Our Ultimate Hope — Children’s Message on The Lord’s Prayer: On Earth as It Is in Heaven. This children’s sermon is part four in our series on the Lord’s Prayer — it pairs with our complete On Earth as It Is in Heaven Sunday School lesson and our No More Tears Box and Heavenly Joys Collage craft ideas. If you want to teach the whole prayer, download the free sample from Prayer Power Lab, our 5-week curriculum on the Lord’s Prayer.
Main Objective: As people, we find ourselves focusing our hopes and dreams on things beyond our current experiences. As Christians, we recognize that our true hope is in an eternal life with Jesus in Heaven. Any conflicts we face on Earth cannot compare with the joy we have in Jesus and the Resurrection. This message aims to reflect on that delight in our ultimate destination.
Law/Gospel Theme: The Gospel message tells us that, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we will one day be with God in Heaven. We can put our hope in the better home that awaits us because of the work that our Lord has done. Christ has unlocked Heaven for us. We should be working to share this wonderful message of hope with others!
Watch the Children’s Sermon Example Video
Note: This lesson is the fourth in a series on the Lord’s Prayer. Each lesson will consider another part of the Lord’s Prayer, examining what it means and how we can use it in personal prayer. Each lesson will also include a story from the Bible that illustrates the point.
Optional Materials: Pictures or things representing a special favorite place; box of tissues.
Bible Passage: Revelation 21:1-27; 1 Corinthians 2:9
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this one are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.
Greet children, and talk about special places…
Hello, children of God! Do you have a favorite place? Can you think of somewhere special that just makes you happy when you’re there? Maybe you like camping in nature with your family. Or there might be a family member’s house you visit that makes you feel safe. Maybe your favorite place is far away from where you live, or close to you. Share one of your favorite places. Example given. For me, one of my favorite places has always been Disneyland! Show pictures or items from your place of choice. I used to live close enough that I got to visit a few times a year, and I always loved it. When I was at Disneyland, I felt such joy and excitement. So throughout the months in between visits, I would often think about it and imagine my next trip. I would plan in my mind the rides I would go on, snacks I’d get, and the things I might see or do there. Sometimes I’d even look at pictures or brochures, or listen to music inspired by the parks, just so I could feel a little closer to it from far away. And thinking about it, even without being there, brought me a lot of hope. If I was going through something challenging, I’d just think about how in a few weeks or days, I would be back in the place I loved.
You know, there’s another place that should give us hope, although no one on Earth has yet visited there…it’s Heaven! Heaven is somewhere that we hear about, but may not know much about. What’s it like? Actually…we aren’t sure. There are plenty of ideas people have, but we don’t know exact details. Sometimes we get the mental image that in Heaven, we just sit around on clouds all day, playing harps. Sounds a little boring. It’s a lot better than that, really. The Bible tells us that we can’t even imagine how wonderful Heaven is. God has prepared something spectacular for us, beyond our imagination. It’s everything beautiful that we could possibly think of. It’s also a place where there will be no more pain or sadness. Hold up tissues. We won’t need medicine or Band-aids or tissues, because no one will be hurt or crying. God says that He will wipe away every tear and make all things new. We will be with Jesus in His glory.
One of the truly amazing things about Heaven is that it’s a place where God lives and where all people worship Him as Lord and King. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” We know that Earth and Heaven are very different places. But in this prayer, we pray that all people would recognize God’s reign. Unfortunately, not everyone on Earth respects that God is king. We want to help others understand who He is and how He rules. We also want to give them the hope that we have in Heaven. We want others to share in the joy and wonder of knowing something great awaits them someday. If we have a longing for somewhere different than where we are, or something greater, we know that someday our lives will be much better, and eternal! That can sustain us through life’s challenges. And meanwhile, we know that God is present with us now, and will hold us and wipe our tears through all sorrow.
Let’s pray now and thank God for the hope that we have in Heaven.
Prayer: (Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for the promise of eternity with you.
You are our hope and safe place forever!
Help us to share that heavenly hope with others.
Thank you for being present with us, now and always.
Thank you for your love.
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Bible Verses to Reference (Revelation 21)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. -Revelation 21:1-27
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” -1 Corinthians 2:9
The Lord’s Prayer Series for Kids
- Part 1 — Our Father in Heaven (Matthew 6:7-15): Sunday School lesson · Bible crafts
- Part 2 — Hallowed Be Your Name (Matthew 6:7-9; Exodus 3:1-17): Sunday School lesson · Bible crafts
- Part 3 — Your Will Be Done (Acts 1:12-26): Sunday School lesson · children’s sermon · crafts
- Part 4 — On Earth as It Is in Heaven (Revelation 21): Sunday School lesson · this children’s sermon · crafts
More Lord’s Prayer Resources
- FREE Lord’s Prayer Sunday School Lesson (PDF download) — sample from Prayer Power Lab
- Prayer Power Lab: 5-Week Curriculum on the Lord’s Prayer (Kids 6-12 and PreK 3-5)
- The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-13) Children’s Sermon