‘Ascension of Jesus’ Childrens Lesson on Luke 24:50-53

BIG IDEA: DISCIPLES PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

AIM: The aim of the ‘Ascension’ Childrens Lesson on Luke 24:50-53 is aimed at helping children to see the reasons for and the purpose and benefits of praising and worshipping God.

SONG IDEAS:

1. ‘Great are You Lord’ by Good Kicks
2. ‘Better than the Best Thing’ by Yancy

GAME IDEAS:

1. Cotton Wool Cloud Relay. (regular/widescreen) You will need a large paper cut out cloud for each team, some vaseline and cotton wool. Children have a little vaseline put on their nose and dunk their face into the cotton wool. They must then walk or run over to their team’s cloud and stick it on – without using their hands. They then run back to tag the next player in their team. The team with the best cloud at the end is the winning team.
2. Cloud Face. (regular/widescreen) Using vaseline and cotton wool, see if you can make one of your team member’s faces into the best cloud. The leaders judge the best cloud face at the end.
3. Catch a Cloud. (regular/widescreen) Each team will need a paper with a cloud printed onto it. On the cloud you will need to stick double sided sticky tape all over it. Children must stand a couple of metres away from the cloud. One player stands holding the cloud printable. Using cotton wool the other children must try and throw their cotton wool at the cloud. The best cloud at the end is the winning team.

BIG VERSE: Jesus told the people who had faith in him, “If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. John 8:31.

(regular/widescreen) 

Download Bible Cards.

SET the Scene:

Read Luke 24:50-53.

You could also use the Ascension Sensory story to teach this passage.

VIDEO IDEAS:

1. ‘Jesus’ Ascension’ by SaddleBack Kids

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. Where did Jesus lead the disciples to? (close to Bethany)
2. What did Jesus do for the disciples? (blessed them)
3. Where did Jesus go? (into Heaven/the clouds)
4. What did the disciples do once Jesus had gone? (worshipped and went back to the city, in the temple all the time praising God)

SPOT the Simple Meaning:

1) DISCIPLES PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD FOR WHO HE IS

You will need lots of different instruments to show the children.

Say: Disciples praise and worship God for who He is and what He has done. When the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven, they didn’t just walk away and think it was a nice day. They were amazed! So amazed that they wanted to do something about it.

They had seen the living God face to face! They had seen the One who had died and rose again. They had spent time with Him and seen Him go into the clouds! This was definitely something to shout about!

We’re told that they worshipped Him and they went to the temple and praised Him. What does that mean? It means they couldn’t keep quiet! They needed to make a whole lot of noise because they had such good news about God. They needed to tell Jesus how amazing they thought He was. We don’t know how they praised and worshipped Him back then.

How do we praise and worship God now? Have you ever seen people use one of these in church? [show an instrument] or what about one of these? [show another. Keep doing this until you have shown all the instruments] You know, we even use our voices to tell God how great we know Him to be. Let’s hear you make a loud noise now. [Get kids to scream as loud as they can – you could invite them to shout a phrase such as ‘God is Great!’]

It feels good to praise and worship God and to tell Him how amazing He is. And that’s just what a disciple does. Disciples praise and worship God for who He is and all He has done. We have so much to make a noise about because God has been so good to us. How will you praise and worship Him?

2) DISCIPLES PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD WITH THEIR LIVES

You will need different items from every day activities to show the children.

Say: You know, it’s not only through making a loud noise that we can praise and worship God. We can tell Him how much we love and adore Him through the way we live our lives too. Our lives can be a way to worship God. How? By the way we live it.

Maybe you love to play football or to play hockey. [Show a football and hockey stick or use your own hobby examples] How can we use these to praise and worship God? [Get feedback] The way we play these games can show others that we are thankful to God for them. For example, we can play by the rules – because we know God is honest and not a cheat, we can be like Him and live and play by the rules. We can do our best and give it our all, because we know our God is a God of excellence – He does everything to the best and with all His might.

How about if we don’t feel good at math? How can we still use this to praise and worship God? [Get feedback] Perhaps by not complaining about it – our God is not a God of complaints – Jesus never sat around complaining, but He always worked hard to change things He didn’t like or didn’t see as working. Maybe we could try our hardest and get help with our math and try to look at it a different way?

There are so many ways we can live our live to praise and worship God. Mostly, when we read the Bible and follow the way it teaches, this will help us live our lives in praise and worship of God.

The ascension of Jesus reminds us of who Jesus is. He is God. He is in Heaven and is able to help us with any problem or concern we have. We can always go to Him for help. Disciples know this, and they live their lives to praise and worship Him.

SEARCH the Scriptures:

Praise Him. (regular/widescreen) Using a Bible sword drill see who in the room can find the bible verses first and shout them out! Ask the children to sit still with their hands behind their backs. Then shout out the Bible reference. The children must try to find each Bible verse and shout it out. The winner is the player that finds the most Bible verses first.

Use the Bible verses on Praise and Worship.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What does it mean to praise and worship God?
2. How do you like to praise and worship God?
3. How often do you praise and worship?
4. What difference does praising and worshipping God make in your life?

SENSE How You Feel:

Encourage your kids to think about the question below as they do one or more of the activities below:
What would it be like to see Jesus ascend into heaven?

1. Sensory: Create a sensory cloud table with cotton wool, blue rice (rice mixed with blue non- toxic paint and left to dry before using!) and toy people.
2. Build: with Lego the mountain scene with the disciples as they watch Jesus go into the clouds. Mould: Make your own clouds out of play dough or clay. You could also mould the disciples on the mountain.
3. Snack: Pre-bake some cloud shaped cookies and then decorate them with your kids.
4. Ascension Craft: Attach a Jesus picture to a cloud using a piece of yarn or wool by threading it through both. Pull Jesus up so he goes behind the clouds.
5. Make: Jesus’ Ascension Cup Craft The image on this craft is used with permission from freechristianillustrations.com
6. Color/Fill in the activity sheets for 5-7s and 8-11s.The image on this craft is used with permission from freechristianillustrations.com

SEEK God:

Write on a giant cloud altogether or individual cloud printables some of your praise and worship to God. It could be one thing you love about Him or one word to describe Him.