This free children’s message and object lesson is taken from the Gospel reading in John 1 verses 1-18. Download the printable teacher notes below and then watch the video teaching example as you prepare to share this children’s sermon with the kids in your church next Sunday.
John 1:1-18 Children’s Sermon
Object Lesson on Adoption into God’s Family
Main Objective: One of the beautiful truths of Christ is how He allows us to be part of God’s family. We are adopted as children of the most holy Heavenly king, which is reason to rejoice and be glad! Regardless of blood relations or appearances, we can know we are brothers and sisters in Jesus.
Law/Gospel Theme: The incarnation, represents the remarkable mystery that God became a man, and lived among us. This took place in order to release us from the bondage of sin and grant eternal life. The Word made flesh in order to make our flesh acceptable to God.
Object Lesson Props & Optional Materials: (Optional) book about adoption or pictures of people who were adopted by families.
- Consider using our free Christian Adoption Coloring Book
- Watch the video teaching example of this children’s message on YouTube
- Don’t miss all our Bible object lessons sermons for kids
- Compare our full Sunday School Lesson on John 1:1-18 see more lesson ideas on Sunday School Works
- Deepen your personal Bible study with a devotional on John 1
Bible Passage: John 1:1-18
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs. This involves more questioning and conversation rather than a direct object lesson, but could still incorporate other elements as well.
Children’s Sermon (John 1:1-18) Adopted into God’s Family
Greet the children, and ask a few questions…
Hello, children of God! I want to talk to you today about families. Who is in your family? Who lives at your house or sees you regularly? (Allow for some response time)
What is special about being part of a family? (Allow responses again)
Well, there are a lot of great things about being in a family and having loving relatives around us. You know, some people are born into families that only have a mommy or only have a daddy. Some people live with grandparents or relatives. There are all types of families. And some kids are adopted into families. Do you know what “adopted” means? It means that parents specially choose to take a child as their own, even if the child did not grow in the mommy’s tummy. (If you have a short book on adoption, or pictures of kids/adults who were adopted, present it now)
Adoption is special because once you are in someone’s family, you get to keep that mommy and daddy forever, no matter how you started off. Some families might look a little different on the outside, and may not even share the same color of skin. But the parents choose to take young kids as their own and they take care of them.
Did you know that this is what GOD does for us? When He sent Jesus, He made it so we can be part of His family. God chose to take us as His beloved children. Jesus made it so that we can be adopted as God’s kids! This means a lot of neat blessings come along with that adoption. For one thing, we know that we will live with God in Heaven one day. We also know He promises us His kingdom. Another spectacular bonus is that, if we are all sons and daughters of God, that makes us all brothers and sisters in Christ! It’s like we have one big family of believers. All we have to do is accept His love and adoption, and we can be with Him and other believers in the family of God. That is pretty special! So because we are all in God’s family, it’s even more essential to love and care for one another. We look different, and we all have different earthly families. But because God chose to adopt us as His children, we are His and we have fellowship with one another. Jesus came to live and die so that we can be HIS brothers and sisters, too! Let’s thank God for that, and remember to live in that gratitude, too!
Children’s Prayer Moment
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for your son Jesus
Thank you for adopting us into your family
Help us to love one another
And remember we are brothers and sisters in Christ
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus’s name, Amen!
John 1:1-18 (NIV) The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcomeit.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.