They saw the resurrected Jesus
Children's sermon
Object:
a box with a picture of some well-known member of your congregation in it and the number 525 written in large numbers on a large piece of paper
Good morning, boys and girls. Today I have something very special in a box. (select a volunteer) Do you promise not to say anything until I say it is all right? (let the child answer) Good. (open the box just wide enough for the volunteer to see the picture) Did you see it? (let the child answer) You won't tell anyone, will you? (let the child answer)
Would anyone else like to take a look and promise not to tell? (take each child, one at a time and after each one looks in the box, make them promise not to tell what they saw) Very good! Well, everyone has looked and no one has told anyone what they saw, is that right? (let them answer) That's great!
Is it possible that we really all saw the same thing? (begin with the first one again and ask the person to say out loud what he/she really saw) Everyone saw a picture. Does anyone know the person in the picture? (let them answer) Could it have been anyone else? (let them answer) You are positive that the person in the picture was _______________. If just one of you said it was ______________, there might be a question of who it really was. If only two of you looked in the box and said that it was the picture of _____________, I might think that both of you were wrong, but when everyone says the picture is of ________________, then I have to believe that you are all good witnesses.
(take out the big number 525) Can anyone here tell me what this number is? (let them answer) Do you know what that number means? (let them answer) It means that about 525 people saw Jesus after he died, was buried and rose again from the tomb. The Apostle Paul says that it could have been more, but he knows that Cephas (we call him Peter) saw Jesus, and then the 12 disciples saw Jesus, and then at least 500 people saw Jesus, then James and then the disciples again, and finally Paul saw him also. Add it up and it comes to 525 or more people who saw Jesus after he died and rose again from the dead. We believe [number of children who looked in the box] people who said they saw ___________ in a picture. If we believed them, should we believe 525 or more? I think so and so does most of the world. We are so glad Jesus came back from the dead so that all of us can believe.
Would anyone else like to take a look and promise not to tell? (take each child, one at a time and after each one looks in the box, make them promise not to tell what they saw) Very good! Well, everyone has looked and no one has told anyone what they saw, is that right? (let them answer) That's great!
Is it possible that we really all saw the same thing? (begin with the first one again and ask the person to say out loud what he/she really saw) Everyone saw a picture. Does anyone know the person in the picture? (let them answer) Could it have been anyone else? (let them answer) You are positive that the person in the picture was _______________. If just one of you said it was ______________, there might be a question of who it really was. If only two of you looked in the box and said that it was the picture of _____________, I might think that both of you were wrong, but when everyone says the picture is of ________________, then I have to believe that you are all good witnesses.
(take out the big number 525) Can anyone here tell me what this number is? (let them answer) Do you know what that number means? (let them answer) It means that about 525 people saw Jesus after he died, was buried and rose again from the tomb. The Apostle Paul says that it could have been more, but he knows that Cephas (we call him Peter) saw Jesus, and then the 12 disciples saw Jesus, and then at least 500 people saw Jesus, then James and then the disciples again, and finally Paul saw him also. Add it up and it comes to 525 or more people who saw Jesus after he died and rose again from the dead. We believe [number of children who looked in the box] people who said they saw ___________ in a picture. If we believed them, should we believe 525 or more? I think so and so does most of the world. We are so glad Jesus came back from the dead so that all of us can believe.
