John 20:1-18 (click on the scripture to read it)
Kids Sermon + Adult Sermon
KID’S PART
Symbols
Show these symbols one at a time a see if the kids can tell you what they represent.
American Flag, Recycle, Chuck E Cheese, McDonalds, Christmas Tree
An ordinary egg:
Appears Lifeless… so did the body of Christ
But just as the egg can contain life, so does Christ contain the life we receive through His Resurrection!
The Butterfly Christian Symbol represents and symbolizes the Resurrection.
The butterfly has three phases during its life:
The caterpillar - Just eats: symbolizes normal earthly life, where people are preoccupied with their physical needs.
The chrysalis or cocoon - The chrysalis or cocoon resembles the tomb.
The butterfly -
The butterfly represents the resurrection into a glorious new life.
OLD PLAIN ALLELUIA ----Hold it up
SHOW A NEW BUTTERFLY ALLELUIA
Today’s Bible reading about Jesus we here that Jesus has died ….Friends Mary and Mary go to see the Tomb
The tomb is empty….. then they see Jesus.
Jesus says go tell the others to Meet me, search for me in Galilee .
You are all about to go on an Easter egg hung…what you are really seeking is Jesus…
ADULT PART
Symbols are an important part of our faith and are very evident within our churches….
Each holds a meaning that must be understood if the symbol is to touch our lives with more than its mere external appearance. Some of our symbols are in the church and some are out in the world.
Today is Easter, so let’s look at more Symbols of Resurrection.
Another common symbol of the Resurrection is the lily. It blossoms from a dry and lifeless-looking bulb into one of the most beautiful flowers of God's creation. Jesus Himself speaks of the lily in His Sermon on the Mount when He says that "not even Solomon, in all of his splendor, was attired like one of these." This is the beauty from lifelessness that no king on earth could ever hope to match.
An ancient bird from Greek mythology, the phoenix, has been incorporated as a symbolic form of the Resurrection. Mythology describes how the bird fell to earth and burned, and yet from its ashes arose another bird. Christ's life in an earthly form was destroyed through the Crucifixion, but a new and more glorious life came about as a result of His Resurrection.
The peacock is a symbol of antiquity often found upon the walls of the ancient catacombs of the early Church. The bird was used as a symbol because the peacock has an unusually beautiful tail. Each year, however, the bird loses its beauty during the molting season to such an extent that the apparent worth of the bird is greatly diminished. Yet the value of the bird is enhanced as the molting season comes to an end and a new and more beautiful tail appears.
Christus Rex….
Through our experiences of symbols… things that we can relate to, the mystery, the awe, the greatness of Christ is enhanced over and over again as we grow and become more radiant through the Resurrection and what that relationship with Christ means to us.
The great Swiss-German theologian Karl Barth delivered one of the closing lectures of his life at the University of Chicago Divinity School. At the end of the lecture, the president of the seminary told the audience that Dr. Barth was not well and was very tired, and though he thought Dr. Barth would like to open for questions, he probably could not handle the strain. Then he said, “Therefore, I’ll ask just one question on behalf of all of us.” He turned to Barth and asked, “Of all the theological insights you have ever had, which do you consider to be the greatest of them all?”
This was a remarkable question to ask a man who had written tens of thousands of pages of some of the most sophisticated theology ever put on paper. The students sat with pads and pencils ready. They wanted to jot down the premier insight of the greatest theologian of their time.
Karl Barth closed his eyes and thought for a while. Then he smiled, opened his eyes, and said to the young seminarians, “The greatest theological insight that I have ever had is this: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”
Today we share in the sacrament of Holy Baptism. We get to experience the symbol of new birth with Lucas Dosh… We get to come alive with this awesome symbol of resurrection… an outward and visible sign of God’s Grace… We get to stand in confidence and bring reassurance to this child and this family that from this day forward we stand together in the Risen Christ and that we will walk with them each day within the reality of the resurrection, both in this Kingdom and the kingdom to come.
Today, little Lucas begins his search, his hunt for Jesus and we get to reaffirm our search too…
A search that will lead to the ultimate Truth: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!
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