Gather

Adult & All Age

Gather

Use the activity and prayers to gather the group and introduce the theme

Use the Jump menu on the right to find Prayers and other resources.

All age act of worship Session

What are kings for?

Ask people what comes into their minds when they hear the word ‘king’ – leaving aside Jesus, for the moment – or ‘queen’ when head of state? Display images/slides of as wide a range of kings and queens as you can. Here are some examples you should easily find online: crowning of a Zulu king in 2022; Poynter’s painting of Solomon and Sheba; Agojie, head of a West African kingdom in the 1800s; Queen Elizabeth II; King Charles III.
From all of that, can you answer the question: What is a king or queen/head of state for? So, what do we mean – what does the Bible mean – when we say Jesus is king? That is what we are exploring today.

First impressions

You could also use the image and following questions to help introduce the theme.

Click on the image to view a larger version
or use the Jump menu to go to This week's images.
For artist's details, see this issue's illustrators.

Questions

What point do you think the cartoonist is making here?
What different kind of king might Jesus have been?
What kind of welcome might Jesus get in today’s world?

See less

Children & Youth

FOR CHILDREN

Very young childrens Session

Gathering song

Sing to the tune: Baby shark

Little donkey (do do do, etc.)
Carry Jesus…
To the city…
Jerusalem.

Crowds cheer…
Hosanna…
Lay your coats…
and palm leaves.

Here comes Jesus…
King Jesus…
Hosanna…
to our King!

Childrens Session

What is a king like? W A

You will need: a list of words to read out or print and place round the room.

Create a list of words to describe what a king is typically like/treated like: powerful, rich, grand, wears fine clothes, people bow, has servants… Also have some words to describe Jesus: servant, lives simply, helps others, humble…
Children decide which words describe a king. The words left describe Jesus.

The king is coming W E

You will need: if relevant, you might like to have some images of the Coronation of King Charles III.

What might it be like to meet a king?
How would you prepare?
What would you say and wear?
How would you greet them and how would you feel?

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Young people Session

What makes a king? W E

You will need: images of several kings: Henry VIII, Charles III, Aslan the Lion, King Triton (Little Mermaid).

Invite the young people to look at the images and discuss what they know about each of the kings.
If they had to rank them, who of the royal leaders would be first and who would be last? What judgement criteria did they use in their choices?
Ask: Which king do you like the best? Why? What do you think makes a good king? Are kings relevant to us today?

First impressions

You could also use the image and following questions to help introduce the theme.

Click on the image to view a larger version
or use the Jump menu to go to This week's images.
For artist's details, see this issue's illustrators.

Questions

What point do you think the cartoonist is making here?
What different kind of king might Jesus have been?
What kind of welcome might Jesus get in today’s world?

Spiritual styles abbreviations
W Word E Emotion S Symbol A Action
Read our Spiritual Styles articles