First impressions
Children's sermon
Object:
a duckrabbit image
But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. (v. 26)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about first impressions. Does anybody know what that phrase means? (allow answers) A "first impression" is what you think of someone after you meet them for the first time. Sometimes when we meet someone for the first time, we may feel one way about them, but when we spend more time with them, our opinion changes. For example, we might meet a new kid at school and think they're boring or not very polite. But when we get to know them better, we might find out that they are just shy -- and actually, they are very kind and have lots of interesting stories to tell. Have you ever had a first impression of someone that changed when you spent more time with them? (allow answers)
I'm going to show you a picture for two seconds. After those two seconds, tell me what you think you saw. (show duckrabbit image, count to two, hide image) What was your first impression of that picture? (allow answers)
In our gospel lesson today, Jesus walked across the water of a lake to join his friends, who were in a boat. His friends' first impression was that he was a ghost! They were so afraid that they started to yell in fear! But their first impression wasn't right at all. It wasn't a ghost -- it was Jesus, showing them the miraculous power of God.
Just like the disciples, sometimes our first impressions can be wrong -- or, at least, there is more than we see with just a glance. Take another look at this picture. (show duckrabbit image) What does it look like to you? (allow answers) It looks like a duck, right? Now let's turn it this way -- what does it look like now? (allow answers) Now it looks like a rabbit! Do you see it? (allow answers, help them see it) It is more than just a duck or just a rabbit -- depending on which way you look at it, this picture is both.
The Bible is often like that. If we look at a verse or reading in one way, we have one impression of it. We might think it means one thing. But if we read a verse a different way, we may discover that it means something else, too. This can be difficult for us as follower of God -- we don't always know exactly what the Bible is trying to say. But this is also a good thing. It makes us think hard about the things we are reading. It makes us take a second look -- and sometimes a third look, and a fourth look, and more -- to try and understand how the word of God is important to our lives. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about first impressions. Does anybody know what that phrase means? (allow answers) A "first impression" is what you think of someone after you meet them for the first time. Sometimes when we meet someone for the first time, we may feel one way about them, but when we spend more time with them, our opinion changes. For example, we might meet a new kid at school and think they're boring or not very polite. But when we get to know them better, we might find out that they are just shy -- and actually, they are very kind and have lots of interesting stories to tell. Have you ever had a first impression of someone that changed when you spent more time with them? (allow answers)
I'm going to show you a picture for two seconds. After those two seconds, tell me what you think you saw. (show duckrabbit image, count to two, hide image) What was your first impression of that picture? (allow answers)
In our gospel lesson today, Jesus walked across the water of a lake to join his friends, who were in a boat. His friends' first impression was that he was a ghost! They were so afraid that they started to yell in fear! But their first impression wasn't right at all. It wasn't a ghost -- it was Jesus, showing them the miraculous power of God.
Just like the disciples, sometimes our first impressions can be wrong -- or, at least, there is more than we see with just a glance. Take another look at this picture. (show duckrabbit image) What does it look like to you? (allow answers) It looks like a duck, right? Now let's turn it this way -- what does it look like now? (allow answers) Now it looks like a rabbit! Do you see it? (allow answers, help them see it) It is more than just a duck or just a rabbit -- depending on which way you look at it, this picture is both.
The Bible is often like that. If we look at a verse or reading in one way, we have one impression of it. We might think it means one thing. But if we read a verse a different way, we may discover that it means something else, too. This can be difficult for us as follower of God -- we don't always know exactly what the Bible is trying to say. But this is also a good thing. It makes us think hard about the things we are reading. It makes us take a second look -- and sometimes a third look, and a fourth look, and more -- to try and understand how the word of God is important to our lives. Amen.
