Lesson 20: Shining Like the Son

Distribute name tags and snacks. Choose one of the following activities to do together while children eat their snack.

Collect prayer requests from the students. The leader or a student can pray for the entire group, or a leader can pair up students and invite them to pray for one another.

• “How big is your family?”
• “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
• “What about aunts and uncles?”

“Have you ever wondered how all the people in your family are connected? A family tree is a picture that shows who is in your family and how they are all related.

It helps us understand things like how our grandparents are our parents’ parents, and how our aunts and uncles are our parents’ brothers and sisters.

Today, we are going to make our very own family trees to see how our families are connected!”

Objective: Help kids understand the concept of family connection, then point them to Jesus’ unique place as God’s Son.

Instructions:

Give each child a tree template. Let them fill in their name on the correct section of the family tree printout. In the designated boxes, have them write the names of family members (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.). Encourage them to decorate it.

While they are working ask:

• “Who is in your family?”
• “How do you know you belong in your family?”
• “What makes your family special?”

Briefly mention that Jesus also had a family tree (you can show Matthew 1:1-17 or Luke 3:23-38 if appropriate). He was born into a human family but was also different.

“Just like you have a family you belong to, Jesus had a family on earth—but he is also part of God’s family in a special way. He is God’s only Son—not just like a child of God like we are, but truly God’s Son. The story today showed that Jesus is God’s Son—full of light and glory—and that we should listen to him.”

• “How is Jesus like us?” (He had a family, he lived on earth.)
• “How is Jesus different from us?” (He is God’s Son. He is perfect. He came to save us.)
• “Why is it important to know that Jesus is God’s Son?”

Welcome the students to Crossroads and tell them you are glad they came this week.

(Share with God a time you feel his love—maybe when you pray, sing, or hear about Jesus.)

Tell kids that closing their eyes and folding their hands together can help keep them focused and not distract those around them.

• “Can you think of something that has two parts but is still one thing?”
  (Examples: a sandwich has bread and filling, but it is one sandwich; a pencil has an eraser and lead, but it’s still one pencil, A door (inside and outside, but still one door)

Instructions:

Hold up the coin for everyone to see.

“What do I have here? A coin! It has two sides—but it’s always one coin. We are going to use it to remind us that Jesus has two natures—he is fully God and fully human—yet he is always one person.”

Show the heads side of the coin.
“This side is called “heads.” Let’s think of this as representing Jesus as God. Jesus is fully God — powerful, perfect, and able to do miracles only God can do.”

Now flip to the tails side.
“This side is called “tails.” Let’s think of this as representing Jesus as human. Jesus was born as a baby, felt hunger, got tired, and even felt sadness — just like us. He knows what it is like to live as a human.”

Turn the coin slowly so kids can see both sides.

“Jesus did not switch back and forth between God and human. He was always both at the same time. Like a coin that always stays whole, Jesus is always whole—God and human in one.

This is not a perfect example, but it helps us remember something really important: Jesus did not stop being God when he became human, and he did not stop being human when he showed his power and glory.”

Say together:
“One coin, two sides — one Jesus, two natures! Fully God and fully human.”

• “Why is it important that Jesus is both God and human?”
  (Let kids respond—guide them toward understanding that Jesus had to be human to take our place and had to be God to have the power to save us.)

Objective: To help kids imagine what it might have been like to follow Jesus up the mountain and experience something amazing by sticking close to him.

Instructions:

“Today we are going on a special adventure. We are going to follow our best friend—Jesus—up a mountain. He invited Peter, James, and John to go with him. They did not know what was going to happen, but they trusted Jesus.”

Select an adult or a student to act as Jesus (the leader).

All other kids will be the disciples, following closely behind in a single-file line.

Have the leader guide the group around the space. Use obstacles to create an adventurous path:

• Step over “rocks” (chairs)
• Duck under “branches” (tables)
• Pretend to climb steep hills (walk in place with high knees)
• Crawl through “caves” (under a cloth or table)

As the leader moves, narrate the journey to build the scene:

• “We are climbing higher and higher…”
• “It is getting colder and quieter up here…”
• “We can see the clouds now… almost to the top…”
• “Jesus stops… what is happening?!”

Arrive at the “Mountain Top”:

Have everyone gather in a circle or sit quietly.
Optional: Use the flashlight to shine up or at the leader for a dramatic glowing effect.

“All of a sudden, Jesus begins to shine like the sun. His clothes are dazzling white! And look — Moses and Elijah are here, talking with Jesus! This is amazing!
Then a cloud covers us, and we hear a voice from heaven say, “This is my Son… Listen to him!””

While still seated, ask:

• “How do you think the disciples felt on the mountain?”
• “Why do you think Jesus showed them His glory?”
• “What does it mean to follow Jesus today, even when we do not know what is ahead?”

“Just like the disciples saw something amazing when they followed Jesus up the mountain, we can see and learn amazing things when we choose to follow him closely every day.”

“Today we learned that Jesus is God’s Son, and he shows us how much God loves us. Let’s pray and thank God for showing us who Jesus is and for helping us listen to him.”

Thank God for sending Jesus and for showing us his glory.

Ask God to help us trust and follow Jesus in our lives.

How to Play:

• Divide the kids into teams. One child from each team is blindfolded and must follow verbal instructions from their teammates to navigate an obstacle course
• Emphasize how important it is to listen carefully to complete the course successfully.

Connection: After the game, discuss how we can listen to Jesus in our lives, just like the disciples were told to listen to him during the Transfiguration.

How to Play:

• Hide the items around the room. Give kids clues to find each item.
• Once all items are found, have a brief discussion about how each item relates to the Transfiguration story.

Connection: Explain how the disciples’ “mountain top moment” showed them Jesus’ true identity as God’s Son.

How to Play:

• Select one child to start as the “Cloud of Glory.” The rest of the children represent the disciples trying to avoid being “covered” by the cloud.
• The “Cloud of Glory” begins tagging the disciples. Once a disciple is tagged, they join hands with the tagger, forming a “cloud blob.” As the blob grows, it must work together to tag more disciples, keeping hands linked at all times.
• The game continues until all disciples have been tagged and are part of the blob.
• Remind kids to move carefully and work together as the blob gets bigger.
• Celebrate when everyone has joined the “Cloud of Glory.”

Connection: The cloud on the mountain surrounded Jesus and the disciples, showing God’s glory and power. As the cloud grew in our game, it reminded us how we can all come together to follow Jesus and listen to him. How can we help others follow Jesus, too?

How to Play:

• Play music and have the kids dance. When the music stops, shine the flashlight or hold up the shiny object.
• The kids must “freeze” and pretend to bow down in worship.

Connection: Discuss how the disciples worshiped Jesus when they saw his glory and how we can worship him in our everyday lives.

How to Play:

• Divide kids into teams. Challenge them to “build shelters” as tall and stable as possible within a time limit.

Connection: Talk about how Peter wanted to honor Jesus, Moses, and Elijah by building shelters and how we can honor Jesus today by listening to him and following his example.

Objective: To help kids recognize that Jesus did many things like we do because he was human—but also did things only God can do, showing he is fully divine. The Transfiguration helps us see both at once.

Instructions:

“Today we are going to play a game that helps us see how Jesus is just like us in many ways, and also different from us in powerful ways. He is fully human and fully God!”

Explain the Categories:

• Human actions – Things Jesus experienced just like we do
• God actions – Things only God can do that show Jesus’ power and divinity

Group Sorting (recommended for younger kids):

• Read each card aloud and have kids vote where it belongs.
• Place it on the mat or in the correct bin.

OR

Individual/Team Sorting (for older kids):

• Divide into small groups and give each group a full set of cards.
• Let them sort on their own, then go over each one as a large group.

Ask:

• “Which of these human things have you done too?”
• “Why do you think Jesus chose to live like us?”
• “Which “God” action amazes you the most?”
• “What does the Transfiguration show us about Jesus being God?”
• “Why is it important that Jesus is both human and God?”

Objective: To help children understand that Jesus is both fully God and fully human by actively engaging them in creating examples, sharing ideas about how Jesus is the same and different from us.

Instructions:

Tell the kids they will make a chart showing how Jesus is both God and human.

Share stories we covered in club, and what moments show Jesus is God and moments that show Jesus is human.

• The Birth of Jesus – Jesus was born as a baby (human), but His birth was the fulfillment of God’s promise (God).
• Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness – Jesus experienced hunger and temptation (human), but resisted and used Scripture to defeat Satan (God).
• Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man – Jesus showed compassion by healing (human), but he forgave sins, showing His divine authority (God).
• Jesus Feeds the 5,000 – Jesus cared for the hungry crowd (human), and performed a miracle to feed them (God).

Finish by reading Matthew 17:1-9 aloud or having the children read it together. If you’re in a small group, break it down and ask the children to highlight any parts that show Jesus as both fully God and fully human.

Explain that, in this passage, Jesus shows his divinity (His power and glory) and humanity (His care for people and living among us). Discuss that this moment gives us a glimpse of both sides of Jesus.

Give kids Printout 3, a small sun cutout to write or draw one way they can shine for Jesus this week.

“Since Jesus is human, he understands when you feel sad, tired, scared, or excited.”

Remind them that because Jesus is God, he has the power to help them, even when they feel small or helpless.

“Shine like Jesus every day by being kind, forgiving, and loving. That helps others see his light.”

Let them know that when they act like Jesus, they reflect his love just like the sun reflects light.

“When you feel alone, you can remember Jesus is both powerful and close—always listening, always caring.

Since Jesus is God, they can worship him by singing, praying, or simply thanking him for who he is and what he has done.”

Ask kids to close their eyes and silently tell Jesus something they need help with or something they want to thank him for.

Thank Jesus for being both human (understanding us) and God (able to help us).