Matthias is Chosen

Read Acts 1:15-17, 21-26.

Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter.  Jesus died on the cross and then because of the power of God’s love Jesus rose from death to life.  Jesus is alive!  That’s such an amazing thing that we celebrate it on Easter Sunday, but we also celebrate it for 7 Sundays!  Today is the last Sunday of Easter.  Next Sunday we will celebrate the birth of the Christian church and the start of a new season, Pentecost.

In today’s first lesson, we hear about a time when Jesus’ disciples were meeting together with other followers of Jesus.  They had to decide who would take Judas’ place as one of the twelve disciples.  Let’s watch the video and see what happened…and who was chosen!

Judas had handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be arrested.  The other disciples were disappointed that Judas had done that.  At this meeting, Peter reminded everyone that even though they missed Jesus now that he had returned to heaven, they knew Jesus wanted them to keep sharing the good news, to keep telling others about God’s love.

In trying to decide who should replace Judas, they decided that it should be a person that they knew and it should be someone who knew that even though Jesus had died on the cross, through the power of God’s love, he rose from death to life and that Jesus is alive!  They had two choices.  Either a man named Barsabbas or a man named Matthias.  They all prayed and asked God to help them decide who it was that they should choose.  God showed them that the right person for the job was Matthias.  Matthias was chosen to be a disciple and to share the good news of God’s love.

The amazing thing is this.  God chooses us to follow Jesus, too, and to share the good news of God’s love with others.  God loves us so much that God sends us out to let others know that God’s love is for everyone.  God doesn’t leave anyone out.  God chooses us all!

Discuss

• Why did the disciples pray when they needed to find a new disciple?  When was a time you prayed when you had to make a hard choice?
• How do you think Matthias felt when he was chosen?
• Have you have been chosen for something?  How did you feel?  Have you ever not been chosen?  How did that feel?

Song

Never Let Go of Me.  Lifetree Kids.

Activity

God has created each one of us and chosen us.  God has chosen us through the waters of Holy Baptism and forgiven our sins, made us part of God’s family, and given us the gift of eternal life.  God has given each one of us special gifts, talents, and abilities.  Click on the link below and try some of the Minute to Win It Games for Kids: https://redtri.com/the-best-minute-to-win-it-games-for-kids/slide/1

Activity

Matthias was chosen as the person to replace Judas as one of Jesus’ disciples.  Matthias was the right person for the job.  In the story I Like Myself we hear about a young girl who likes herself because she as she says, “I am me.”  God has created each of us with special gifts and talents.  We are all special.  We are all loved by God.  I Like Myself is written by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by David Catrow.

Hear and watch the story being read: 

Prayer

God, as we continue to celebrate Easter, we thank you for Jesus, who died on the cross and then by the power of your love rose to new life.  Jesus is alive!  We thank you that you choose us and send us to share your love with others.  Amen.

Pastor Dan Fugate, Assistant to the Bishop for Discipleship in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, ELCA, put this lesson together for Sunday School @ Home.  There will be a new one for each Sunday while we are unable to gather together physically in our congregational buildings.  Contact him at dfugate@iksynod.org.