Jesus the Son of God

To explore the belief of Christians that Jesus was a special person: the Son of God.

by The Revd Peter Graysmith

Suitable for Key Stage 2

Aims

To explore the belief of Christians that Jesus was a special person: the Son of God.

Preparation and materials

• You will need: A paper crown, a towel, a toy stethoscope (or alternatively an old medicine bottle), a book of Bible stories, a large nail, and a largish stone.

Assembly

1. Ask for six volunteers to come out and hold one of the objects each. Explain that each of these things tells us something about Jesus and what Christians believe about him.
   
   
2. Go through the objects in turn, inviting suggestions about what they might tell us about what Christians believe about Jesus. Starting with the crown, ask the children what this says about Jesus: he was a king.
   
   Moving on to the towel, explain that he was no ordinary king. Unlike normal kings, Jesus was a king who washed his disciples’ feet. His idea about being a king was not about being rich and powerful but about being a servant. He was a king who was a servant.
   
   Next, the stethoscope. This tells us that Jesus was a healer. So Jesus was a king who was a servant and a healer.
   
   Go on to the book of Bible stories. What does this tell us about Jesus? That he was a teacher. So Jesus was a king who was a servant, a healer, and a teacher.
   
   Moving on to the nail, explain that this tells us that Jesus was crucified. He was nailed to a cross and died. Jesus was a king who was a servant, a healer, and a teacher, and who loved us so much that he died for us.
   
   Last, the stone: the stone that was rolled away from the tomb. Jesus was buried in a tomb but came back to life. Jesus was a king who was a servant, a healer, a teacher, who loved us and died for us, and who was resurrected (brought back to life) by God at Easter.
   
   
3. Say that Christians call Jesus the Son of God. Easter is a special time for Christians because it celebrates the resurrection - we remember the person Jesus was and, because of the resurrection, still is. Jesus the Son of God.

Time for reflection

Reflection:

Think about the objects you have seen in today’s assembly: ordinary things to describe an extraordinary man. What do they say to you about Jesus?

Prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ,
to be our king and our servant,
our healer and our teacher,
who came to show us how much you love us.
In his name we pray.
Amen.

Song/music

‘All in an Easter garden’ (Come and Praise, 130)