The first and the last
Children's sermon
Object:
a yardstick with the numbers 1 to 36 printed on both sides but with the #1 on one end having the #36 on the reverse side
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you know what the words Alpha and Omega mean? (let them answer) Jesus said that he was the Alpha and the Omega. What did Jesus mean? (let them answer) Today is Christ the King Sunday. When Jesus said he was the Alpha and the Omega, he was telling us something important about the kind of king he was.
I brought along something all of you have seen before. (hold up the yardstick) What do we call this? (let them answer) That's right, a yardstick. I need a volunteer. (select one of the older children) I want you to look at the yardstick and tell me which end is the beginning of the yardstick. (let the volunteer examine it carefully) Which end do you think is the beginning? (let the volunteer answer) Why did you choose this end? (let the volunteer answer) Very good, because it has a number 1. Then where is the end of the yardstick? (let him/her answer) You say it is the other end where the number 36 is written. Would you put your finger on the 36 and keep it there?
You keep your finger on 36 while I turn the yardstick around so that it is facing the other way. What number is on the same end as the number 36 is on the other side? (let the volunteer answer) It is the number 1, and what do you think the number is on the other end of this side? (let the volunteer look) That's right, it is 36. So on one side the beginning is at this end and the end is at that end, but when you turn it over, you find that the beginning is at the other end and the end is at this end. Is that confusing or what? Both ends are the beginning and the end and both beginnings are the beginning and the end.
Jesus said that he was the Alpha and the Omega. The word Alpha means beginning and the word Omega means end. Jesus says that he is both. He is the beginning and the end. Jesus was a part of creation and he will be a part of the end of the world and the beginning of the new world. Jesus is both. That is why we call Jesus the King, Christ the King.
The next time you see a yardstick, flip it over and see if there is a 1 on each side and a 36 on each side. Then remember that Jesus is the beginning and end of everything, for he is the Alpha and the Omega.
I brought along something all of you have seen before. (hold up the yardstick) What do we call this? (let them answer) That's right, a yardstick. I need a volunteer. (select one of the older children) I want you to look at the yardstick and tell me which end is the beginning of the yardstick. (let the volunteer examine it carefully) Which end do you think is the beginning? (let the volunteer answer) Why did you choose this end? (let the volunteer answer) Very good, because it has a number 1. Then where is the end of the yardstick? (let him/her answer) You say it is the other end where the number 36 is written. Would you put your finger on the 36 and keep it there?
You keep your finger on 36 while I turn the yardstick around so that it is facing the other way. What number is on the same end as the number 36 is on the other side? (let the volunteer answer) It is the number 1, and what do you think the number is on the other end of this side? (let the volunteer look) That's right, it is 36. So on one side the beginning is at this end and the end is at that end, but when you turn it over, you find that the beginning is at the other end and the end is at this end. Is that confusing or what? Both ends are the beginning and the end and both beginnings are the beginning and the end.
Jesus said that he was the Alpha and the Omega. The word Alpha means beginning and the word Omega means end. Jesus says that he is both. He is the beginning and the end. Jesus was a part of creation and he will be a part of the end of the world and the beginning of the new world. Jesus is both. That is why we call Jesus the King, Christ the King.
The next time you see a yardstick, flip it over and see if there is a 1 on each side and a 36 on each side. Then remember that Jesus is the beginning and end of everything, for he is the Alpha and the Omega.