Children’s Chapel
April 30, 2017
Easter III
Bible
Reference: Luke 24:13-49
I.
Welcome: Good Morning girls and boys! I am so happy to see you all
this morning! Do we have any new friends with us? (Welcome new friends.)
II.
Church Practice:
Today is the third Sunday of Easter. Alleluia! Easter
continues for 50 days past Easter Sunday ending on Pentecost where we see the
red square on our liturgical calendar. The cloth on
our Children’s Chapel altar is white today because we are now in the season of Easter.
Who would like to move the arrow on our liturgical calendar? (Allow one child
to come up to the calendar to move the arrow forward one week.) The arrow is
now pointing to the third white square which is the same color as the cloth
that we have on our altar. You will also
notice that in big church the altar frontal, church dressings, and clergy
stoles are white. (Light altar candles.) We light these candles to remind us that Christ is the light of the
world. We remember that God is always with us, that Jesus lives in our hearts
and that we are inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit. Before we begin our
Bible lesson today, let us pray.
III.
Opening
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are here to worship and praise you. Open our hearts
and minds so that we may hear your words spoken to us through the Bible story today.
Draw us near to you and give us strength that we may serve you through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives, and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen
IV.
Introduction: How many of you
have ever missed your mom and dad or perhaps felt homesick? A lot of you have felt this way. How did it
make you feel? (Allow answers) It is natural to be homesick or to miss our
family when they are not with us. We may be sad or feel like crying when we don’t
have those that we love near us. After Jesus’ death on the cross, his disciples
were feeling really sad too. They missed their friend and teacher so much and
their hearts ached. But Jesus had risen from the dead on the third day, yet
some of his disciples did not know this news yet. In today’s Bible story we
will hear about what happened when two of Jesus’ disciples were walking one day
to a town called Emmaus. Let’s listen to the Bible story now.
V.
Bible
Story: Luke 24:13-49
Read Aloud:
13Now
on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven
miles from Jerusalem, 14and
talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While
they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but
their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And
he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk
along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18Then
one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger
in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these
days?” 19He asked them, “What things?” They
replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed
and word before God and all the people, 20and
how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and
crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the
one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since
these things took place. 22Moreover,
some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,
23and when they did not find his body
there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who said that he was alive. 24Some
of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had
said; but they did not see him.” 25Then
he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have declared! 26Was
it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter
into his glory?” 27Then
beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things
about himself in all the scriptures. 28As
they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he
were going on. 29But they urged him strongly,
saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly
over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When
he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it
to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and
they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They
said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking
to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33That
same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and
their companions gathered together. 34They
were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then
they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them
in the breaking of the bread.
36While
they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them,
“Peace be with you.” 37They
were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He
said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look
at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost
does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And
when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While
in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have
you anything here to eat?” 42They
gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and
he took it and ate in their presence. 44Then
he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with
you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the
psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then
he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and
he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise
from the dead on the third day, 47and
that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all
nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You
are witnesses of these things. 49And
see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city
until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
VI.
Response: As Jesus’
followers were walking to Emmaus, they talked of what happened to Jesus and
they were overcome with great sadness. When Jesus joined them on the road, the
disciples did not recognize him at first. Their deep sadness and preoccupation
kept them from seeing that indeed Jesus was with them all along. In the same
way, we may be very sad when we are not with our families and loved ones. We
may be so sad that we forget that our loved ones are always with us even when
they are not in the same place. They are with us because of our love for them
and we carry that love inside our hearts. There may be times in our lives when
we are sad our worried or angry and we may think that Jesus is not with us.
Just as Jesus’ friends did not at first recognize him as they walked on the
road to Emmaus due to their deep sadness, we may not be able to recognize Jesus
in the love of a stranger or the beauty of a sunrise because of our own sadness
or worry or anything else that distracts us. The good news is that it is not up
to us to bring Jesus to us, Jesus is always with us no matter what. Just as the
disciples were given immediate peace in their hearts when they finally
recognized Jesus as they were sitting down to dinner, we too receive peace as
we trust Jesus with our feelings and are filled with his love which strengthens
us in our weakness.
Let
us pray:
VII.
Closing Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your son
Jesus who came and dwelled among us and who died upon the cross and was raised
on the third day so that we may have everlasting life with you. Strengthen us
in our weakness and give us the peace you so freely give to all of us as we
trust in you and know that you are always with us. In your holy name we pray, Amen.
Amen
VIII. Response Activity: An activity will
be provided for the children.
