Christ the Cosmic Power

Young ones are intensely interested in power. They recognize early that they have very little
and aspire to have more. The parents, teachers, and baby sitters have absolute power. The
biggest and oldest among them have certain power within the group. They admire superheroes
with super powers. This Sunday says to them that Jesus has all the power in the universe,
always has had it and always will. But Jesus chose not to use that power to get all the good stuff
for himself. Instead he used it to take care of and love people. He calls himself a shepherd king.
And, he calls us to use our power in the same caring, loving way.

AUTHORITY DOMINION REIGN RULE POWER

Authority, dominion , reign (sounds like a weather event to non-readers), even rule are unfamiliar
terms. Choose one or two to use today. Make one or all of them into a POWER POSTER printing
the words in big powerful fonts.

Christ, the Shepherd King

Sheep and shepherds appear in several of the days texts. At the beginning of
worship give children strips of small sheep stickers and instruct them to listen for the
sheep in the songs, stories, prayers and sermon and to place a sticker in their
printed order of worship each time they hear one. (Younger readers will put their
stickers anywhere on the page. More proficient readers can be encouraged to place
them at the correct spot on the page and thus become more familiar with the
printed order.)

Few urban or suburban children know much about sheep or shepherding. For many a shepherd
is a fierce guard dog and a staff is a group of people at the school or recreation center. So
display a cuddly stuffed sheep and talk about real sheep who do not smell very good, cant
find their own food, wander off if not watched constantly and wade into water that can soak
their wool and drown them. As you talk slowly move from cuddling the stuffed sheep to holding
it at an arms distance with disgust. Talk with admiration about the shepherds and the job they
do taking care of sheep. Then, sitting the sheep in a prominent place for the rest of the service,
note with surprise that Jesus compared himself to a shepherd and us as his sheep. Ponder why
that fits and point to a song or prayer you will use today that refers to Jesus as shepherd.
Sing The King of Love My Shepherd Is or your congregations favorite psalm 23 hymn
rather than other shepherd hymns. Most of the images in them are too complex for children to
understand.
Gospel Reading
John 18:33b-37
Jesus is questioned by Pilate about the charge brought against him that he is King of the Jews.

Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

Older children might still remember their pretend play as royalty. We can use this experience to help them better
understand that we honor Jesus as a different kind of king.

Materials Needed

None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings

1. Ask: When you were younger, did you ever pretend to be a prince or princess, a king or queen? What
did you do? (dressed up in special clothes, told other people what to do, protected your kingdom
from enemies) Why do people pretend to be royalty? (because it makes us feel special, because it is
fun)

2. Say: Today is the feast of Christ the King. Was Jesus a king in the way that you imagined when you
pretended to be a king or queen? (No.) Jesus was and is a very different kind of king. But we can use
what we imagined about earthly kings and queens to understand what we mean when we call Jesus
our King.

3. Invite one or more volunteers to read today's Gospel, John 18:33b-37.

4. Ask: Why does Pilate think that Jesus might be a king? (That is the accusation made against Jesus
by the Jewish authorities.) Does Pilate treat Jesus as if he believes he is royalty? (No.) What does
Jesus say about his kingdom? (It does not belong to this world; those who know the truth will
recognize Jesus as a king.)

5. Say: We believe that Jesus is our king, but his kingdom is heaven. He is a heavenly king who shows
us how to live. All who believe in him want to obey him because they know he teaches us how to be
truly happy.

6. Ask: How is Jesus like the royalty we pretended to be? (He is powerful; he protects us from enemies;
he can help us when we are in need; he wants us to obey him.) How is Jesus different from the
royalty we pretended to be?(He served others rather than making others serve him.) How do we
show that we honor Jesus as king? (We ask Jesus to help us, as subjects ask for help from a king;
we obey Jesus; we thank him for the protection and love he shows us; we don't let anything or
anyone have more importance in our lives than Jesus.)

7. Conclude in prayer together that we will always believe that Jesus is king and that we will follow him in
all we say and do. Pray together the Lord's Prayer.
Family Connection
Understanding today's feast of Christ the King may be particularly challenging. While most of
us do not have direct experience with kings or royalty, we have a sense of who they are. We
know that royalty have sovereignty over their kingdoms. We know that those who are subjects
to royalty offer them allegiance and honor. To understand how Christ is our king, we extend and
magnify what we know to be true of the best of human royalty. Christ's kingship extends to all
places, all people, and all times. Christ manifests his kingship through his death on the cross in
which he offered salvation to everyone. Those who can see with eyes of faith recognize Jesus to
be our heavenly king.
Talk about how your family shows honor and obedience to Christ our King. Pray together the
Lord's Prayer and ask God to help your family act in ways that show you recognize and honor
Christ as King.