Seen, Chosen, Changed: A Children’s Sermon on Zacchaeus

Description

Teach the powerful story of Zacchaeus with “Seen, Chosen, Changed,” a complete, downloadable children’s sermon lesson plan. This lesson centers on the main theme that Jesus doesn’t just see our mistakes; He sees who we can become. It’s a message of hope, showing that Jesus seeks out the lonely and lost, and His friendship changes us from the inside out.

Based on the key Bible verse, Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,” this all-in-one PDF resource is packed with engaging activities to bring the story to life for your children’s ministry, Sunday school class, or at-home lesson.

What’s Included in This Lesson Pack:

• Full Sermon: An engaging, easy-to-understand message titled “The Man Up a Tree” that powerfully tells the story of Zacchaeus.
• Modern Parable: “The Un-Invited Kid” connects the feelings of Zacchaeus to a relatable, modern-day story about a boy in a robotics club.
• Object Lesson: “The ‘Messed Up’ Money” uses a crisp dollar bill and a crumpled, dirty one to visually demonstrate that our outside “mess” doesn’t change our priceless value to God.
• Opening Questions: A set of three questions to get kids thinking and talking about the lesson’s themes.
• Q&A Review: A 10-question quiz to test what the children learned from the story.
• Game Ideas: Three fun, themed games:
  • “Zacchaeus, Come Down!” (A “Red Light, Green Light” variation)
  • “Find the ‘Lost’ Coins” (A “hot or cold” game)
  • “Pay It Back Tag” (A no-touch tag game)
• Craft Idea: “The Changing Heart” is a powerful “before and after” craft where kids write “before” words (like “Greedy,” “Lonely”) on a dark heart and “after” words (like “Seen,” “Loved,” “Changed”) on a clean red heart to show how Jesus changes us.
• At-Home Connection: A resource for parents to continue the lesson at home, featuring “Dinner Table Discussions” and a “Seek & See” Binoculars family activity.