Children’s Sermon

Matthew 17:1-9

Jesus’ Transfiguration

By Dell Smith Klein

SPECIAL SCRIPTURE: “This is my beloved son….Listen to him.” Matthew 17:5 WEB

OBJECT: Something to do with baseball––a ball, a bat, or a glove

SERMON:

Kade and his friends looked forward to baseball practice. They had waited and waited for a coach and now they had and coach and they could begin practicing. The coach had them practice throwing the ball, and showed them how to use their gloves. They practiced swinging the bat. They even practiced running. Soon, hey were ready to play.

Their first game was very different from the practice times. Lots of people sat in the stands behind home plate. When Kade went up to bat, he felt very nervous. With the first pitch, people began calling out, “Kade, swing!” Kade swung at the wild pitch and heard the umpire yell, “Strike!” Behind people kept yelling, but Kade felt frozen. He didn’t swing again, and before long, Kade had three strikes and with his head down he walked back to the dugout.

His friend patted him on the shoulder, and reminded him, “Don’t pay any attention to the crowd. Listen for the coach’s voice.”

That’s a lot like our Bible story today. Jesus took Peter, James and John with him to climb a high mountain. While there, Peter James and John saw Jesus change before their eyes. His face glowed, and there were two other men who appeared with him on the mountain top. Peter must have been nervous because he began to talk about building something right there on the mountain. But while Peter was babbling away, a bright cloud covered everyone and Peter, James and John heard a voice, “This is my beloved son….Listen to him.”

Peter James and John fell flat on their faces! They were so scared. Quickly Jesus helped them up and said, “Don’t be afraid.” Finally, the men understood that they were to listen to Jesus. They were not to do all the talking themselves, nor were they to listen to the crowds of people that might surround them.

Like Kade, who learned to listen to his coach about all thing baseball, Peter James and John learned to listen to Jesus.

We’re to listen to Jesus, too. Jesus told us to love our neighbor, care for the needy, and be kind to others. We can learn all Jesus said by reading the Holy Bible. Let’s listen and learn.

PRAYER:

God, you have told us to listen to Jesus. As we read his words in the Holy Bible, we are listening to him. Thank you for sending Jesus to the world, so that we would understand more about faith and about you. Amen.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2013, Richard Niell Donovan