Lamb of God
Children's sermon
Object:
picture of a lamb
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a picture to show you.
What is it? (Show the picture.) It's a lamb. If you've ever
petted a lamb, you know that it is a gentle animal. It is soft to
touch a lamb's wool. In Jesus' time, a person who took car e of
lambs and sheep was called a shepherd. We often call Jesus the
Good Shepherd. Does anyone know why we call Jesus by that name?
(Let them answer.) It's because we may think of ourselves as
sheep and lambs, and Jesus takes care of us. So, he is the Good
Shepherd. That's why sometimes you see Jesus with sheep in church
windows and religious paintings.
Sometimes you see a lamb in church windows with a cross. That's another image of Jesus. That's the image of this morning's story. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is also the Lamb of God. Why do you think he is called the Lamb of God? (Let them answer.) Here's the reason. During Jesus' time many people raised sheep. It was their religious custom to take the best lamb to the temple. The lamb was sacrificed by the temple priests. This means that the lamb was killed as a sacrifice to God. When the blood of the animal ran down off the temple altar the people knew that God was accepting the animal instead of the people's lives. The people knew that God had a right to take their lives because they were sinful. They also knew that God loved them so much that he would take an animal instead. That's why Jesus was called the Lamb of God. He died for us on the cross. He gave his blood so we could keep ours. John the Baptist told this to the people when he saw Jesus. So when you see lambs in the field, or on church windows, you can remember that Jesus is the Lamb of God.
Sometimes you see a lamb in church windows with a cross. That's another image of Jesus. That's the image of this morning's story. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is also the Lamb of God. Why do you think he is called the Lamb of God? (Let them answer.) Here's the reason. During Jesus' time many people raised sheep. It was their religious custom to take the best lamb to the temple. The lamb was sacrificed by the temple priests. This means that the lamb was killed as a sacrifice to God. When the blood of the animal ran down off the temple altar the people knew that God was accepting the animal instead of the people's lives. The people knew that God had a right to take their lives because they were sinful. They also knew that God loved them so much that he would take an animal instead. That's why Jesus was called the Lamb of God. He died for us on the cross. He gave his blood so we could keep ours. John the Baptist told this to the people when he saw Jesus. So when you see lambs in the field, or on church windows, you can remember that Jesus is the Lamb of God.
