Kids Can Shout Hosanna to Jesus

Sermon: Lord of the Temple (Matthew 21:12-17) Group: Children's Church, Ages 3-6 Time: About 5 minutes

One Simple Idea: Jesus is the King, and He loves to hear children praise Him.

And when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant, and they said to him, 'Do you hear what these are saying?' And Jesus said to them, 'Yes; have you never read, — Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise — ?'

— Matthew 21:15-16

Leader Prep (Leader Only)

• Why this idea: The sermon showed Jesus coming into the temple as its rightful Lord. He cleaned it out so it could be a house of prayer, and He welcomed and healed people others pushed away. He also gladly received the children's praise, pointing to Psalm 8:2. The sermon's main point is that we should worship God the way He wants and give praise to Him alone. For little ones, this becomes one idea: Jesus is King, and kids can praise Him too.
• What Hosanna means: It is a happy, loud shout to the King. It means 'Please save us!' and people used it to praise Jesus. You can tell the kids it is a 'Yay, King Jesus!' shout.
• What to leave out: Skip details about money changers or angry grown-ups beyond one simple sentence. Keep the focus on Jesus and the children's praise.

Story Time (Read Aloud)

Jesus came to God's house, a big place where people were supposed to pray. But people were busy buying and selling, so Jesus cleared it out and said, 'This is a house for praying!' People who could not see and people who could not walk came to Jesus, and He made them all better. Then the children shouted, 'Hosanna! Hosanna to Jesus!' Some grown-ups grumbled, but Jesus was happy, because God loves to hear children praise Him!

Move and Sing

Motion: Have everyone stand up and wave their arms high, like waving big leafy branches.

Chant (say it in a sing-song voice, louder each time):

'Hosanna, hosanna, Jesus is King! Hosanna, hosanna, let's all sing!'

Do it three times. On the last round, have the kids jump up on the word King! Then use a whisper voice to bring them back to sitting.

Yes or No Question

Ask: 'Can kids like you shout Hosanna to Jesus?'

Expected answer: YES!

Leader follow-up: 'Yes! Jesus was happy when the children praised Him, and He is happy when you praise Him too!'

If a child says no or seems unsure, gently say: 'Guess what? In the story, the kids DID praise Jesus, and Jesus said that was good! You can too.'

Coloring Page

Draw a picture of you and your friends waving your arms and shouting Hosanna to Jesus.

(Leader: Provide paper and crayons. If time allows, ask each child, 'Who is in your picture?' and point to Jesus as the King.)

Leader Notes

Delivery tone: Be warm, happy, and a little bit excited. Read the story slowly, using a big, joyful voice for the children's shout and a soft voice for the grumbling grown-ups. Smile a lot. The feeling to pass on is that praising Jesus is a happy thing.

Expected duration: About 5 minutes. - Story: 1 minute - Move and Sing: 2 minutes - Yes or No Question: 30 seconds - Hand out coloring: 1 to 1.5 minutes. Coloring can continue past the 5 minutes if your schedule allows.

If a child gets restless: - Move to the motion early. Say, 'Let's stand up and wave our branches for King Jesus!' - Give a restless child a job, like being the 'Hosanna leader' who starts the chant. - Use a whisper Hosanna to calm the group: 'Can we whisper it now? Hosanna...' - If the whole group is wiggly, skip straight to the yes or no question and coloring. The one thing to make sure they hear is: Jesus is King, and kids can praise Him.

Closing line (say it as they color): 'Jesus is the King, and He loves to hear YOU praise Him!'