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Children’s Sermon

John 3:1-17

Nicodemus Visits Jesus

Obsolete due to being too complex

2nd Sunday in Lent

Lectionary Year A

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ASK (a.k.a The On-Ramp)

Good morning!
[hold up the Nicodemus ping pong ball] Can you tell me what this is? That’s right, it’s a ping pong ball – with a face on it.
I’d like to name it. Can you help me think of some names for it? Bouncey? Rollie-Pollie?
…OH I KNOW! Let’s call it, “Nicodemus!”
Do you by any chance know that name? (That’s right! It’s from the scripture reading!)

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

So what I’m going to do is retell today’s scripture story.
While I do that, I need you to pretend that this [hold up the first ping pong ball] is Nicodemus and this [hold up the other ping pong ball] is Jesus.
So, our story starts with Nicodemus.
Nicodemus liked to roll around. [Roll the Nicodemus ping pong ball around on the ground a little bit while you talk]
And, he even better than rolling around, Nicodemus liked to bounce around (bounce the Nicodemus ping pong ball a few times)
But, Nicodemus had heard stories about someone named Jesus, who could bounce in ways far better than anyone else.
So Nicodemus went to have a talk with Jesus. [Hold the two ping pong balls up and have them talk to each other during the next few bullet points]
Once Nicodemus found Jesus, he says to him, “I hear you are really good at bouncing. How do you it? What do you know that I do not know?”
And Jesus said, “Don’t try to bounce on your own. Instead, trust God’s Holy Spirit. You have to let God’s Holy Spirit help you bounce. But this new way of bouncing is so different, it’s like learning a new thing.”
Nicodemus replied, “A whole new way to bounce?”
And Jesus said, “Yes. God’s Holy Spirit is like the wind. You have to let it help you bounce, but you never know where it will take you. But when you trust God’s Holy Spirit, this how it helps you bounce in a whole new way.”
[At this point, pull out the hair dryer and turn it on. Point it so that it is blowing air upwards. Then place the ping pong ball in the stream of air, very near to the mouth of the hair dryer, and gently release the ball. The ping pong ball will hover in the stream of air. You can even tip the mouth of the dryer almost parallel with the ground and the ball will stay suspended in the stream of air. After 10 to 15 seconds, turn off the dryer.]

SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination)

That’s a pretty different way to bounce than how Nicodemus bounced, isn’t it?
And the reason Jesus could move in that way is because Jesus trusted and allowed God’s Holy Spirit help him to move.
And guess what!? Just like Jesus taught Nicodemus how to move with God’s help, Jesus also teaches us how to move with God’s help.
For God so loved the world that God told Jesus to show us how to move just like he did.
And when we move like Jesus did, then we too will be better able to share God’s love, healing and abundance with those around us, just like Jesus did.
And that’s the Good News for today.

CLOSING Prayer

Let’s pray. This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God,
Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus…

…who taught us…

…how to move with and share…

…how to move with and share…

…your love, healing and abundance…

…your love, healing and abundance…

…with the world you so love.

Thank you and Amen.

Originally posted March 7, 2014
Updated on February 23, 2017
Written and edited by Nathanael Vissia

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Supplies:

Two ping pong balls (one will be Nicodemus and the other one will be Jesus – feel free to draw faces on them if you wish since it makes for a better prop)
A hair dryer
An extension cord (the extension cord is because electrical outlets in sanctuaries are not always conveniently located and you’ll need to actually need to run the hair dryer).

Related message(s): Newer and simpler message about John 3:1-17