Login / Signup

Free Access

Pentecost Sale - Save $131!

A Prince In Disguise

Children's sermon
Gospel-Telling
The Art and Theology of Children's Sermons
Appropriate Day: All Saints' Day, any Sunday

Summary: Treat everyone as if he or she were Jesus.

Preparation: Spend a few minutes discussing what a disguise is, and then read or summarize the Bible passage. The story will then have a context, and you won't need to interpret it or offer explanation.



Today I want you to listen very carefully to a story. After I've finished it you'll have to think about it and perhaps ask your parents about its meaning. It's called "A Prince In Disguise."

Once, long ago (but not too long ago) in a faraway place (but not too far away), there lived a very special king. He was, by any standard, very kind, very just, and very wise. Even though his kingdom had no boundaries, for it was large beyond imagination, everyone in it knew the king was a loving father. Once a week he would step into his royal carriage, and his royal coachman and royal horses would carry him through the streets. And of course all the young men would bow and all the young ladies would curtsy as the king passed by.

Although this king was very, very rich, there was one thing he did not have, and because he did not have it, he wanted it more than anything else in the world. Can you guess what it was? That's right - he wanted a son (daughter). The king prayed every morning and every evening that a son would be born to him and his wife, the queen, for what good would his kingdom be if he did not have an heir who would become the next king (queen)? Oh, how he prayed and wished for a son.

And one day it happened: the queen gave birth to a child, and it was a boy! The good news spread quickly throughout the kingdom, and the people were happy and thankful; now there would be a prince who would someday be the next king.

The years passed, and the little baby boy grew to be a little prince. And once a week the prince and his father the king would step into the royal carriage, and the royal coachmen and the royal horses would carry them through the streets.

Because the king had only one son and because he loved him with all his heart, he was especially careful to make sure that no harm would befall his son. In fact, he built a very tall stone wall around the castle so that the prince would see nothing of the ugly, evil things that happened in the world beyond it. But the prince was curious, just like boys and girls about your age, and one day he decided that he wanted to see what the world was like beyond the stone wall. After carefully disguising himself, he slipped away from the castle. He walked down dusty roads and through village streets. He saw the clear blue skies, enjoyed the beautiful flowers, and felt the gentle rain just as he did behind the stone wall; but he also saw people stealing and cheating one another, and mothers too poor to feed their babies.

Of course, the king was frantic when he discovered that his dearly beloved son was lost in the great world beyond the castle walls. So the king gathered together all his messengers and told them to go to every street corner and alleyway and read to the people this solemn declaration: My son, the prince, is lost somewhere among you. Will you help me find him?

Young and old, male and female, the people looked high and low to find the prince, because they knew the king would be forever grateful if they found his son. But no one could find the prince, because he had disguised himself to look just like everyone else. And because the prince could be anyone, the people decided it was best to treat everyone as if he were the prince.

Even to this day the prince still walks the streets, and you may by chance meet him someday.

Reflection Note: I prefer to leave the story open--ended for the reasons discussed in "Overhearing The Gospel" in Part I. The success of this story doesn't depend on its analogy to the story of Jesus in Matthew 25. It can stand by itself in the minds of younger children as a story of a prince who learns the truth about this world and of a father's love for his son. Older children and those adults who "happen" to be listening in will catch the analogy. True, our primary responsibility is to target children's sermons for children, but we should never forget the powerful dynamics that develop when others listen in. This is one very good reason why the Sunday scripture lesson(s) should serve as the basis for both children and adult sermons.


____________

*Or princess, if you prefer. Change the "son," "boy," and masculine pronoun references to "daughter," "girl," and female pronoun references.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Ascension of the Lord
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 7
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Pentecost
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A job description. I have attached a sample you can use if you wish. I have highlighted a few of the items that might be good to use as examples during the message, but feel free to pick the ones you want to use.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
For June 8, 2025:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke.
 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being
. (vv. 31-33)

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
An older couple is given an eight-month eviction notice to leave their residence. They are living on a fixed income. After exploring an advertised senior living community in the next county, the news is grim. They cannot afford to live in such a community despite the extravagant advertising publicity they saw about amenities and community recreation on television. Both the man and woman have worked many jobs for decades with small pensions, lower wages in a roller coaster job market for a couple decades. The man calls a small-town pastor in the area.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Genesis 11:1-9

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

On the day of Pentecost, six weeks after Jesus had risen from death, when the disciples were gathered together in one place, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. As we gather together on the day of Pentecost, let us ask God that we too might be filled with his Holy Spirit.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, forgive us our sins and fill us with your Holy Spirit. Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, forgive us our apathy and fill us with your Holy Spirit. Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Schuyler Rhodes
Today is Pentecost. The creative power of God's Spirit (v. 30) flows today like no other day. The Spirit that is poured out on this day is the same Spirit that hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2) at the dawn of creation. This is the same Spirit that possessed Gideon as he lifted up his horn (Judges 6:4). And it is the same Spirit that the risen Jesus told us would arrive as an advocate to accompany us (John 14:16) forever.
John Jamison
It wasn't their first fight. Like most fathers and sons they had their disagreements. But this time, something was different. A line had been crossed that had never been crossed before. They sat there, staring at each other, both realizing they were in new territory, neither of them sure that they really wanted to be there.

David R. Cartwright
That first Pentecost was a grand and glorious day. It was a new beginning. On that special day, God's people were reborn through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was an extraordinary event.

Robert Leslie Holmes
A seminary student writing a term paper about confession of sin started to type, "When we confess, Christ takes away our guilt." However, he was a bit thick-fingered and hit the letter q instead of the letter g on his computer keyboard. Now his sentence read, "Christ takes away our quilt." He didn't notice his error but his professor did and wrote in the margin, "Fear not, little one, you'll not freeze for God has given us a Comforter!" Using his keen wit, the professor conveyed a profound spiritual truth that is at the heart of Pentecost. God has given us a Comforter.
Alex A. Gondola, Jr.
There's an old story about a man who found a pig. It seems that as this man was driving into the city in his station wagon, a stray hog suddenly ran out in front of him. The man stopped the car, jumped out, caught the pig, and put it in the back. Not knowing what to do with the animal, he flagged down the first policeman he saw, explained the situation and asked, "What should I do with this hog?"

"Take him to the zoo," was the officer's response.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL