Which vase is Jesus?
Children's sermon
Object:
three clear vases or glasses, one filled with colored water and the other two filled with clear water; a pitcher filled with water and a bucket or container into which the colored water can be dispensed
... but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form.... (v. 7)
Good morning, boys and girls. I have three vases of water with me this morning. Which vase do you think represents Jesus? (let them answer) You think Jesus is the vase with the brightly colored water? That's a good guess, but watch what I'm going to do. (empty the colored water and replace it with clear water) Now there are three vases with clear water. If one of them stands for Jesus and the other two stand for you and me, how can we tell which one is supposed to be Jesus? (let them answer)
The vase that once contained colored water is still Jesus and we are still the other two vases. Do you know why we got rid of the colored water? (let them answer) The answer is pretty simple but most people wouldn't guess it. The answer is that Jesus gave up being like God and chose to be like you and me. The Bible says he emptied himself of his godliness and became the same kind of person as you and me.
Jesus became a human. He looked, slept, ate, and spoke like one of us. When he wanted to go from one village to another he walked. When he got thirsty he drank water from a well. Jesus joked with his friends, discussed problems with people, and knew how to be a good carpenter. He knew what it was like to get hurt when he hit his thumb with a hammer or got a thorn in his foot. When he was up in the mountains and didn't eat any food for forty days he got very hungry. When people did bad things he became angry. He laughed, cried, and even suffered a lot of pain. Jesus was fully human.
Jesus was also fully God. He had great power because his Father in heaven gave him great power. He could heal the blind, raise the dead, walk on water, and forgive sins.
So that is why we changed the water in this vase from brightly colored to clear. It was Jesus' choice to change from being wholly God to human and we are very glad he made it. Because he made that choice, Jesus died on a cross, but God chose to raise him from the dead and return him to heaven so he could again rule the world. Once again, he is the brightly colored water in the vase.
Someday we will all greet Jesus, the divine Son of God, and we will share our lives with him in heaven just like he shared his life with us on earth.
Good morning, boys and girls. I have three vases of water with me this morning. Which vase do you think represents Jesus? (let them answer) You think Jesus is the vase with the brightly colored water? That's a good guess, but watch what I'm going to do. (empty the colored water and replace it with clear water) Now there are three vases with clear water. If one of them stands for Jesus and the other two stand for you and me, how can we tell which one is supposed to be Jesus? (let them answer)
The vase that once contained colored water is still Jesus and we are still the other two vases. Do you know why we got rid of the colored water? (let them answer) The answer is pretty simple but most people wouldn't guess it. The answer is that Jesus gave up being like God and chose to be like you and me. The Bible says he emptied himself of his godliness and became the same kind of person as you and me.
Jesus became a human. He looked, slept, ate, and spoke like one of us. When he wanted to go from one village to another he walked. When he got thirsty he drank water from a well. Jesus joked with his friends, discussed problems with people, and knew how to be a good carpenter. He knew what it was like to get hurt when he hit his thumb with a hammer or got a thorn in his foot. When he was up in the mountains and didn't eat any food for forty days he got very hungry. When people did bad things he became angry. He laughed, cried, and even suffered a lot of pain. Jesus was fully human.
Jesus was also fully God. He had great power because his Father in heaven gave him great power. He could heal the blind, raise the dead, walk on water, and forgive sins.
So that is why we changed the water in this vase from brightly colored to clear. It was Jesus' choice to change from being wholly God to human and we are very glad he made it. Because he made that choice, Jesus died on a cross, but God chose to raise him from the dead and return him to heaven so he could again rule the world. Once again, he is the brightly colored water in the vase.
Someday we will all greet Jesus, the divine Son of God, and we will share our lives with him in heaven just like he shared his life with us on earth.
