Who is the king?
Children's Activity
Object:
Do your children have a favorite superhero? Maybe they love a superhero they've seen in a movie or a comic book. Maybe they have a superhero they've made up in their imaginations. Most children have no problem imagining what the perfect superhero can do, and it's very easy for them to decide what qualities, talents and special powers the perfect superhero should have.
Have them draw you a picture of their superhero and tell you about him or her. What do they like best? What kinds of things can their hero do?
The coming of Jesus had been promised many, many generations before he actually arrived. By the time he got here, people had all kinds of ideas about what he'd be like. Some of their ideas were so different from who Jesus actually was that many people couldn't even recognize that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Many expected him to look like and act like a great and powerful king. Lots of people were disappointed to find that he was, in many ways, just like them. In a sense, they expected Jesus to be a superhero who would fulfill all their hopes and dreams.
Ask your children how Jesus is like their superhero. There probably are some qualities that they share. How is Jesus different? He's not flashy. He doesn't rescue people in the same way a superhero might. He is every bit a great warrior, a mighty king and a powerful hero, but not in the literal way children think. He just does things a little differently from what we might expect. One thing is for sure: he's definitely better than we could imagine in our wildest hopes and dreams.
Have them draw you a picture of their superhero and tell you about him or her. What do they like best? What kinds of things can their hero do?
The coming of Jesus had been promised many, many generations before he actually arrived. By the time he got here, people had all kinds of ideas about what he'd be like. Some of their ideas were so different from who Jesus actually was that many people couldn't even recognize that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Many expected him to look like and act like a great and powerful king. Lots of people were disappointed to find that he was, in many ways, just like them. In a sense, they expected Jesus to be a superhero who would fulfill all their hopes and dreams.
Ask your children how Jesus is like their superhero. There probably are some qualities that they share. How is Jesus different? He's not flashy. He doesn't rescue people in the same way a superhero might. He is every bit a great warrior, a mighty king and a powerful hero, but not in the literal way children think. He just does things a little differently from what we might expect. One thing is for sure: he's definitely better than we could imagine in our wildest hopes and dreams.
