heaven. So they went to Jesus to see if he was the one they had been waiting for. Was he? Was Jesus the gift from God they had been waiting for? Yes! He’s the one because he died to take away their sins.
During this season of Advent, we’re waiting too—not only for Christmas, but also for Jesus to come back again to take each of us to heaven. Is it hard to wait for heaven, where everything is perfect and good and everyone is happy and joyful all the time? Sure, it is. And sometimes, when bad things happen to us while we wait, we might even start to think that God has forgotten about us. But is that true? Would God ever forget about us? No way! Jesus has promised us that, right now, he’s preparing a special place for those who believe in him. And when everything is ready, he’ll come back to take us to heaven.
Advent 4 (Christmas Eve), December 24, 2006
Keeping Promises
Text: Micah 5:2–5a
Visuals: none
Summary: As God’s children, we don’t always keep our promises, but God does—and that’s what Christmas is all about!
Rev. Kevin A. Karner, senior pastor
Grace Lutheran Church, Muncie, Indiana
Who can tell me what a promise is? Listen to responses. A promise is when you tell someone that you will or you won’t do something that’s important to the other person. Have any of you ever said, “I promise”? What about when you’ve done something wrong and your mom or dad says, “Go to your room, young lady,” or “Go sit in the time-out chair, young man”? Did any of you say something like, “But, Dad, I promise I won’t do it again!”
Adults make promises all the time. Whenever my youngest daughter wants to make sure that I’ll do something with her that she really wants to do, she’ll ask, “Do you pinky promise?” And I’ll say, “Pinky promise.” Demonstrate what a “pinky handshake” looks like.
A promise is important. When you make a promise, someone else believes that what you’ve said will come true—that it will really happen. So what happens when you don’t keep your promise? The other person can feel sad or disappointed or maybe even mad!
God’s Word, the Bible, is full of promises. Rainbows are a reminder of God’s promise to Noah that God would never again destroy the earth with a flood. God promised Abraham that Abraham’s family would become a great nation of people. Let’s listen to another one of God’s promises. Read Micah 5:2.
God promised that someone important—a king—would be born in the city of Bethlehem. Who can tell me the name of the King born in Bethlehem? Wait for responses. That’s right! Jesus was born in Bethlehem! God kept his promise, didn’t he? And Jesus is more than just our King; he’s our Savior. God promised that this newborn King—born on the very first Christmas Day—would one day save God’s children from all their sins—all of our broken promises, for all the times we don’t do what’s right. And did God keep that promise? Yes, he did! Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins so that you and I can live forever in heaven with him.
We don’t always keep our promises, and other people don’t always keep their promises to us, but God always keeps his! Close with a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness.
Christmas 1, December 31, 2006
Let Us Receive Our King
Reading: Luke 2:22–40
Visuals: hymnal, baby’s receiving blanket, baby doll
Summary: As Simeon and Anna cradle the infant Jesus in their arms, so God invites each of us to cradle lovingly the infant Savior in our hearts.
Rev. Daniel N. Harmelink, PhD, pastor
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach, California
Who knows the Christmas hymn “Joy to the World”? Show children the hymnal and read the words of stanza 1 (LSB 387; LW 53; TLH 87). I like that line “Let earth receive its King.”
Do you know what this is? It’s called a receiving blanket. You often wrap babies in a receiving blanket like this. Wrap and hold the blanket around baby doll. It keeps the baby all warm and cozy. Have you ever held a baby? Let one or two children hold the blanket and doll, pretending. When you hold a baby, you have to be very careful. Some people are even scared to hold little ones. Are you?
As we heard in our Gospel this morning, when Jesus was still really tiny, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple. There, two people who were waiting for the Savior to come were led by God’s Spirit to recognize that here in these blankets was the Savior of the whole world. Their names were Simeon and Anna. And what did they do when they saw the baby Jesus? Let children answer. Simeon—and maybe Anna too—took baby Jesus into their arms. Just like the hymn says, Simeon and Anna received their King. They took him into their arms, and they took him into their hearts.
Do you suppose they were scared to hold this baby? No, but they might have been, because this baby is God. And since they’re sinful—just like we are—we might be afraid to be near God. See, God has to punish sin—he always does—so sinful people like Simeon and Anna and us might want to run away from him, not hold him. But Simeon and Anna knew what we know: we don’t have to be afraid of God, even though we’re sinful, because God already punished Jesus for our sin. Jesus took the punishment of all our sins when he died for us on the cross. Then God took us in his arms, received us, when we were baptized. He received us and held us close to him, so that we never need to be afraid to be close to him, to hold him, to receive him.
Let’s sing that first stanza of “Joy to the World.” Let earth, let us, receive our King!
Epiphany 1: The Baptism of Our Lord, January 7, 2007
Water, Word, Name, and Cross
Text: Luke 3:15–22
Visuals: baptismal shell, the service bulletin or hymnal to show trinitarian invocation
Summary Statement: In Baptism, Jesus binds himself to us in order to take away our sins and give us heaven.
Rev. Daniel N. Harmelink, PhD, pastor
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach, California
I have a couple of things to show you this morning. What’s this? Show the children the baptismal shell. Right. Many churches use a shell like this to pour the water on a person’s head when he or she is baptized.
What happened to you at your Baptism? Have the children answer. When you were baptized, all your sins were washed away. Now this morning we hear that Jesus began his saving ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Why would Jesus be baptized? Did Jesus have his sins washed away? No! He didn’t have any sins, did he? So then why was Jesus baptized? Jesus was baptized so that your Baptism could work. At his Baptism, Jesus said yes to his heavenly Father’s call to give his very life—for whom? Have children answer. Right again! For us and for the whole world. And when Jesus died on the cross, it took away all the world’s sin so that when we’re baptized, our sins can be washed away too. Jesus’ Baptism makes your Baptism work. In our Baptisms, we are made Christ’s own. We are even given a new name, the name Christian! And that’s the greatest thing that could ever have happened to us. That’s the one gift that changes our life forever! In Baptism, you have become Jesus’ own little lamb, and he has become your Good Shepherd.
I have one more thing to show you. What’s this? It’s the service bulletin (or hymnal). Sunday after Sunday, it points to Jesus and his mission to die on the cross for our sins. It also reminds us, Sunday after Sunday, of our Baptism. Open bulletin or hymnal to the invocation. When we as Christians hear the words “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” we remember our Baptism. That’s because those are the words that were spoken when the water (hold up the shell) was poured over our heads. When we hear those words, we can make the sign of the cross—the same sign of the cross made that day when we were saved! Let us pray. Pray thanksgiving for Jesus’ saving work and God’s saving work at our Baptism. End the prayer in the name of the Trinity, making the sign of the cross.
Epiphany 2, January 14, 2007
A Wedding Miracle!
Text: John 2:1–11
Visuals: empty ceramic flowerpot without a hole in the bottom, pitcher of water, plastic tray that pot can sit on
Summary: Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine, is a sign that he is our Savior.
Kay L. Meyer, president
Family Shield Ministries, St. Louis, Missouri
Hello, boys and girls. I’m glad you’re here today. I want to tell you about a sign, or miracle, that Jesus performed long ago.
Jesus, his mother, Mary, and his disciples were invited to a wedding. A wedding is when a man and a woman get married! The wedding celebration included food and drinks. During the party, Jesus’ mother noticed that there was no wine left. She asked Jesus to help. Then she told the servants to do everything that Jesus told them to do. There were six stone water pots that probably looked something like this (show students flowerpot set on tray), except that they were much larger. Each one was maybe (adjust appropriately) a hundred times this big! Jesus told the servants to fill the stone pots up to the very top with water. Take the pitcher of water and fill to the top of the pot. The servants did what Jesus said. They expected it to be water still, but when the man in charge tasted it, it was wine! Jesus had turned water into wine! And not just any wine, but the very best wine! A wedding miracle!
Jesus’ signs proved that he was the promised Messiah! This was Jesus’ first sign, or miracle, but it wasn’t his last sign. Jesus, who is God’s Son and the Savior of the world, went about Israel doing good. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He never sinned or did anything bad. Then, when the time came, he suffered and died for your sins and my sins. He was put to death. But after three days, he gave his greatest sign to prove who he was: he rose from the dead!
Now he promises to raise us back to life after we die, and it’s a gift! Eph 2:8–9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Let’s pray: Thank you, Lord, for performing this first miracle and showing us you care about everything, even happy occasions like wedding celebrations. Thank you for the gift of faith and giving us eternal life! Help us tell others about your love for them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Epiphany 3, January 21, 2007
Recognize Him?
Text: Luke 4:16–30
Visuals: two pictures of someone famous (such as the president)—one of him or her as an adult, which children would recognize, the other of the same person as a child, which children would not recognize
Summary: Jesus, though once a humble child, grew up to be the most important person we could ever know: our Savior.
Rev. Lloyd J. Strelow, DMin, emeritus
Hemet, California
Good morning, children. Ever seen this person before? Show picture of child. You don’t recognize him? Well, then, let’s use our imagination: What do you think he might grow up to be? Receive responses. Good ideas.
How about this person? Who’s he? Show picture of adult. Ah! Right! You know him, don’t you? He’s the president! Important man, isn’t he? How’d he get to be president? What does he do?
What if I told you this man (adult picture) was this little boy (child’s picture)? Sure enough! This is a picture of the president way before he became president. If you happened to know this guy in your neighborhood or in your class when you were both growing up, you couldn’t guess he’d be president someday when he grew up, could you? Now, though, he does some very important things. We really need a good president, don’t we?
One day, when Jesus was an adult, he went to his hometown church in Nazareth, the place where he’d grown up as a child. During the service, he read a promise God made hundreds of years before through the prophet Isaiah. That promise was that God would send the world someone who would save people from all kinds of suffering and bad things. People didn’t know which person that Savior would be. Then after reading that Bible reading, Jesus closed the Bible and announced, “I am the person Isaiah wrote about. I am your Savior, the one God promised to save you from all kinds of bad things.”
Guess what the folks there in Nazareth thought? They were surprised. They remembered when Jesus was a boy, and they hadn’t thought he’d grow up to be anybody special. So they didn’t believe him. They even got angry!
But Jesus is that special! He is more special, more important, than the president. Just a few weeks ago, we talked about Jesus being a little baby, but when he grew up he died on the cross to forgive our sins. And by dying for our sins, Jesus saves us from all kinds of suffering and bad things, and he will even take us to heaven someday. That makes him the most important person we could ever know! He is our Savior and our best friend every day!
Let’s pray: Thank you, dear Jesus, for coming as a child but then growing up to be our Savior. Amen.
Epiphany 4, January 28, 2007
Who’s in Charge?
Text: Luke 4:31–44
Visuals: large sign (8½ x 11-inch piece of paper, stapled to a wooden handle) with this question: “Who’s in charge?”
Summary: Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth with authority to forgive and care for us.
Rev. Lloyd J. Strelow, DMin, emeritus
Hemet, California
Would you help me this morning? Every time I raise my hand with this sign, would you repeat what it says: “Who’s in charge?” Practice twice.
When you want to stay up past your regular bedtime to finish reading a story . . . (raise sign). Who knows the answer? Who’s in charge when you want to stay up? Yes, your parents are in charge. They will either give us permission or tell us no. When you’re in school and need to sharpen your pencil . . . (raise sign). The answer? Certainly, it’s your teacher. When you’re in the car with your parents and you come upon an accident . . . (raise sign). Yes, a police officer, maybe directing traffic around the accident or helping if anybody’s injured.
Sometimes we argue about (raise sign), don’t we? “It’s my turn.” “No, it’s mine.” “Who said you could do that?”
The people God has given us to be in charge don’t just tell us what to do, but they also help us when we get in trouble. When you fight with a brother or sister, Dad and Mom are in charge to help you stop and to forgive you. When you can’t solve a math problem at school, your teacher helps you get the right answer. When there’s an accident, police are in charge of traffic, and paramedics take the injured to the hospital.
We need help every day for forgiveness, love, and peace. So, when we need that kind of help . . . (raise sign). Who knows this answer? Yes, Jesus is the answer! Read Lk 4:31–32. Authority is a word that means somebody’s in charge. Everything Jesus said and did showed that he was in charge. He’s God’s Son, but he came to earth to help us. He healed many sick people, because he’s in charge over illness. He saves us from the devil, because he’s in charge over him. Best of all, Jesus was the only one who could get rid of our sin; he’s in charge of that too. He did that by dying on the cross for us. He is our powerful, loving Savior.
Doesn’t that make your heart so happy—to know that Jesus loves you and is in charge of your life?
Let’s pray: Thank you, Jesus, . . . that you have the authority and the power . . . to get rid of my sin . . . and to love me each day. . . . Amen. . . .
Epiphany 5, February 4, 2007
God Sends These!
Text: Isaiah 6:1–8 (9–13)
Visuals: several paper valentines, enough red paper hearts (with a cross on them) for each child
Summary: God sends his Word to say, “I love you.”
Patsy L. List, teacher
St. John Lutheran School, Ellisville, Missouri
Good morning, boys and girls. I’m glad you’re here. I’ve noticed some things that have been in all the stores lately. I’m sure you’ve noticed them too. What are these? Show several valentines, commenting on each.
What do you do with these? Send them or give them to people. Sure. It’s like these valentines are saying, “Send me! Send me!” I bet a lot of you will be sending these the next week or so. Why do you send valentines to people? Wait for responses indicating they show love. That’s right, hearts are a sign of love. There are lots of people we love, and it’s fun to send these to tell them we love them.
In our first Bible reading this morning, the one from the Book of Isaiah, God wants to send something to people. Actually, he wants to send someone, the prophet Isaiah himself. God wanted to send Isaiah to his people to tell them they were sinning so that they’d be sorry for their sins. Why would God want to do that, to send Isaiah, to bring his people to repent of their sins? Because he loved them. That’s right! God has a real heart for his people, for us. He loves us very much, and he tells us about our sin because when we’re sorry for it we have his wonderful forgiveness.
That’s the other message God sent Isaiah to speak: that God would send his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. Our sins are taken away because Jesus died for them, and we get to live with him forever in heaven. God sent Isaiah, and he sends us his Word today—by pastors, by teachers, by our parents, when we read the Bible—because he loves us. He wants us to know that he’s forgiven us because of Jesus. It’s really as if (give each child a heart with a cross) the Bible, his Word, is a valentine heart from God that says, “I love you.”
When God called Isaiah, the prophet realized how much God loved him and had forgiven him. It made Isaiah want to tell other people about God’s love. So guess what Isaiah said! Hold up valentines. “Send me! Send me!” God would love to send you to tell your friends about his love too!
Epiphany 6, February 11, 2007
God’s Water Power
Text: Jeremiah 17:5–8
Visuals: dead-looking flower in clear, dry, foil-wrapped vase; healthy flower in clear, water-filled, foil-wrapped vase
Summary: God gives us the power we need in our Baptisms.
Patsy L. List, teacher
St. John Lutheran School, Ellisville, Missouri
Good morning, boys and girls. I’m glad you’re here. A few days ago I bought these two flowers. They looked pretty much alike at the time, but they sure don’t look alike now. How do they look different? What do you think could have caused the difference? Wait for responses, then take off the foil from both. You’re right. One of the vases didn’t have water in it. What happened when the flower didn’t get water? Responses. Yes. Every living thing needs water, doesn’t it? Water is very important to plants. Without water, they can’t keep living.
Water is also important to people. Just imagine how we would feel if we didn’t have water. We just wouldn’t be able to keep going, would we?
Which book of the Bible was today’s first reading from? Good job. Jeremiah, our Old Testament Reading. In it, God said that people need another important thing the way plants need water. People need God’s power, God’s strength. We need God to help us in everything we do. Some people think they can take care of themselves and make it without God’s help, but Jeremiah says they’re wrong. They’re like plants without water that dry up like this flower.
Did you know that God gives us his power, the help we need, by using water? Do you know what I’m talking about? That’s right! Baptism. God’s power came into us when we were baptized. When we were baptized, God the Holy Spirit came into us. He gave us faith to believe that Jesus is our Savior. He gave us the forgiveness of all our sins from Jesus’ dying on the cross. And now, by our Baptism—with water—God the Holy Spirit is living in us. That means he’s here helping us, giving us God’s power all the time.
Because we have God’s power in us, we can love others, be kind to others, share with others, and do lots of good things. And when we don’t, when we act like this dried-up flower, God’s power in us lets us go to him and say, “I’m sorry. Help me to do better next time.” God says to us, “I forgive you. I’ll help you do better.”
This week I want you to remember the two flowers. Just like flowers need water, we need God’s power in us. Baptism gives us that power to do the things pleasing to God. Close with a prayer.
Transfiguration, February 18, 2007
Work to Do
Text: Luke 9:28–36
Visuals: vacation souvenirs (hat, postcard, etc.)
Summary: Before we could live the beauty of Jesus’ transfiguration forever, he had to do the work of the cross.
Patsy L. List, teacher
St. John Lutheran School, Ellisville, Missouri
Good morning, boys and girls. I’m glad you’re here. I brought some things to show you. These are things we bought while we were on vacation last summer. We brought them back to help us remember what a good time we had. Here’s a cap with the name of the city where we were. Here are some postcards with pictures of some of the things we saw. Modify these statements to match the souvenirs. Boy, we really had a good time on vacation. We had such a good time that we didn’t want to come back home. It would have been fun to stay there another week. But we knew we had things to do back at home. Our grass needed cutting. I had a lot of phone messages to return. My desk at the office was covered with things that needed my attention. Of course, I especially wanted to be back in time for church today! Again, modify these statements appropriately. We just couldn’t have stayed any longer, even though we really wanted to.
There was a time Jesus’ disciples didn’t want to go home either. Listen while I read again from God’s Word, today’s Gospel in Luke 9. Read Lk 9:28–36. Did you hear what happened? Jesus and his disciples were up on a mountain, and Jesus’ appearance suddenly became so bright and shiny and beautiful! We say he was transfigured. And two great men who’d gone to heaven long before, Moses and Elijah, even came back to talk with Jesus. The disciples were so excited about what they saw that they wanted to stay there forever. But Jesus said no.
Why couldn’t they stay? Receive responses. They couldn’t stay on the mountain because Jesus had important things to do. See, Jesus didn’t come to earth to be bright and shiny and beautiful and have everybody stare and go, “Oh, wow!” Why did Jesus come? Responses. You’re right. Jesus came to die on a cross. That’s the way he took away our sins. That’s why we get to go to heaven, where everything finally will be bright and shiny and beautiful. But it couldn’t be that way for Jesus and the disciples yet. First, Jesus had work to do: the cross. And you know what? This Wednesday we start the season when we talk especially about Jesus’ death. What’s that season called? Right again: Lent. See you then. Close with a prayer.