Doubting Thomas Sunday School Lesson
Doubting Thomas Sunday School Lesson for Kids:
BOTTOM LINE:
God can turn our doubt into faith.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will pray for God to give them stronger faith.
KEY PASSAGE:
John 20:19-29, Thomas Doubts
MEMORY VERSE:
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIRV)
SUMMARY:
All of us have moments of doubt. We wonder if God is listening, if God cares, or if God is even there. But it’s through these times of doubt our faith becomes stronger. With God's help, our doubt will be transformed into faith.
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Turn our doubts into a stronger faith.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
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MEMORY VERSE
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIRV)
LARGE GROUP:
Have the kids read the verse together. Read it normally, then in a whisper, then really, really loud!
SMALL GROUP:
As a group, read the memory verse a few times in your best robot voices.
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SKIT
IS THAT YOU, PRIME?
ITEMS NEEDED:
Transformers toys
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
2M
CHARACTERS:
Chip - A kid’s pastor
Ted - A senior pastor
[NOTE: A fun way to present this series of sketches would be to use video. Film the kid’s pastor in his office playing with the Transformers, and talk one of your senior pastors into playing the role of Ted!]
Chip sits at his desk, with some Transformer toys on top. Ted enters.
TED: Hey, Chip!
CHIP: Hey, Pastor Ted.
TED: I hear you’re talking about Transformers this weekend. Sounds cool.
CHIP: You think so?
TED: Oh yes. I remember playing with Transformers when I was a kid. Good stuff. Have fun!
CHIP: Thanks, Pastor Ted, but this isn’t about having fun. It’s about teaching kids how God can transform them.
TED: Good stuff. Carry on.
Ted exits. Chip gets up, and makes sure he’s gone. He then begins to play with the Transformers on his desk. (Transformer characters are listed in the dialogue, but Chip does all their voices as he plays with the toys.)
JAZZ: Wow, Bumblebee, I thought the Decepticons were going to beat us for sure this time!
BUMBLEBEE: Me too, Jazz. They almost destroyed the planet!
JAZZ: Luckily we were able to keep Megatron from getting the Energon Cube!
BUMBLEBEE: Yes it is, but we lost Prime! He sacrificed himself to save us all!
JAZZ: Prime will be back, Bumblebee! He always comes back!
BUMBLEBEE: Not this time, Jazz. There’s no way!
JAZZ: Are you doubting our leader?
BUMBLEBEE: I can’t help it, Jazz! I saw Prime die! How can he come back from that?
PRIME: Hi, guys, I’m back!
JAZZ: Look! It’s Optimus Prime! He’s back from the dead!
BUMBLEBEE: No! That’s impossible!
PRIME: It’s true, Bumblebee! Reach out your robot hands! See the scars in my transistors! Stop doubting and believe!
BUMBLEBEE: Prime, it’s really you!
PRIME: Yes, it is me. Your doubt has been transformed into faith!
BUMBLEBEE: I’ll never doubt again!
Ted enters. Chip drops the toys, startled when he hears Ted.
TED: Oh by the way, Chip?
CHIP: What?? What??
TED: The budget committee approved the money you wanted for the new microphones.
CHIP: Thank you.
TED: Were you… playing with your toys?
CHIP: No!
TED: Okay. Good luck with that lesson, Chip.
CHIP: Thank you.
TED: And always believe in Optimus Prime!
OBJECT LESSON
ITEMS NEEDED:
A Transformer toy
Transformers were a really cool idea, robots that turn into vehicles. But not every Transformer is easy to transform. Some of them are pretty difficult, with many steps to transform them from one mode to the other. Kids would get frustrated and give up. They began to doubt if they would ever learn to transform their figure. But all it would take is watching someone else transform their character a few times, and that doubt would give way to faith.
God knows there are times we have doubts about him. We worship a God we cannot see, a God we can’t hear with our ears or touch with our hands. But God is not worried about our doubts. He welcomes them. When we take our doubts to God, he will respond to them. He will answer our prayers, and he will let us know he is real.
Like Thomas in today’s Bible story, our doubt can be transformed into greater faith. Give God your doubts, and let God transform your doubt into faith.
LARGE GROUP GAME
TRANSFORMATION
ITEMS NEEDED:
Two identical Transformers
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose two players for this game. The players will race to see who can transform their robot into vehicle form the quickest. First person to successfully transform their vehicle wins.
VARIATION:
Use easy Transformers for younger kids and harder ones for older kids. You might also up the challenge by having older kids transform two or three characters instead of just one. Depends on your resources and how many you can get your hands on.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
God can transform our doubt into faith.
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LARGE GROUP LESSON
BOTTOM LINE:
God can turn our doubt into faith.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will pray for God to give them stronger faith.
KEY PASSAGE:
John 20:19-29, Thomas Doubts
INTRO:
Transformers have been around for more than thirty years! Can you believe it? That means many of you have parents who grew up with the same toys you play with. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Grimlock, all of these characters have been around in toys, comics, cartoons, and movies for a long time.
For those of you not up to speed, the Transformers are aliens from the planet Cybertron. They are divided into two groups: the Autobots, and the Decepticons. These two races of robot aliens were at war on their own planet, and in the comics, cartoons, and movies, that war has come to Earth.
When the Transformers arrived, they chose a rather unique way to blend in and hide themselves from the humans. They learned how to transform themselves into vehicles. The Autobots, for the most part, transform into cars, trucks, and other vehicles, while the Decepticons include everything from cars to jet airplanes to a boombox. Anyone ever hear of Soundwave?
That transformation is not only what gave the Transformers their name, it’s what made them such a popular, enduring phenomenon. How cool is it that you have a toy that can be a racecar one minute and a robot the next? How cool is it to change a jet airplane into a robot? And let’s not forget the fan favorite Grimlock, a robot who transforms into a T-Rex!
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to talk about Transformers. We’ll talk a little about Prime and Bumblebee and the rest, but our real focus will be on how God can transform us. Just like the Transformers, God wants us to change from being worldly people into being Christ-like people. He wants to transform us not on the outside but on the inside.
Today’s story is about a man named Thomas. Thomas was a disciple of Jesus, who followed him for three years. After Jesus was crucified and rose to life, he appeared to all of his disciples except Thomas, who was not with them. The others told Thomas about Jesus as soon as he came back, but Thomas had a hard time believing something he could not see!
READ JOHN 20:19-29
MAIN POINT:
Thomas is often referred to as “Doubting Thomas.” He had doubts about whether or not the story of Jesus’ resurrection was true. Thomas had seen Jesus do many miracles. He had even seen Jesus raise the dead. But Thomas refused to believe what he could not see.
All of that changed when Jesus returned. Thomas didn’t need to feel the nail scars in Jesus’ hands. His doubt transformed into faith the minute he saw Jesus. God can transform our doubts as well. If we’re willing to look for Jesus, even when we doubt, we will find him, and we will be transformed.
DRIVE IT HOME:
Everyone has doubts about God from time to time. That’s not a bad thing. That’s just how it goes. We worship a God we cannot see with our eyes. We can’t touch him with our hands, and we can’t hear his voice with our ears. It’s only natural that we would have our doubts that there’s someone up in Heaven listening to our prayers who loves us and cares for us.
People doubt when someone they love gets sick. They wonder where God is, and why he hasn’t healed that sickness. People doubt when they feel unloved. They doubt God because there’s no one else around to love them. People doubt the miracles of the Bible when they seem so unreal. People doubt that Jesus is even coming back.
God isn’t upset with us when we doubt him. When we have our doubts, God sees an opportunity to grow our faith. When we give our doubts to God, when we seek him with all our hearts, he shows up. No, he won’t walk through the door and let us touch the scars in his hands, but he will let us know he is there, and he will transform our doubts into faith.
Jesus promised that when we seek him with all our hearts, we will find him. Don’t let doubt discourage you from seeking God. Use that doubt to ask questions, to pray harder, to look with all your heart. Jesus will be there to comfort you and give you faith.
Be transformed by Jesus. Be transformed because you doubt. Be transformed by letting God turn your doubts into faith.
CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Turn our doubts into a stronger faith.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)
ICEBREAKER:
Who is your favorite Transformer?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Hebrews 11:1
As a group, read the memory verse a few times in your best robot voices.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:
As a group, see if you can transform a Transformers toy. If you don’t have one, try your hand as a group with a Rubick’s cube.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Matthew 7:24-27
Who was Thomas?
Why didn’t Thomas believe the disciples when they said Jesus was alive?
What did Jesus say to Thomas?
How did Thomas’ doubt become faith?
What are some doubts you have had about God?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Take our doubts, and show us you are real so our faith can grow.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
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SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)
ICEBREAKER:
Who is your favorite Transformer?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Hebrews 11:1
As a group, read the memory verse a few times in your best robot voices.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:
As a group, see if you can transform a Transformers toy. If you don’t have one, try your hand as a group with a Rubick’s cube.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Matthew 7:24-27
Why didn’t Thomas believe the disciples when they said Jesus was alive?
How did Thomas’ doubt become faith?
What are some doubts you have had about God?
How has God helped your faith to grow?
What can we do when we feel doubts about God?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Take our doubts, and show us you are real so our faith can grow.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
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For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Doubting Thomas Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link).Â
Here's a video from PursueGOD Kids that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on Doubting Thomas.Â
Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Doubting Thomas Sunday School Lesson:Â
Checking the Roll - Children's Sermons from Sermons4Kids.com
Jesus Appears to His Disciples (Doubting ... - Sunday School Center
Thomas (John 20) | Bible | Pinterest | Sunday school, Sunday school
Doubting Thomas Ice-breaker idea | Sunday School Lesson Ideas
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