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Choose from the
following children's sermons:
-
Fear Not, John 20:19-31 (see below)
-
Hard Questions for God, John
20:19-31 (see below)
-
Doctor God--Revival-ologist, John 20:19-31 (see below)
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Fear Not
based on John 20:19-31
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
One of my favorite aspects of the Easter message is that
we do not need to fear any longer. As Christians we don't need to fear
anything--not even death.
That doesn't mean that I'm not fearful anymore; in fact,
at times I am scared. I worry about accidents, being embarrassed by
saying something silly, I fear natural disasters, such as earthquakes,
tornados, and floods. I am even fearful about things like my credit card
bring rejected in the store.
Is there anything that you worry about? What are
some of your fears? (let the kids share, if they don't share ask
them...): How about the fear of being teased or embarrassed in front of
the class? Or what about the fear of missing the bus? Did this ever
happen to any of you? Or what about worrying about getting a bad grade
on your school test for those of you who are in school?
It seems that life is full of fear. That's why I like
the story of Jesus appearing in the disciple's midst. They were already
afraid, because Jesus was killed and the authorities were looking for
them too. They were behind locked doors and met in secret when all of a
sudden...boom...Jesus stood among them- he just appeared. And the first
thing he says to them is: Fear Not!
I love that, don't you? Fear not! Jesus says to
his followers (that includes us too): Don't be afraid any longer; you
don't have to fear anything anymore because I am with you. Because I am
alive I will be with you; you don't have to be afraid of anything or
anybody.
I'm still worried and fearful at times, but at those
moments I try to remember: I belong to Jesus and he says: fear not!
So, next time you are afraid or scared or worried,
remember that Jesus is with you and he is saying: fear not!
Let us pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for being
with us at all times. Please help us remember that you are our helper
and protector and that we don't have to fear anything because you are
with us. Amen."
? Hard
Questions for God
a children's sermon on John 20:19-31
by Rev. F. Schaefer
Props: picture of a question mark or a cardboard figure of a question
mark.
Good morning, children. Everybody probably knows what this is, right?
That's right, it's a question mark. Who can tell me what a question mark stands for? (let
the children give some answers.)
You know, the reason I brought this question mark is because there was
one disciple who had a lot of questions. Can anybody guess who it was? Do you think
it was Peter, or John...? It was Thomas. Have you ever heard the expression:
"Doubting Thomas?" That comes right from our Gospel text this morning.
For instance, when Jesus had risen from the dead and he appeared to the
disciples the first time, Thomas wasn't there. And, of course, all the other disciples
told Thomas: "we have seen Jesus, he appeared to us. "
And as the story goes, Thomas didn't believe them. He had a lot of
questions, like: "How can you be sure it was Jesus? Did he look like Jesus? Did you
check whether he had marks on his hands and a wound in his side (that's where they pierced
Jesus on the cross)? In fact, Thomas said: "unless I see the marks in his hand and I
can put my hand in his side to feel the wound, I will refuse to believe that it is
Jesus!"
Do you think it is ok to have questions about Jesus? Or about God? (let
the children talk).
You know, what happened next is kind of interesting, because the next
time Jesus appeared to the disciples, Thomas was there too. What do you think Jesus said
to Thomas? Did Jesus punish Thomas? Was he angry at him? Or was Jesus sad that Thomas had
questions about him? (nod head slightly after every question).
No, Jesus wasn't angry or sad. He said: "Thomas, just put your hand
in my side. Feel and see for yourself that it is me. Now do you know that it is really
me?"
And Thomas said: "My Lord and my God!" You know what's amazing
about that? Thomas was the first one in the bible to call Jesus God. Yes, he had a lot of
questions about Jesus' resurrection, a lot of doubt. But after he asked his questions,
Jesus answered him and that's when he knew more than the other disciples, that Jesus was
more than a messiah, Jesus was God.
So if you have a question about God, or the church, or about the pastor,
or about anything, don't be afraid to ask that question. It's o.k. to have questions;
asking questions is definitely a very good thing to do. Asking God questions is good
too, even when they are hard questions. An example of a hard question is: "why
does God allow so many children to suffer hunger and illness in the world?" Can
you think of any hard questions for God?
Let us bow for a prayer: "Dear God, thank you that we can
always be open and honest with you. Thank you that you always listen to our
questions, and that you even understand our doubts. Help us to have the courage to ask ask
honest questions and be open to your answers. Amen."
Doctor
God--Revival-ologist
a children's sermon based on John 20:19-31
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
props: a stethoscope or first aid case
God morning, my little friends, today I want to start by asking you a
question: "who of you believes that the Lord Jesus was dead, and after 3 days made
alive again by God?"
OK, it looks like this is not really difficult to believe for you.
Would you know that there was one disciple who didn't believe it--at least
not right away. This disciple was Thomas. Well, it was harder for him to
believe simply because he was missing the first time Jesus showed himself after he came
back from the dead.
Peter, John, James and all the other disciple told him excitedly: "we
have seen Jesus; he's alive." But Thomas said he needed to see Jesus with his
own eyes; he even wanted to feel his hands and side to see if it was really Jesus.
Anyhow, the story has a happy ending, because Jesus appeared among the
disciples again. This time Thomas was there and he believed. But Jesus said:
"blessed are those who do not see and still believe."
Today I brought something that you may know from the doctor's office (show
your first aid case or stethoscope). What do you think; should I switch jobs?
Maybe I could be a nurse or a doctor instead of being a pastor, what do you
think? Well, I wasn't really serious about switching jobs; I'm quite happy being a pastor.
Well, the reason I brought this medical equipment is to make a point about
resurrection. You know, even doctors can bring people back to life sometimes, even
after they have been dead for a few minutes. It's called resuscitation. So, it
shouldn't surprise us all that much that God can revive Jesus from the dead--even after
three days.
The bible says that God is our great physician--the greatest doctor ever.
You could even call him "Doctor God," because he has not only
made Jesus alive again, but he is also in the business of healing and giving strength to
people all the time. That's why we often pray to God to make us better when we
are sick.
And the best news is that Doctor God has also promised to make us alive
again some time after we die. He promised to raise us from the dead, just as he
raised our Lord Jesus, so we can live with him in heaven.
